A Federal/Provincial Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Assessment Report Draft Copy December 20, 2013 VOLUME 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 1-1 1 INTRODUCTION... 1-1 1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW... 1-1 1.2 THE PROPONENT... 1-1 1.3 EIS/EA REPORT... 1-3 2 REGULATORY PROCESS... 2-4 3 ALTERNATIVES ASSESSMENT... 3-6 3.1 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROJECT... 3-6 3.2 ALTERNATIVE METHODS... 3-6 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION... 4-9 4.1 MINE SITE... 4-9 4.2 TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR... 4-11 4.3 TRANS-LOAD FACILITY... 4-13 5 CONSULTATION... 5-18 5.1 ABORIGINAL CONSULTATION... 5-18 5.2 PUBLIC STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION... 5-19 5.3 NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS CONSULTATION... 5-20 5.4 GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION... 5-20 6 BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT... 6-21 6.1 OVERVIEW... 6-21 6.2 MAXIMIZING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT... 6-21 6.3 ABORIGINAL CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION... 6-22 6.4 TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION... 6-23 6.5 INCREASES IN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE... 6-23 6.6 COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL BENEFITS... 6-24 i of ix
7 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT... 7-25 7.1 OVERVIEW... 7-25 7.2 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT... 7-25 7.3 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT... 7-28 7.4 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT... 7-31 8 POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT... 8-34 8.1 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY... 8-34 8.2 SELECTION OF VECS... 8-34 8.3 BIOPHYSICAL EFFECTS... 8-35 8.4 SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL EFFECTS... 8-42 9 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT... 9-46 10 ADDITIONAL EFFECTS... 10-48 10.1 EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE PROJECT... 10-48 10.2 ACCIDENTS AND MALFUNCTION... 10-48 11 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND COMMITMENTS... 11-50 12 CONCLUSION... 12-51 ii of ix
VOLUME 2 EIS/EA REPORT 1 INTRODUCTION... 1-1 1.1 THE PROPONENT... 1-1 1.2 PROJECT OVERVIEW... 1-3 1.3 PROJECT SCHEDULE AND PHASES... 1-9 1.4 REGIONAL SETTING... 1-11 1.5 PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF PROJECT... 1-15 1.6 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT... 1-16 1.7 PARTICIPANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT... 1-27 1.8 GOVERNMENT POLICIES, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PLANNING OR STUDY INITIATIVES... 1-29 1.9 THRESHOLDS AND COMPLIANCE TARGETS... 1-31 1.10 KEY CONTRIBUTORS TO THE EIS/EA REPORT... 1-32 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY... 2-1 2.1 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT... 2-1 2.2 EFFECTS ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY... 2-6 2.3 BENEFITS TO CANADIANS... 2-22 3 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT... 3-1 3.1 CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT... 3-1 3.2 ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT... 3-28 3.3 GEOCHEMISTRY... 3-30 3.4 GEOLOGY... 3-47 3.5 SURFACE WATER QUALITY... 3-72 3.6 GROUNDWATER QUALITY... 3-102 3.7 SURFACE WATER QUANTITY... 3-113 3.8 GROUNDWATER QUANTITY... 3-132 3.9 TERRAIN AND SOILS... 3-149 3.10 VEGETATION... 3-166 3.11 MAMMALS... 3-205 3.12 BIRDS... 3-226 3.13 FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES... 3-285 3.14 SPECIES OF CONCERN... 3-300 3.15 SOCIO-ECONOMIC SETTING... 3-306 3.16 STUDY APPROACH... 3-306 3.17 DEMOGRAPHICS... 3-310 3.18 EDUCATION AND TRAINING... 3-315 3.19 LIVELIHOOD AND EMPLOYMENT... 3-316 3.20 LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMY... 3-320 3.21 HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING... 3-327 3.22 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SERVICES... 3-330 3.23 GOVERNMENT POLICIES, PLANNING AND INITIAITVES... 3-338 iii of ix
