A recent study by Dalhousie University highlights deficiencies in the environmental evaluation process for mining activities in Canada. Researchers discovered that approximately 20% of the projects they examined had incomplete or absent data in public records.
The research encompassed all accessible environmental impact assessments for mining ventures dating back to 1974, totaling 266 assessments related to 227 projects spanning five decades. However, accessing data posed challenges as certain provinces, like British Columbia, had efficient digital systems, while others had limited or inaccessible records.
Insufficient data from environmental assessments impedes researchers from accurately assessing a mine’s impact on the local community. This deficiency also hinders regulators in establishing a benchmark to gauge environmental harm.
Alana Westwood, the lead author of the report, emphasized the concept of cumulative effects in new projects. She explained that prolonged pollution or contamination from mining activities could escalate over time, potentially reaching hazardous levels, leading to species extinction or groundwater contamination that deprives communities of clean water.
In a specific case, researchers requested access to pre-2000 environmental assessments from Nova Scotia, which required a steep fee of $6,000. Due to budget constraints and time limitations, the research team couldn’t proceed with the request.
Furthermore, the study revealed discrepancies between provincial and federal environmental assessments for the same projects in two-thirds of the cases. Misalignment in the assessments’ focus areas or terminology variations complicated researchers’ efforts to grasp the full scope of the mines’ environmental risks.
Despite the significant economic contribution of mining to Canada, amounting to approximately 6% of the nation’s GDP, the industry’s environmental impact remains substantial. The report suggests over 10,000 abandoned mines across the country are still polluting the environment without oversight.
Additionally, operational mines, such as the Star-Orion Diamond Project in Saskatchewan, operate on a massive scale, dwarfing iconic landmarks like the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The sheer size of these mines poses significant environmental challenges.
Westwood stressed the importance of leveraging environmental assessments effectively in mining projects, urging for better alignment between provincial and federal authorities on project evaluation criteria. Collison echoed this sentiment, cautioning against diluting regulations when expediting or simplifying provincial and federal analyses.
The researchers have made their report publicly accessible and searchable, aiming to prompt collaboration among provinces to enhance environmental assessments for mining projects.
