Conservation group concerned over renewed push to develop N.S. gold mine

A conservation group in Nova Scotia is raising concerns about plans to develop a gold mine in Guysborough County because of the site's proximity to one of the province's longest rivers.

Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Australia-based St Barbara Ltd., announced last week that it was "fully committed" to the Cochrane Hill project on the province's Eastern Shore.

It did also announced it was withdrawing from provincial and federal environmental processes for the Touquoy Gold Mine, which is closing after it failed to get approval for changes to the site, and for the proposed Beaver Dam Gold Project and proposed Fifteen Mile Stream Gold Project.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation in Nova Scotia said it is concerned about the company turning its attention to the Cochrane Hill project and the potential effect of a gold mine near the St. Marys River, where a long-term salmon restoration project has seen success.

"When we looked at Cochrane Hill and the fact that that's still being considered, it just results in all of us shaking our heads here that are involved in Atlantic salmon conservation because we know this area," Deirdre Green, the program director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation in Nova Scotia, told CBC News. "There's significant biodiversity there that needs to be protected."

Wild Atlantic salmon

Green said the proposed site is above McKeen Brook, which flows into the watershed — a spawning area and habitat for wild Atlantic salmon. 

The St. Mary's River Association said on its website the river hosts four federally and provincially listed species at risk, "all of which would be threatened by the mine."

"It wouldn't take much for that to have quite an impact on the species," Green said.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation is seeing evidence "of the success of the work that's been done there over the past years, so we do not want to see a smash-and-grab extractive industry coming and negate all that excellent work," Green said.

Another concern is the potential use of Archibald Lake for the project. A May 2023 analysis by the provincial government examining the prospect of protecting the area noted the lake has been "identified as a preferred water source for a proposed gold mine at nearby Cochrane Hill."

The province's Environment Department is working on its final recommendations on whether to protect it. Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Halman said in June he hoped the recommendation would be ready by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for the Environment Department told CBC News in an email on Thursday there are currently no active environmental assessment applications for the Cochrane Hill mine and that the department could only "speak to timelines and processes for actual applications we have received."

The federal government previously terminated its evaluation of the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine in 2022, saying the company failed to submit the required information and studies by deadline.

Company 'proud of safety record' in N.S.

St Barbara told CBC News in an email it takes its commitment to respecting the environment and safety seriously. It said it is "fully committed" to developing the Cochrane Hill project. 

"We are proud of our safety record in Nova Scotia, this includes the safety practices of our exploration team — who will be working at Cochrane Hill in the immediate future," the company said.

"All work occurring at Cochrane Hill is standard practice in identifying and delineating underground resources and will be conducted under appropriate permits that include environmental protection measures and remediation bonds, as is required by the provincial government."

The company said the planned work is focused on designing a project "which reduces interactions with sensitive environmental and social receptors, as identified through the preliminary work undertaken to date including feedback from the public, stakeholders, and First Nation communities."

The gold mine project in Cochrane Hill would bring hundreds of "well-paying, long-term jobs to rural Nova Scotia," the company said, and would generate "hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity with the area."