3.24 TRADITIONAL LAND USE... 3-341 4 ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVES... 4-1 4.1 INTRODUCTION... 4-1 4.2 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES... 4-1 4.3 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT... 4-5 4.4 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROJECT... 4-5 4.5 ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT... 4-8 4.6 ORE PRODUCTION RATE... 4-17 4.7 ORE PROCESSING... 4-20 4.8 CONCENTRATE SHIPMENT... 4-22 4.9 TAILINGS MANAGEMENT... 4-24 4.10 TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR ALTERNATIVES... 4-27 4.11 MINE SITE WATER SUPPLY ALTERNATIVES... 4-37 4.12 MINE SITE ORGANIC AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES... 4-39 4.13 MINE SITE SEWAGE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES... 4-41 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED UNDERTAKING... 5-1 5.1 PROJECT COMPONENTS AND PHASES... 5-1 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS... 5-8 5.3 DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE... 5-8 5.4 CONSTRUCTION PHASE... 5-9 5.5 MINE OPERATION... 5-36 5.6 PROCESSING... 5-42 5.7 CONCENTRATE TRANSPORT... 5-48 5.8 WASTE MANAGEMENT... 5-50 5.9 WATER MANAGEMENT... 5-54 5.10 SUPPORTING MINE INFRASTRUCTURE... 5-61 5.11 ENVIRONMENTAL DISCHARGES DURING OPERATIONS... 5-62 5.12 CLOSURE AND RECLAMATION... 5-62 5.13 WORKFORCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES... 5-64 6 BIOPHYSICAL EFFECTS... 6-1 6.1 AIR QUALITY... 6-1 6.2 CLIMATE... 6-16 6.3 NOISE... 6-25 6.4 SURFACE WATER... 6-37 6.5 GROUNDWATER... 6-52 6.6 AQUATIC RESOURCES... 6-65 6.7 VEGETATION... 6-92 6.8 WILDLIFE... 6-106 7 SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL EFFECTS... 7-1 7.1 METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL EFFECTS... 7-1 7.2 COMMUNITY DYNAMICS... 7-10 iv of ix
7.3 HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING... 7-16 7.4 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SERVICES... 7-23 7.5 TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME... 7-26 7.6 LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMY... 7-37 7.7 CULTURAL RESOURCES... 7-42 7.8 ABORIGINAL RESOURCES AND LAND USE... 7-45 7.9 CURRENT USE OF CROWN LANDS AND RESOURCES FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES... 7-50 7.10 NAVIGABLE WATERS... 7-53 8 ADDITIONAL EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT... 8-1 8.1 ABORIGINAL TREATY RIGHTS... 8-1 8.2 EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE PROJECT... 8-6 8.3 EFFECTS OF POSSIBLE ACCIDENTS OR MALFUNCTIONS... 8-15 9 CONSULTATION... 9-1 9.1 ABORIGINAL CONSULTATION... 9-1 9.2 PUBLIC STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION... 9-12 9.3 NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION CONSULTATION... 9-14 9.4 GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION... 9-15 10 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT... 10-1 10.1 INTRODUCTION... 10-1 10.2 TRAINING... 10-10 10.3 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN... 10-11 11 COMMITMENTS... 11-1 12 OTHER APPROVALS... 12-1 13 BENEFITS TO CANADIANS... 13-1 13.1 OVERVIEW... 13-1 13.2 MAXIMIZING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT... 13-1 13.3 ABORIGINAL CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION... 13-2 13.4 TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION... 13-4 13.5 INCREASES IN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE... 13-4 13.6 COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL BENEFITS... 13-5 14 ASSESSMENT SUMMARY... 14-1 15 REFERENCES... 15-1 v of ix
VOLUME 3 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT 1 INTRODUCTION... 1-1 1.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW... 1-1 1.2 PROJECT COMPONENTS... 1-3 2 APPROACH... 2-8 2.1 GENERAL... 2-8 2.2 APPLICABLE GUIDANCE... 2-8 2.3 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY... 2-8 3 SCOPE... 3-13 3.1 IDENTIFIED VECS... 3-13 3.2 SPATIAL BOUNDARIES... 3-18 3.3 TEMPORAL BOUNDARIES... 3-20 3.4 OTHER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES OF CONSIDERATION... 3-20 3.5 PROJECTS/ACTIVITIES TO BE ASSESSED... 3-24 3.6 INTERACTION ASSESSMENT... 3-26 4 ASSESSMENT... 4-33 4.1 GENERAL... 4-33 5 MONITORING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS... 5-36 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS... 6-37 7 REFERENCES... 7-38 vi of ix
