Jessica Smith
A total of $18,000 in federal funding has been provided to help two organizations take part in the Osisko Hammond Reef Gold project’s environmental assessment.
The Atikokan Sportsmen’s Conservation Club and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters are receiving $10,800 with another $7,200 going to the Ontario Coalition of Aboriginal People. Funding will help the parties provide informed input to the public consultation process by enabling them to access expertise and information.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) administers the federal EA process, which will identify the environmental effects of the proposed mine and measures to address those effects. It often supports participants in the process who have demonstrated direct local interest, relevant community or Aboriginal knowledge, or expert information relating to the project.
The money can be used to hire experts for further study or explanation, travel expenses and purchase of informational materials and items, said CEAA communications advisor Celine Legault.
“For example, [funding can be used] to help when looking at the environmental impact statement. It’s a pretty big document, with technical studies, which are sometimes to difficult to understand.”
There are two upcoming 30-day opportunities to comment as part of the federal EA process, as well as several for the separate provincial EA. Osisko HRG filed its environmental impact assessment guidelines with the CEAA in October and public review will be sought on the assessment, and again on a comprehensive study of the project.
The Conservation Club and the OFAH (with which it has a close affiliation) will share the federal research funding. The Ontario Coalition of Aboriginal People is an advocacy organization for off-reserve Aboriginal and Métis people. Aboriginal consultation is an integral part of the impact assessment: Osisko signed a resource sharing agreement with eight area First Nations (the Fort Frances Chiefs Secretariat and Lac Des Mille Lac FN) just over a year ago, whose traditional lands may be affected by the gold mine.
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