15-Mile Processing Hub Project

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Attachment Acid Rock Drainage

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Peter Lund
  • Reference number: 471
  • Submitted: 2026-08-03 - 12:34 PM
  • I’m a Hydrogeologist that studied ACID Rock Drainage at the Halifax Stanfield Airport for 4 yrs in the early 1980s and published papers in scientific journals,  so I understand how it forms, how long it lasts and its negative impacts in receiving watercourses via groundwater discharge. ARD will take 1-2yrs to generate and will last for more than 25yrs. pH will be substantially lowered ( <4), oxygen depleted and toxic metals significantly increased (particularly Al) in the watercourses for several km downstream. Thiobaccilus microorganisms can still generate ARD under anaerobic conditions in the groundwater. Most of the ARD is generated within the “blast halo” surrounding the open pit, which is never addressed in the EAs, which it should be. Blasting opens up fractures around the pit, exposing mineralized pyrite and thereby creating ARD. My biggest concern is the long term impacts to St. Mary’s River from the relatively nearby blast halo which will be created around the open pit upgradient from the river.

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Attachment Project Support

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Marina Moore
  • Reference number: 470
  • Submitted: 2026-07-28 - 12:01 PM
  • I have been working in the mining industry for over 15 years in the Environment space. I know first hand how a strong Environment strategy can allow for responsible mining. I have read through the 15-Mile proposal and St. Barbara's company profile and I believe they have a strong, defensive proposal that will support positive environmental stewardship and closure. The project team has experienced employees. Mining support families and provided a lot of benefit. It can be done in a sustainable way and protects the environment while operating and returns land to equivalent land capabilities. 

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Attachment Responsible resource development = Opportunities

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment
  • Reference number: 469
  • Submitted: 2026-07-28 - 10:47 AM
  • A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment has been supporting infrastructure and growth projects in Nova Scotia since 1958. We fully support the responsible development of natural resources in the region. These developments create real working opportunities for tradespeople, professionals, and their families. They also help keep people home, working in the province they live in. Done responsibly, with proper consultation, consideration for the environment, and risk mitigation, projects like this one will provide broad benefits.    Respectfully, Ryan Long A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment Ltd.

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Attachment Concerns Regarding the Adequacy of Existing Regulations for the 15-Mile Mining Complex

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Concerned Citizens of & For NS
  • Reference number: 468
  • Submitted: 2026-07-25 - 8:04 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • The Summary of Issues for this project states that the proponent is only required to provide a high-level description of how it intends to address the issues raised by the public. While this step is procedural, it does not require the proponent to provide detailed modelling, independent verification, or evidence that proposed mitigation measures are technically feasible. As a result, the proponent may satisfy this requirement by offering general assurances or referencing existing regulations, without demonstrating that the concerns identified by citizens, Mi’kmaq communities, and subject-matter experts have been substantively resolved. Given the scale of the project — a multi-site industrial mining complex involving multiple open pits, long-distance ore hauling, expanded tailings storage, and long-term environmental liabilities — a high-level response may be insufficient to ensure that the issues raised during public consultation are meaningfully addressed. For a multi-pit gold mining complex in a sensitive salmon watershed with known arsenic and mercury risks, Nova Scotia’s existing regulations are not, by themselves, strong enough to guarantee the project will be safely moderated without federal assessment, independent review, and much stronger financial and technical safeguards. Public confidence in this assessment process depends on clear, detailed, and independently verified responses to the concerns raised during consultation. Given the limitations of existing provincial regulations and the complexity of the proposed multi-site mining complex, it is essential that regulators require the proponent to demonstrate—through evidence rather than high-level ...

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Attachment Community Member's concerns

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Jeana Bellows
  • Reference number: 467
  • Submitted: 2026-07-24 - 1:20 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • While I understand the short-term benefits to indiviuals for employment, there are clearly much longer-term impacts this proposed project will have on the community and environment. The economic issues faced in Nova Scotia would be provided a shody band-aid at best, one that will actively damage an already precarious local ecosystem. This damage will be present for many, many years to come once the proposed project terminates. The economic streams do not address the previous damage to fishing industries and other local work forces that have befallen the area when caution and prevention were not implemented early enough. I want to see the growth, development and protection of the valuable resources the St. Mary's River provides.  This is not to mention, the primary economic beneficiary would be the Australian gold mining company. Who truly benefits from this project? St. Barbara gains far more than Nova Scotia and our communities.  Let us actively support our community with sustainable, long-lasting projects that provide work and ensure our beautiful area can thrive not only now but also into the future. I oppose this mining project and request a detailed exploration of the impacts on our Ecologically Significant Area.

