Public Notice

Upper Beaver Gold Project — Comment Period on the Draft Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines and Draft Public Participation Plan

What is happening?

January 31, 2022 — The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) is conducting an impact assessment for the proposed Upper Beaver Gold Project, located 20 kilometres northeast of Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

As part of the planning phase in the impact assessment process, the Agency invites the public and Indigenous groups to review and provide feedback on the draft Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines (draft Guidelines) and the draft Public Participation Plan (draft Plan).

The draft Guidelines outline the specific factors to be considered in the assessment of the project and provide direction to the proponent, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, on the information and studies required in its Impact Statement. The draft Plan explains how the public will be engaged throughout the review process and provides details on how and when public participation opportunities will take place for each phase of the impact assessment.

How can I participate?

Comments can be submitted online by visiting the project home page on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (reference number 82960). Participants who wish to provide their input in a different format, or schedule an online meeting, can contact the Agency by writing to UpperBeaver@iaac-aeic.gc.ca.

Written comments in either official language will be accepted until March 12, 2022. All comments received will be published online as part of the project file.

Virtual Information Sessions

The Agency invites the public and Indigenous groups to attend one of the virtual information sessions on the project. These sessions will provide additional information on the project and the impact assessment process, and help participants learn how to effectively review and formulate comments on the draft documents. Interested participants can select and join one of the following sessions:

English Sessions

• February 8, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST
• February 17, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
• March 3, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST

French Session

• February 24, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST

We invite you to register on SimpleSurvey at least 24 hours prior to the session you want to attend. More information on how to attend the virtual information sessions is available by contacting the Agency at UpperBeaver@iaac-aeic.gc.ca.

Will there be more opportunities to participate?

This is the second federal comment period for the project. There will be other opportunities for the public and Indigenous groups to participate throughout the impact assessment process.

Follow us on Twitter: @IAAC_AEIC #UpperBeaver

What is the proposed project?

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is proposing the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of an underground and open-pit gold and copper mine located 20 kilometres northeast of Kirkland Lake, in Ontario. As proposed, the Upper Beaver Gold Project includes an on-site metal mill and structures for diverting water. The maximum ore production capacity of the mine is 15,000 tonnes per day, and the maximum ore input capacity of the processing plant is approximately 10,000 tonnes per day, with a mine life of about 16 years. The project would require the diversion of over 90 million cubic metres of water per year from Beaverhouse Lake downstream to the Misema River.

For more information on the Agency's privacy policies, consult the Privacy Notice on its website at canada.ca/iaac.