Nova Scotia

Public invited to give feedback on proposed Fifteen Mile Stream gold mine

Open-pit gold mine is undergoing a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment

Open-pit gold mine undergoing a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment

Blasting takes place for the Touquoy Mine in Moose River Gold Mines, N.S. (Submitted by Atlantic Gold Corp.)

The government bodies conducting an environmental assessment of a proposed gold mine on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore are now inviting the public to give feedback on the project.

Atlantic Gold wants to develop the Fifteen Mile Stream gold mine about 30 kilometres north of Sheet Harbour.

The mine site would include open pits, stockpiles, material storage, crushing and concentrator facilities, water management and treatment infrastructure, mine haul roads and a tailings management facility.

Ore from the Fifteen Mile Stream mine would be crushed on the site, and concentrate would then be trucked to Atlantic Gold's mine in Moose River, about 75 kilometres away, for further processing.

The project had previously been winding its way through the environmental approval process, but the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada told the company in November 2019 that it was pausing its assessment because the company's environmental impact statement did not meet federal requirements.

The company filed its new environmental assessment documents, totalling 5,129 pages, on Tuesday.

People can submit comments until April 30.

Fifteen Mile Stream is one of Atlantic Gold's four mining projects. It already operates the Touquoy Mine in Moose River and has proposed two more gold mines, including the Cochrane Hill and Beaver Dam projects.

The company is currently facing 32 environmental charges in court related to its mining activities in the province.