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Attachment Concerns for feedback

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Kevin Spencer
  • Reference number: 457
  • Submitted: 2026-07-15 - 9:43 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • The Initial Project Description for the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project (several open pit gold mines) was filed in June 2026, only open roughly four weeks, over a summer, for the public to engage with a 92-page technical filing on a project that would operate for 11 years and leave behind industrial waste requiring tailings management for an indefinite period afterward. My first objection is on the grounds that this window is inadequate for meaningful public input. I next want to frame this proposal around a brief history review because Nova Scotia's experience with the long-term costs of gold mining is relevant context here. The province has more than 360 abandoned gold mine sites. The roughly 3 million tonnes of contaminated tailings those mines left behind, laced with arsenic and mercury, remain under active management today, at public expense, well after the companies responsible have wound down. Montague Gold Mines in Dartmouth operated from 1865 to 1940. Its remediation received $33.4 million in public funding in 2025 — 86 years after the mine closed. That remediation does not remove the contamination. It involves excavating roughly 120,000 cubic metres of arsenic- and mercury-laden soil and sealing it in on-site containment cells, while lower-contamination areas receive an impermeable cap. Nothing leaves the site. The work is best described as structured, monitored containment. How long that monitoring continues — and who pays for it — has no defined endpoint. This new proposed project would generate 147.7 million tonnes of waste rock and tailings over its operating life — nearly 50 times the contaminated volume left behind by Nova Scotia's entire historic ...

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Attachment Local Employment

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Jason Wilson
  • Reference number: 456
  • Submitted: 2026-07-15 - 1:27 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • One of my companies recently completed a small project for St. Barbara in Cochrane Hill. The team we worked with was highly professional, consistently prioritizing land impact and exploring every avenue to avoid or mitigate environmental disruption. As a local business employing over 30 residents, this project was invaluable. It kept eight of our employees fully occupied for two months. We deeply appreciate the opportunity and look forward to partnering with St. Barbara again in the future.

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Attachment 15-Mile Processing Hub Project - Invitation to Comment on the Summary of the Initial Project Description Sipekne'katik First Nation

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Sipekne'katik First Nation
  • Reference number: 460
  • Submitted: 2026-07-14 - 2:09 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Participation notice: Public notice - Comments invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description and participant funding available
  • See the attached submission / Veuillez consulter la pièce jointe
  • Attachment included
  • July 14, 2026 Impact Assessment Agency of Canada 200-1801 Hollis Street Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3N4 RE: 15-Mile Processing Hub Project - Invitation to Comment on the Summary of the Initial Project Description Sipekne'katik First Nation This submission provides interim comments and observations from Sipekne’katik First Nation concerning the Initial Project description (IPD) for the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project, as submitted for initial review to the Impact Assessment Agency Canada (IAAC) by 15-Mile Minerals and Renewables. These comments do not represent Sipekne’katik’s final position or decision on the Project, nor do they constitute consent. Consultation on this project is ongoing, and these comments must not be relied upon by the Proponent or any regulatory authority as evidence or satisfaction of the Crown's Duty to Consult under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. Sipekne’katik understands that this comment period is to determine whether this project will have impacts to areas of federal jurisdiction including impacts to Indigenous communities and Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. Further, Sipekne’katik understands this comment period is also intended to determine whether this project will undergo a federal impact assessment. To be clear, this project has the potential to negatively impact the health of Sipekne’katik community members and to appreciably and significantly impact the ability of community members to exercise their Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. See Appendix 1 for specific comments on potential impacts. This project spans multiple locations over a range of 75 kilometers and is located within 50 kms of Sipekne’katik First Nation. ...
  • Attachment included
  • Dr. Roger J. Lewis, CM Director of Consultation Sipekne’katik Governance Initiative 515 Church Street Indian Brook, Hants County, Nova Scotia I am writing this in my capacity as Director of Consultation for the Sipekne’katik First Nation, but more importantly as an educator and member of the Sipekne’katik Community. I wish to offer a response to the proposed “one project, one review” on Environmental and Impact Assessments. I opt not to speak to the scope or intent of the laws that define the division of powers as they currently exist between our federal and provincial institutions. However, if my personal interpretation of Canadian history serves me correctly, I respectfully offer: • The Constitution Act, 1867, says that the provinces are federally united to form Canada. • Section 91 (24) of the constitution Act, 1867, states that Parliaments has exclusive authority over “Indians and lands reserved for Indians’. • In Canada, the federal Crown owes a sui generis (unique) fiduciary duty to Indigenous peoples, stemming from the historical relationship of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, and section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. Rooted within this history is a foundational constitutional principle (Honour of the Crown) that dictates how federal and provincial governments must interact with Indigenous peoples in Canada. • The “Honour of the Crown” requires the government to act with loyalty, good faith, and diligence when exercising discretionary control over specific First Nations interests. The “one project, one review” position of the Nova Scotia government with respect to the assessment process is a turning point that must be addressed ...
  • Attachment included
  • 1 Impacts within Federal Jurisdiction Assessment Framework Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights. For the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia, these rights include hunting, fishing, gathering, travelling throughout traditional territory, accessing culturally significant places, and sustaining practices necessary to maintain Mi'kmaq culture and way of life. The exercise of these rights depends not only on continued physical access to the land but also on the continued availability, quality, safety, and ecological integrity of the resources upon which those rights depend. Accordingly, the central question for this review is not whether the Project allows continued access to the landscape, but whether the Project maintains the environmental conditions necessary for Mi'kmaq rights to be meaningfully exercised over the long term. While, the Initial Project Description does recognize ongoing Mi'kmaq use of the project area it gives comparatively little consideration to how environmental effects interact to influence the exercise of rights. This lack of an integrative approach to effects assessment is precisely the reason a federal assessment is required. A synthesis of potentially adverse effects and their relationship to impacts on Mi’kmaq communities cannot be achieved through a provincial only assessment, or various federal regulatory processes acting on silos. Effects on the Exercise of Harvesting Rights The Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge Studies document ongoing fishing, hunting, trapping and gathering within or immediately adjacent to the Project Development Areas. The Project Description emphasizes maintaining physical ...
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Attachment Just stop!

