Panel Report

1.1 Review Process

In April, 1991, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced a joint federal-provincial environmental review of proposed uranium mine developments in northern Saskatchewan. Included in the review was a proposal to mine the Midwest ore body at South McMahon Lake with Denison Mines Limited as operator. The Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan was appointed in August, 1991, to conduct a public review of this and other proposals.

At the completion of the review, the panel recommended to the federal Ministers of Environment, and Natural Resources, to the provincial Minister of Environment and Resource Management, and to the Secretary General of the Atomic Energy Control Board, that permission to proceed not be granted, due to a number of specific concerns. In December of 1993, the respective governments accepted our recommendation, and did not approve the proposal for development of the Midwest ore body.

In July of 1994, Cogema Resources Inc., a different operator for the project, submitted a new proposal to mine the Midwest ore body. This new proposal, involving the use of an entirely different mining method, attempted to respond to some of the concerns noted in the panel's previous review. The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada asked the joint panel to add the review of the new Midwest Project to its mandate, and referred it to the panel on November 9, 1994. [The federal referral was made by the AECB citing Section 11(b) of the Environmental Assessment and Review Process Guidelines Order (EARPGO); the provincial referral was made by Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, citing the Environmental Assessment Act and the Public Enquiries Act .]

In accordance with the provincial Environmental Assessment Act, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management drafted guidelines to direct Cogema in its preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Cogema submitted its EIS on August 31, 1995. The panel conducted an information meeting with the proponent in November of 1995 to discuss the adequacy of the information submitted in the EIS. This meeting supplemented the EIS review comments received from members of the public, from organizations and from provincial and federal government departments and agencies. To facilitate a complete understanding of the proposal, the panel requested additional information from Cogema on December 8, and, again, on April 12, 1996.

As required by its terms of reference, the panel conducted public hearings in May and June of 1996. The sessions were held in Regina, Saskatoon, La Ronge, Fond du Lac, Black Lake and Wollaston Lake.

Due to a decision by the proponent in August of 1996 to change its proposal for tailings disposal, the panel reopened the review for specific consideration of the revised JEB TMF proposal. Supplementary hearings were held on August 26-28, 1997, in La Ronge. After the public hearings, the panel prepared the following report.

The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada made $75,000 available for participant funding to help the public take part effectively in the review. The funds were intended to assist recipients in reviewing the EIS and in preparing for and participating in the public hearings. The allocation of funding was done by an independent committee, with no involvement of the panel. A summary of the participant funding allocations is found in Appendix F.

1.2 Panel

1.2.1 Membership

The Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan was appointed on August 22, 1991. Donald Lee, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Regina, is Chairperson of the panel. Other panel members are:

• James Archibald, Professor and Acting Head of Mining Engineering at Queen's University; and
• Richard Neal, Professor of Biology and Associate Dean (Academic) of the College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan.

Annalee Yassi, Associate Professor and Director of the Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, University of Manitoba, did not participate in the Midwest public hearings, but remained a member of the panel until her official resignation on August 15, 1996. John Dantouze, Vice-Chief of the Prince Albert Grand Council, participated in the 1996 Midwest public hearings and served on the panel until his resignation on October 1, 1996.

1.2.2 Mandate

The mandate of the panel is three-fold: to review the environmental, health, safety and socio-economic impacts of the proposed Midwest Project; to determine from its review whether the project is acceptable or unacceptable; and to provide full opportunities for public consultation and review. Complete terms of reference for the panel are contained in Appendix B.