Matachewan First Nation - April 01, 2026 - ISC has determined that the proposed Landfill and Septic Holding Pit Closure Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. 

This determination was based on a consideration of the following factors:

impacts on rights of Indigenous peoples;
Indigenous knowledge;
community knowledge;
comments received from the public; and technically and economically feasible mitigation measures

Mitigation measures taken into account for this determination are:

Vegetation removal should take place outside the active breeding bird season (April 1 to August 31
of any year). If vegetation clearing must take place during the active breeding bird season, breeding bird surveys and/or nesting surveys shall be conducted by a qualified biologist prior to the vegetation clearing. Nest sweeps must be repeated every 48 hours for the duration of the works or until August 31, whichever occurs first. 

Mature trees and snags > 10 cm dbh and therefore large enough to provide nesting or roosting for bats will be identified and flagged so that they can be avoided during clearing, if necessary.

Tree clearing will be minimized, if required at all around the perimeter of the landfill site. There will be no post-construction operation of the site, as the project is closing of the landfill and septic holding pits. On-site cover material will be used as possible following regrading.

Clearing of trees around the periphery of the landfill site will be avoided if possible and minimized if necessary.

Species at Risk (SAR):
It should be noted that while the proponent may be excluded from conducting any further environmental review, their responsibility to adhere to the Species at Risk Act (SARA), and other environmental legislation, remains. The purpose of SARA is to prevent wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct, to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. Under SARA it is stated that no person shall kill, harm, harass, capture or take an individual of a wildlife species that is listed as an extirpated species, an endangered species or a threatened species.

Migratory Birds:
It should be noted that Migratory birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Convention Act (MBCA), which prohibits the incidental take of migratory birds and the disturbance, destruction or taking of the nest of a migratory bird. 'Incidental take' is defined as the harming or killing of migratory birds due to actions that were not primarily focused on the taking of migratory birds. Construction activities that could harm migratory birds should avoid time sensitive nesting and brood rearing periods. Please consult with the guidelines to reduce risk to migratory birds (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/avoiding-harm-migratory-birds/reduce-risk-migratory-birds.html ) 

Contaminated Sites:
If contaminated materials/soils are encountered, an immediate halt to work must be ordered, Chief & Council and ISC will be informed, and actions will be taken to identify the extent and source of contamination. Both the determination of extent of contamination and its excavation/handling are to be supervised by a qualified person (environmental consultant) using methodologies as per the CCME Guidance Manual for Environmental Site Characterization and Human Health Risk Assessment (2016).

Spills (from machinery/storage containers):
If, during the course of the project, a spill should occur, every measure possible should be taken to stop and contain the spill immediately as long as it can be safely achieved without risk to the employee. Any spills must be reported to the Ontario MECP Spills Action Centre (Toll Free: 1-800-268-6060), as soon as possible. Both the determination of extent of contamination and its excavation/handling are to be supervised by a qualified person (environmental consultant) using methodologies as per the CCME Guidance Manual for Environmental Site Characterization and Human Health Risk Assessment (2016).
In the event of an emergency involving dangerous goods, call the Canadian Transport Emergency Centre (CANUTEC) at 1-888-CAN-UTEC (1-888-226-8832), 1-613-996-6666, or *666 on a cellular telephone.

Construction Waste:
All construction waste should be segregated into appropriate waste streams and removed from the community, to be disposed of at an appropriate facility.
Any fluids removed as part of this project should be properly stored, transported from the community, and disposed of at an appropriate facility.

Erosion and sediment control (ESC) (i.e., Standard duty silt fencing [OPSD 219.110] or equivalent) will be installed around the perimeter of the work zone where disturbed soils or loose fill materials occur to clearly demarcate the development area and prevent erosion and sedimentation into adjacent habitats. All ESC measures will be inspected prior to construction and maintained during all construction phases to prevent entry of sediment into natural features. ESC measures will be left in place until all areas of the construction site have been stabilized and will then be removed by the Contractor;    

Excavations required for the placement of the pipe will be isolated from the river by erosion and sediment control measures. Stabilization of stockpiles, bare slopes, and exposed soils will be conducted as soon as practical with erosion control blankets, straw, and/or native seed mix to reduce the potential for run-off. These ESC measures will be inspected to ensure that the river is protected from sedimentation;
Weather will be monitored for wind/rain conditions. Work will not be conducted during times of high precipitation and sediment and erosion control will be monitored before and after storm events. The Contractor will inspect the ESC after heavy rainfall events to ensure they are functioning and are maintained as required;

Re-fueling of equipment and fuel storage should be conducted in designated areas with spill protection. Waste oil and hazardous materials must be stored at designated area with spill protection. These tanks and containers will be stored further than 100 m from the waterbody, until they can be removed by certified waste haulers; 

If a spill were to occur the Spills Action Centre will be contacted at 1-800-268-6060; efforts will be made to clean-up the spill as soon as possible as long as this can be done safely; workers will be aware of the location of spill kits.

Minimize disturbance to existing vegetation. Disturbed areas should be stabilized and revegetated upon project completion and restored to a pre-disturbed state. Topsoil should be stockpiled separately and used for restoration to facilitate natural regeneration of native species;
Construction equipment will be cleaned prior to bringing it to the site to avoid introducing exotic species from other sites; The Ontario Invasive Plant Council's Best Management Practices (https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/resources/best-management-practices/) and the Ontario Invasive Plant Council's Clean Equipment Protocol for Industry (https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Clean-Equipment-Protocol_June2016_D3_WEB-1.pdf) will be followed for the duration of the project to reduce the likelihood of introducing invasive plant species;
Should any of the protected Species at Risk plant species is encountered during construction, the contractor is to immediately notify Chief and Council, as well as ISC, and a stop-work order will be immediately issued. Work is not to proceed until an investigation is completed by a qualified biologist in collaboration with the appropriate regulatory agencies.

Plan in-water works (if any), undertakings and activities to respect timing windows to protect fish, including their eggs, juveniles, spawning adults and/or the organisms upon which they feed and migrate;
Any extensions to the in-water work window will require approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada; 
ESC measures detailed in section(s) above are implemented.