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Darren Bowdridge
  • Reference number: 455
  • Submitted: 2026-07-13 - 6:57 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Can you please just stop this relentless assault on the waters and forest of this province? Our ecosystem has payed a high price already and this province is too small to support all this destruction and toxicity. I hear people say Saskatchewan benefits from their mining but its 11 times the size of nova scotia with around the same population. Think about that. There are so many contaminated sites around nova scotia from promises of wealth and prosperity of yesteryear, what makes anyone think this will be any different? 

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Attachment Good jobs & regulations

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Jennifer Buchanan
  • Reference number: 453
  • Submitted: 2026-07-13 - 12:30 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Nova Scotia needs good-paying jobs and a strong economy. We need to responsibly utilize our natural resources for the benefit of the majority of residents. It's the government's responsibility to ensure all environmental regulations and legal requirements are being met. If a project meets those standards, then it should be allowed to move forward.

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Attachment Support mining in Nova Scotia

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Sean Murray
  • Reference number: 451
  • Submitted: 2026-07-11 - 7:53 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am writing in support of the Fifteen Mile Stream Project in Nova Scotia. Having worked for St Barbara, I have seen firsthand the professionalism and high standards the company brings to its operations. Safety and environmental stewardship are treated as priorities, not afterthoughts. The company invests heavily in environmental monitoring, scientific testing, and responsible mining practices to ensure that work is carried out with care and accountability. Nova Scotia needs opportunities that create well-paying, skilled jobs for local workers. Tradespeople, equipment operators, mechanics, electricians, welders, and many others are the backbone of our economy. While office and professional careers are important, we cannot build a strong provincial economy on office jobs alone. We also need industries that provide stable, high-quality employment for people who build, maintain, and operate our infrastructure and natural resource projects. The Fifteen Mile Stream Project represents a significant investment in Nova Scotia’s future. It will create direct employment, support local contractors and suppliers, generate tax revenue, and bring economic benefits to communities throughout the province. The money earned by Nova Scotians working on this project will be spent in local businesses, supporting families and strengthening our economy. I encourage the Government of Nova Scotia to support this project and recognize the positive impact it can have on our province. Responsible resource development and environmental protection can coexist, and from my experience with St Barbara, I believe this project demonstrates that commitment. Thank you for considering ...

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Attachment Protect The River

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Gabriel Cook
  • Reference number: 447
  • Submitted: 2026-07-09 - 9:06 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • My name is Gabe Cook, and I am asking for a full federal environmental assessment of the Fifteen Mile Processing Hub. Growing up in the northern branch of the St. Mary's River has made this place more than just important to me, this place is part of my community and my future. Like many people my age, I have spent time enjoying the outdoors here whether it's fishing, exploring the woods, or just appreciating this place's beauty. The St. Mary's River is what makes this community a place people are proud to call home. While you can find economic growth in other places, you can't find another body of water like this one. If the St. Marys River is harmed through pollution or habitat destruction, you can't restore it. Most of the wildlife that depends on the clean water it provides, and the ecosystems it supports could be altered for generations. Jobs and economic benefits may be temporary, but the loss of our river can be permanent. That is why protecting places like the St. Marys River is not just about today, it is about ensuring mine as well as future generations inherit a healthy environment rather than the consequences of something that could have been avoided.  To me, this is about making sure our river stays clean and the right process is followed. Projects with a probability to damage our environment and culture should receive the highest level of review. A full federal environmental assessment would ensure that all potential impacts are carefully studied, the public has a meaningful opportunity to be heard, and decisions are based on the best available science. Our ...

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Attachment Positive support for project

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Doug Hood
  • Reference number: 446
  • Submitted: 2026-07-09 - 8:58 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Canada's long-term prosperity depends on its willingness to responsibly develop the natural resources that have historically been one of the country's greatest competitive advantages. Projects such as the proposed Fifteen Mile Stream Gold Project represent exactly the type of productive investment that governments should encourage, provided they satisfy the rigorous environmental and engineering requirements established by provincial and federal regulators. Canada has experienced a prolonged period of relatively weak business investment compared with many peer economies, while productivity growth has lagged historical trends. Many economists have argued that regulatory complexity, permitting timelines, and the overall investment climate have contributed to making Canada a more challenging jurisdiction for large-scale capital projects. Whether one agrees with every aspect of that assessment or not, one fact remains clear: private-sector investment is essential for economic growth, employment, technological innovation, and the tax revenues that ultimately fund public services. Mining projects generate significant economic multipliers because they create demand across a broad spectrum of industries. A modern gold operation requires civil construction, structural steel fabrication and erection, process mechanical systems, process piping, electrical distribution, instrumentation, automation, transportation infrastructure, heavy equipment maintenance, laboratory services, environmental monitoring, engineering, and specialized professional consulting. The economic benefits extend well beyond the mine gate, supporting suppliers and contractors throughout Nova Scotia and across Canada. At a ...

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Attachment Comments

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Margaretta Sander
  • Reference number: 449
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 7:47 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Participation notice: Public notice - Comments invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description and participant funding available
  • Hello, as a Nova Scotia resident who spent 4 years working to legally protect our community’s water shed & water supply I learned ALOT about gold mining-processing-storage-& disasters that have come from those toxic, completely unnecessary projects coast to coast, as well as around the world This project is a sham - name change only looking for another chance to create an environmental disaster Needs Federal assessment   Margaretta Sander   Colchester Cty

Attachment 15 Mile Processing Hub Proposal, Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Karen Traversy
  • Reference number: 450
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 2:03 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Participation notice: Public notice - Comments invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description and participant funding available
  • See the attached submission / Veuillez consulter la pièce jointe
  • Attachment included
  • Fifteen Mile Processing Hub Gold Mining Proposal I am writing in support of a federal environmental assessment for the Fifteen Mile Processing Hub mining proposal for the Eastern Shore by Fifteen Mile Minerals and Renewables. There are two reasons for my position on this. First, although considerable environmental work has been completed by this company under other corporate names/entities, and by government reviewers for mines and processing facilities at these sites, the current proposal involving a central processing facility at Fifteen Mile Stream (now named Fifteen Mile Mine) with two satellite operations, involves a much larger operation at the Fifteen Mile site for which necessary environmental work has not been fully competed or reviewed by the public. All previous work under the federal Impact Assessment Act for 3 differently configured and separate operations was terminated in September 26, 2023. The public had actively contributed to all of these separate assessments but this work must be reviewed again in a much different context. Many of the potential environmental impacts involve the habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act so the rigour and balance of a federal assessment, involving the scientific expertise of federal departments needs to be applied. My second reason supporting a federal assessment is the negative compliance record of the company which operated previously under the corporate name Atlantic Gold, at Moose River. (See 2, below) 1. Federal Environmental Expertise and Leadership. The company ...
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Attachment Full Support for 15-Mile

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Scott Benton
  • Reference number: 445
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 1:29 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I fully support this project as it will be beneficial for the province and the local communities. Additionally, the regulations that are in place today are far stricter and more rigorous than those of the past gold mines in the area, as well as constantly improving industry best practice and technology. Therefore, if the required regulations are adhered to, I believe this project will be conducted responsibly whilst providing vast benefits across the province.

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Attachment Saint Mary River

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Gerald Laffey
  • Reference number: 444
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 12:37 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • To whom it may concern; The proposed mine within the ST. Mary River watershed in my opinion would be a travesty pushed upon the future exisence of the majestic Atlantic Salmon. Here in the United States, the Northeast in particular, there have been so many barriers put in front of Atlantic Salmon in the last 150 years including dams, dams and more dams with inadequate fish ladders, polution ,as well as overfishing when it was allowed. Great strides have been made by ASF, DSF and other organizations in the US and Canada to try to stop the total annialation of a species. Impacted by aquaculture containment pens spreading disease to wild salmon where they still exist and inadequate laws regarding cleanup, both during operation and after a facility has been shut down. The wonderful volunteers and Salmon organizations who fight to keep these fish healthy should be rewarded with adequate funding and a watchful government geared to protecting our natural resources and wildlife. ONCE IT'S GONE, IT'S GONE. Thankyou, Gerald Laffey Member: ASF,DSF, Margaree Salmon Association

Attachment Save Nova Scotia

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Robert Crosby
  • Reference number: 429
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 6:06 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Nova Scotia does not have enough gold or uranium for that matter, to destroy our province over a few jobs . Companies are not even from here , go back and destroy your own country. Just below the BEAVER DAMNS SITE a very expensive lyme dozer was built and the river modified to promote fish breading and down near sheet harbour as well. Now you're going to open pit mine 1\4 mile upstream. Who in their right mind is in charge here , Tim Useless. He's a joke , look at some of his other BS putting tax payers on the hook for . Look around the world and see how these sites are destroying our world. This needs to STOP.     

Attachment Supportive of the gold mine initiative

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Retired citizen
  • Reference number: 428
  • Submitted: 2026-07-08 - 5:25 AM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am writing to express my support for the proposed gold mine in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia's economy cannot continue to run deficits and the province must capitalize on projects that bring jobs and economic opportunities to the province. I read the submitted attachments and what this company is proposing will have positive economic outcomes for the area and province. Nova Scotia's needs more projects like what is being proposed so that resulting revenues can help support Nova Scotia's health care and education system. I fully support the proposed gold mine project. 

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Attachment I support a full and thorough federal environmental assessment for this mega gold mine project. The scale of this development requires careful review to protect our environment, wildlife, and communities.

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Nick Levangie
  • Reference number: 427
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:49 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  •   To whom it may concern,        I write to you as a community member, angler, paddler, birder and ecologist. As many other community members in Sherbrooke, I have a deep connection with the watershed and forest in the Sherbrooke area. Not only do I spend a great deal of time outdoors observing and studying native flora and fauna, but I also have a background managing fisheries, and woodlands here in Nova Scotia.      The importance of the areas surrounding the proposed developments cannot be overstated. This region is one of Nova Scotia's most ecologically valuable landscapes and provides habitat for many federally protected species, a wide biodiversity, forests and wetlands that provide critical ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, air and water filtration. Rivers and lakes that provide a clean water supply, fish and other animal habitat, and nutrient cycling. This importance has been identified by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as the Saint Marys River has recently been declared as the first candidate for designation as an Ecologically Significant Area under the Fisheries Act. These benefits have been greatly aided by many restoration projects in the surrounding areas. For decades, Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, volunteers, and government agencies have invested millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours restoring the St. Mary's River and its surrounding watershed.     These conservation gains could be placed at risk by the proposed reopening and ...
  • Attachment included
  • Mi’kmaw Ecological Knowledge Study Cochrane Hill Gold Development Project by Atlantic Gold Corporation Cochrane Hill, Nova Scotia 1 Mi’kmaw Ecological Knowledge Study Cochrane Hill Gold Development Project by Atlantic Gold Corporation Cochrane Hill, Nova Scotia Prepared for the Mi’kmaq First Nation, Atlantic Gold Corporation, and the Province of Nova Scotia. Mi’kma’ki All Points Services, Inc. Michael H. Weiler P.O. Box 63 Shubenacadie, NS, B0N 1W0 Ph.: 902-236-MAPS (6277) April 2019 2 Contents 1. Introduction 4 1.1. Mi’kma’ki All Points Services Inc. 4 1.2. Project Description 4 2. Methodology 8 2.1. Purpose, Scope and Ethics of this MEKS 8 2.2. Definition of Terms 8 2.3. Research Methodology 10 2.4. Limitations 11 2.5. Study Area 12 3. Section I: THE SETTING 13 3.1. The Biophysical Environment 13 3.1.1 Surface Geology 14 3.1.2. Vegetation and Habitats 15 3.2. Project Location Within Mi’kma’ki 17 3.3. Reserve Lands and Specific Claims 19 4. Section II: HISTORIC MI’KMAW LAND USE & OCCUPANCY 19 4.1. Pre-Contact Mi’kmaw Land Use and Occupancy 16 4.2. Post-Contact Mi’kmaw Land Use & Occupancy prior to 1950 25 5. Section III: CONTEMPORARY MI’KMAW LAND AND RESOURCE USES 35 6. Section IV: IMPACTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATION 42 6.1. Anticipated and Potential Project Impacts on Mi’kmaw Land ...
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Attachment Public Comments Submission for 15 Mile Gold Processing Hub project #90533

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Karen Robb
  • Reference number: 437
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:49 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Participation notice: Public notice - Comments invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description and participant funding available
  • To The Canadian Impact Assessment Registry,   I am writing to express my support of a Federal Impact Assessment through IAAC for the 15 Mile Gold Processing Hub Project in Nova Scotia, CIAR reference number 90533. I am also writing to express  concerns about the project as follows:      St Barbara is an Unreliable Proponent   St Barbara Limited has NOT been a reliable proponent or good environmental steward during their Touquay gold mine operations in NS.    To start, St Barbara Ltd did not stick to the agreed approval plan. In the five years between 2018 and 2023, the NS government granted St Barbara Ltd 17 amendments to their original approval for operating the Touquay gold mine  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/gold-mining-company-nova-scotia-supreme-court-1.7298586   Of more concern, in September 2020, St Barbara Atlantic Operations was charged by the NS provincial government with 32 offenses of the Environment Act.  https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/economy/natural-resources/mining/atlantic-gold-sentenced-to-250000-fines-and-penalties-after-pleading-guilty-to-federal-and-provincial-environmental-charges/ . These included 13 Sediment Releases into a fish-bearing waterway during an 18 month period in 2018/2019. In 2021, St Barbara Ltd was also charged with Federal offenses  https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/economy/natural-resources/mining/atlantic-gold-sentenced-to-250000-fines-and-penalties-after-pleading-guilty-to-federal-and-provincial-environmental-charges/   for failing to report these ...

Attachment Project Ref. 90533 15 Mile Processing Hub

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Administrator on behalf of Mary Lou Harley
  • Reference number: 436
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:38 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Participation notice: Public notice - Comments invited on the Summary of the Initial Project Description and participant funding available
  • See the attached submission / Veuillez consulter la pièce jointe
  • Attachment included
  • 1 Submission to the Impact Assessment Agency Canada​ ​ July 7, 2026 Comments on Summary of the Initial Project Description for the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project (90533) By Ecological Justice Working Group, Regions East, United Church of Canada Contact: Mary Lou Harley Ph.D. Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Summary of the Initial Project Description (sIPD) of the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project by 15-Mile Mineral and Renewables Ltd., a division of St. Barbara Ltd. The United Church of Canada has a long history of policies, documents, and submissions to public calls for input on social, environmental and ethical issues relating to mining issues. This submission is grounded in that extensive base of information. In our work, we acknowledge the harmful role that past false assumptions of human separation from and superiority over the natural world has had in the commodification of nature and environmental destruction. In gratitude for the richness of Creation, with growing awareness of the complexity of life-sustaining systems and our humble place as one species among trillions in this interdependent web of life, we acknowledge humanity’s ability to do far-reaching damage. The United Church policies clearly articulate humanity’s fundamental integration with the rest of creation along with a call towards responsibility for the care of Creation. Further, the United Church notes that such crucial understandings are at the root of the richness and wisdom of Indigenous worldviews. We draw your attention to the importance of that wisdom in assessing the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project. 2 INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY AND RIGHTS In the sIPD, the 15-Mile ...

Attachment Concerned Citizen

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Danielle MacIsaac
  • Reference number: 426
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:35 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • Growing up on the St. Mary's River (15 Mile Processing Hub Project), I spent my youth canoeing, swimming, and watching salmon anglers from around the world. Now, as an adult, I return each year and witness the changes that have taken place. It is heartbreaking, especially the decline in salmon returns. As a salmon angler myself, I now have an even deeper appreciation for the delicate balance of this ecosystem and the devastating impacts this proposed gold mining project will have. It threatens not only the Atlantic salmon and the health of the river but also the communities, traditions, and livelihoods that have been connected to the St. Mary's River for generations. Protecting this river means preserving an irreplaceable natural and cultural legacy for future generations. Over the recent years, millions of dollars have been invested in restoring and conserving the St. Mary's River and its Atlantic salmon. Why would we now take a step backward by approving a project that puts those investments at risk? The promise of job creation is likely to be limited and short-lived. Many of the economic benefits will leave the province, while local communities are left to bear the long-term environmental and economic consequences. The project would require the transportation of millions of tonnes of ore and carries the risk of contaminating waterways through tailings, sediment, and other mining-related impacts. These risks threaten Atlantic Salmon, other wildlife, and the entire river ecosystem. In addition, increased industrial traffic would place added strain on local roads and negatively affect tourism, an industry that depends on the health and beauty of the St. Mary's River (15 ...

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Attachment Environmental Impacts on St. Mary's River Habitat / Watershed Need Careful Study

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Jesse McNichol
  • Reference number: 425
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:18 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am concerned about the proposed reopening of mining sites near the St. Mary's river ecosystem. Before approval, a thorough assessment should be conducted on the potential impact of proposed activities on Atlantic Salmon habitat, the broader watershed, and other relevant issues such as species at risk and water quality. While the company's website advertises reduced environmental impact due to centralized processing and the cleaning up of existing tailings, what is less clear to me is whether new tailings will be produced, how much of local water resources will be required (especially in a time of higher water stress due to lower precipation and hotter summers), and the CO2/other emissions (direct and indirect) associated with ore/tailings processing. What are the risks to aquifers that people rely on? What is the long-term strategy for storage of waste products? How might this work affect Atlantic Salmon recovery in the long term? Without clear answers to these questions it will be difficult to safeguard the health of the ecosystem in the long term after the lifetime of the project. I believe these questions should be answered and shared with Nova Scotians in a meaningful consultative process (especially with local communities that may be impacted) before work begins to ensure this project is in the broader public interest.

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Attachment Not likely worth it - but prove me wrong…

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Shauna MacIsaac
  • Reference number: 424
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 10:15 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • As a Canadian born in Nova Scotia, near to the St Mary's River, I learned to love nature, in no small part, by the way that the river impacted me. My daily (hour long) bus ride to school included a view of the river. Each day we would pass the "falls" after Stillwater and rate the level of the water - often reckoning whether or not we would brave it in a canoe or kayak.    I fondly remember highlights of first trying  the St Mary's River Smokehouse Salmon, (a relic of the years when salmon were plentiful) never to be matched. The Monday morning stories of the fishes caught over a weekend ... the nights spent camping and listening to the relentless glug of the river .... the winters when we watched it nearly freeze over, and the springs we saw it flood. The river was a frame in our lives. It wrapped around us, it defined us in a way we didn't quite understand , but accepted nonetheless. There is truth that rural communities are less fruitful than they used to be. There are fewer people and families, and no general stores left to serve them. I'm not certain, in this day and age, that is a loss. I've lived in several provinces in Canada. It's hard to find places of peace and quiet and natural beauty. This province of Nova Scotia is growing. Halifax is growing up in a way that none of us dared to imagine in the decades past. I'm proud of it. It's why I returned home. I came home because opportunities returned and this place I remembered so fondly remained the same in some ways, because rural Nova Scotia still exists. There are opportunities for people here now. That's great! But we can keep the opportunities available without selling ...

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Attachment Not worth the devastation

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Patricia Egli
  • Reference number: 423
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 9:56 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • The proposed mines are a repeat, on a larger scale, of the Touquoy Gold mine, managed by the same company. Anyone in favour of this project should visit or look up the Touquoy mine site . No matter what remediation is promised, thousands of acres will become wasteland where nothing will grow for generations to come, not to mention long term concerns related to sediment and ground water contamination. As a member of Eastern Shore Forest Watch I have extensively reviewed and commented on the previous proposals for Beaver Dam, Eleven Mile lake and Cochrane hill proposals. The present proposal does not seem to improve on the previous one and affect even more surface area. The grade of the gold ore is so low that this type of mining is extremely energy intensive, resulting in a lot of green house gases emission. This is compounded by loss of forests, which are sink of CO2, and loss of habitat and biodiversity. All this in the name of jobs which will turn out to be fewer, more part- time and for less long than promised now, as has been the case in the Touquoy mine. Is this the legacy we want to leave to our children and their children? When are we going to learn from our mistakes?  The impact of this project is so significant that it is essential that it be reviewed, assessed and overseen by the Federal government as much as the Provincial government. The benefit for Nova Scotians are slim compared to the costs, and gold is not even a critical metal in short supply.

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Attachment I fully support this project

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Samuel Frenette
  • Reference number: 422
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 9:52 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I fully support the project. I have friends in the mining industry that needed to work away. This project brings high paying jobs back to Atlantic Canada.  I think we should encourage the responsible development of Atlantic Canada's resource sector. This provides a major benefit for the province and nova scotians. I support the 15-Mile processing hub. The 15-Mile Processing Hub has my full support. Atlantic Canada needs more high-paying jobs, and I firmly believe that resource development can be achieved while prioritizing safety and responsibility. This balance is crucial for the region's economic growth and environmental stewardship.

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Attachment NOPE to 15-Mile Processing Hub Project

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Mike Kennedy
  • Reference number: 421
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 9:46 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  •   a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } First, I want to acknowledge that we are operating in a political climate where provinces are being encouraged to become more self-sufficient and strengthen their economies. However, when it comes to decisions involving open-pit gold mining—particularly projects located in close proximity to important natural resources such as the St. Mary’s River—we must exercise the highest level of scrutiny and care. I firmly believe this project warrants a full federal environmental assessment to ensure all potential risks and long-term impacts are thoroughly examined before any decisions are made. I would also ask a simple question: If this project was considered such a valuable investment four years ago, why did St Barbara withdraw from the process rather than proceed with a comprehensive environmental assessment? There are several important factors that deserve careful consideration: The mine could pose significant risks to nearby streams and the St. Mary’s River salmon watershed—an ecosystem that has benefited from years of restoration efforts and has been steadily recovering. Large-scale industrial development is incompatible with the character and ecological value of the nearby Archibald Lake Wilderness Area. Open-pit mining would permanently alter forests, wildlife habitat, and the rural landscape that local communities value. Nova Scotia’s history of arsenic contamination associated with abandoned gold mines demonstrates ...

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Attachment Absolutely not!

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Mallory Goss
  • Reference number: 420
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 9:45 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am completely and totally opposed to this project. As a teacher and hopeful future parent, any further degradation of our and our children's environment and therefore futures is completely unacceptable. We are already dealing with the ramifications of climate change and I beg you to please not continue actively destroying the only home we have. Any short-term economic gain is not worth the consequences. Put money into climate change adaptation and mitigation and create jobs that way. The idea of this whole project makes me sick.

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Attachment Concerned

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Jeremy White
  • Reference number: 419
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 9:25 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • As an avid outdoors enthusiast since I can remember I have a love for the outdoors and all that it provides. I grew up in Newfoundland with rivers bursting with Atlantic Salmon and retention tags for anglers up over 10 per year!  To currently spending days on a river without seeing a fish and many rivers continuing to have  very low returns.  I have seen first hand the damages from natural environments to these ecosystems.  Throwing the corporate and industrial world into the mix is a very dangerous game and should be held to the highest standard available no matter the river/community/province involved.  I know of the expansive efforts that have been conducted to try and protect the ecosystems involved in this project. Focus needs to be on the science and knowledge base before economics should even be considered.  Now is not the time for short cuts.  I have travelled many of Canadas National parks. I recently spent a weekend on the St Mary's river and made a comment that this area should be made into a national park or at least a protected ecosystem as it would be in my opinion one of the most beautiful and pristine areas I have travelled.  The diversity of wildlife and aquatics is amazing.  If we want to stay true to ourselves and our Beautiful Country this project and all moving forward deserve everything we have available to make the effort in the name of conservation.

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Attachment Concerns and Transparency

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Landowner
  • Reference number: 418
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 8:55 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • As a landowner in the Liscombe Game Sancuary, at the South Gate, I am writing to voice my concern about the potential impacts on the local environment. My property is on East River, in the downstream watershed of the 15 Mile Stream site. While I recognize the potential economic impacts that this project brings to the communities involved, I do have some concerns as a landowner with riverfront property.  I'm a 7th generation Eastern Shore resident, my understanding of mananging natural resources is gained through family involvement in the fishery, farming and forestry. The property in Liscombe Sancuary was purchased in 2015 as a place to be close to nature, away from industrial noise pollution and the other environmental pollutants that are often associated with mining projects.  My concern is that there are many cases of mines closing and leaving behind the negative impacts of mining; tailing ponds, open face pits, discarded equiptment, etc. All of these things would negatively impact my enjoyment of a piece of land that was purchased for its unspoiled natural environment.  The fact that this site will be processing material from all 3 sites is another cause for concern.  What I want, as someone who considers my property a personal sancuary, is a defined and clear process that offers a solution if this project has a negative impact to my enjoyment of my land. There is a potential for noise pollution, light pollution, vehicle traffic, dust impacts, and/or water quality effects. These concerns may seem selfish and personal, but the reality is that these are impacts that will affect communities, legacies and more than one generation.  As this ...

Attachment At a minimum, this project deserves a full federal environmental assessment

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Kelsie MacIsaac
  • Reference number: 417
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 8:46 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I grew up here, and the St. Mary’s River has always been part of my life. I still come back to fish, paddle, hike, and enjoy the peace that makes this place so special. It’s more than a watershed—it’s home. That’s why I’m concerned about the proposed Fifteen Mile Processing Hub. I’ve seen what large mining projects can do to communities. They promise jobs and prosperity, but too often the economic benefits are temporary while the environmental and financial costs last for generations. When problems arise, it’s local communities and taxpayers who are left carrying the burden. This watershed has benefited from decades of restoration and conservation work. We’ve invested too much time, effort, and public money into protecting these rivers to risk undoing that progress. I’m not against development. I simply believe some places are too valuable to gamble with, and the St. Mary’s watershed is one of them. At a minimum, this project deserves a full federal environmental assessment. The potential impacts to fish habitat, water quality, wildlife, and the cumulative effects of multiple mine sites are too significant to overlook. Some decisions can’t be undone. I hope we choose to protect this river so future generations can enjoy it the same way so many of us have.

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Attachment Local landowner supports this project

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Don A.
  • Reference number: 416
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 8:18 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am writing to express my support for the project.  We are the owners of a recreational property that is in close proximity to the proposed mine site near Sheet Harbour - likely one of the closest properties to the site (property is on a lake near Trafalgar).  We do not have any concerns with project as it is proposed, as it will bring jobs to the local community and will clean up the contamination that was left by old mine operations that occurred there in the past. Please read and consider the facts in the documentation provided before commenting. 

Attachment too dangerous

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: David Sampson
  • Reference number: 414
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 7:53 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • The companies involved int he project have a poor track record of protecting the environment as does the present govenment in Nova Scotia. Open pit mining is inherently destructive and in an area that is dotted with waterways interconnected both above and below ground nobody can guarentee where polluted water will be both now and in the future. These mines have a poor risk reward ratio and should not be considered especially when considering that the product is not essential nor in short supply.

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Attachment Full federal assessment, including impacts on bird Species At Risk

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Retired professor, Dalhousie university
  • Reference number: 413
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 7:42 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • I am writing as an ornithologist who has been conducting research on birds in upland forest and forested wetlands along the Eastern Shore for several years. In my expert opinion, the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project is likely to result in “non-negligible” impacts to migratory bird species, including many federally-listed Species At Risk. Therefore, I urge you to require a full, federal impact assessment of the proposed project. The bird species that would be impacted include Species At Risk and other species of conservation concern. These species breed in habitat distributed across the area encompassed by the three proposed mine sites. The SAR birds include Barn Swallow, Canada Warbler, Chimney Swift, Common Nighthawk, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Evening Grosbeak, Olive-sided Flycatcher and Rusty Blackbird. Additional, declining species of conservation concern include Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee and Pine Grosbeak. The proposed mine sites are surrounded by wetlands and streams. The maps provided in the Initial Project Description and Plain Language Summary show only mapped wetlands. Most forested wetlands are not included in the “mapped wetlands” category as they are not obvious in aerial photographs or satellite images, but they can be modelled. Forested wetland habitats are ecologically important and are known to support higher biodiversity and more Species At Risk than forest habitats in Nova Scotia.

Attachment Support by local youth

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Char Rae
  • Reference number: 410
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 7:33 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • As a young person who has grown up in rural Nova Scotia my whole life, I am in full support of the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project. I am a graduate from the nearby Musquodoboit Rural High School, and was honoured to receive a scholarship from the mine. This award helps support me to further my education in the environmental sector and pursue my dream of being a Marine Biologist. As a young person who loves Nova Scotia deeply and wants to genuinely build a life and career here in the future, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find job opportunities for someone with little experience. The 15-Mile Processing Hub Project offers sustainable, economical projects that help create reliable, fulfilling, long-term positions for many people in the community, and will help fuel the generations to come with positions that help them to remain in the beautiful province we call home. St Barbara, by investing in the education of rural youth, has proven that they care about supporting both local communities and the environment, and their continuing presence is a vital contribution towards our future.

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Attachment A youth who wants to protect her home and future.

  • 15-Mile Processing Hub Project
  • Author: Madeline Beaver
  • Reference number: 409
  • Submitted: 2026-07-07 - 7:31 PM
  • Project phase: Planning
  • My name is Madeline Tate-Beaver Inam 17 years old and I am asking for a full Federal Environmental Assessment for the Fifteen Mile Processing Hub. I have grown up on the banks of the St. Mary’s River. Some of my earliest memories are of fishing with my dad, hiking with my mom, playing in the river with my older sister and brother, watching wildlife with my pop-pa in the deer stand, and walking along the river with my nana, because of these experieneces I know this place can only be described as magical. Those experiences are more than childhood memories, they are who I am. They ar the reason our community is who we are. They are the reason I hope to build my future life here instead of somewhere else. I want my own children to experience the same healthy river, the same bright and wildlife filled forests, and the same sense of magic, curiosity, and love that St.Marys gives you.   What concerns me most is that my generation will be the one living with the consequences long after today’s decisions have been made. If mistakes are made, we cannot simply undo them. We cant just snap our fingers and replace a damaged river with a new one or restore species that leave our ecosystems forever. Economic opportunities come and go, but an ecosystem doesn’t. We can’t just get a new one after we destroy what we have.    My generation deserves to know that every potential impact has been carefully thought out and researched by professionals before decisions, that cannot be reversed, are made. We are the ones who will live with the outcome, we are the ones who will have to clean up the mess, and we are asking you to choose a future that protects ...

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