VOLUME 4 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS)... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION... 1-1 1.2 TRAINING... 1-6 1.3 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN... 1-11 2 HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN... 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION... 2-1 2.2 HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES... 2-2 2.3 WORKPLACE PREPAREDNESS... 2-4 2.4 ORGANIZATION PLANNING... 2-6 2.5 HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM... 2-7 2.6 RECRUITMENT PROGRAM... 2-9 2.7 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY... 2-13 2.8 EDUCATION AND TRAINING... 2-14 2.9 EMPLOYEE RELATIONS... 2-20 2.10 SECTION 10.0 - CONTRACTING AND SUBCONTRACTING... 2-21 2.11 SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES... 2-22 2.12 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 2-23 3 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN... 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION... 3-1 3.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 3-3 3.3 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS... 3-6 3.4 EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES... 3-9 4 SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN... 4-1 4.1 INTRODUCTION... 4-1 4.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 4-2 4.3 SPILL RESPONSE PROCEDURES... 4-7 4.4 SPILL ANALYSES... 4-11 4.5 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS... 4-17 5 HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN... 5-1 5.1 INTRODUCTION... 5-1 5.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 5-5 5.3 HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES... 5-5 5.4 TRAINING... 5-7 5.5 SAFE WORK PROCEDURES... 5-9 5.6 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS... 5-10 vii of ix
6 CLOSURE AND RECLAMATION PLAN... 6-1 6.1 PROJECT INFORMATION... 6-1 6.2 CURRENT PROJECT SITE CONDITIONS... 6-6 6.3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION... 6-8 6.4 PROGRESSIVE REHABILITATION... 6-14 6.5 REHABILITATION MEASURES - TEMPORARY SUSPENSION... 6-14 6.6 REHABILITATION MEASURES - STATE OF INACTIVITY... 6-15 6.7 REHABILITATION MEASURES CLOSED OUT... 6-18 6.8 MONITORING... 6-23 6.9 EXPECTED SITE CONDITIONS... 6-28 6.10 COSTS... 6-29 7 CONSULTATION PLAN... 7-1 7.1 INTRODUCTION... 7-1 7.2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES... 7-3 7.3 BACKGROUND... 7-4 7.4 STAKEHOLDER AND ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY IDENTIFICATION... 7-5 7.5 CONSULTATION METHODS... 7-9 8 WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN... 8-1 8.1 INTRODUCTION... 8-1 8.2 WATER MANAGEMENT MEASURES... 8-3 8.3 INSPECTION, MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE... 8-12 8.4 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS... 8-14 8.5 QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC)... 8-14 9 SEDIMENT AND EROSION CONTROL PLAN... 9-1 9.1 INTRODUCTION... 9-1 9.2 SEDIMENT AND EROSION CONTROL MEASURES... 9-3 9.3 INSPECTION, MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE... 9-8 9.4 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS... 9-9 9.5 QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL (QA/QC)... 9-10 10 CONCEPTUAL FISH HABITAT COMPENSATION PLAN... 10-1 10.1 INTRODUCTION... 10-1 10.2 OVERVIEW OF FISH AND FISH HABITAT IN THE PROJECT AREA... 10-3 10.3 SPECIES AT RISK... 10-4 10.4 DESCRIPTION OF AFFECTED HABITAT... 10-5 10.5 IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL HABITAT LOSSES... 10-7 10.6 QUANTIFICATION OF HABITAT LOSSES AND RISK ASSESSMENT... 10-9 10.7 IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE... 10-12 11 BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN... 11-1 11.1 GENERAL... 11-1 viii of ix
12 WATER QUALITY MONITORING PLAN... 12-1 12.1 INTRODUCTION... 12-1 12.2 BASELINE SURFACE WATER SUMMARY... 12-2 12.3 BASELINE GROUNDWATER SAMPLING SUMMARY... 12-5 12.4 MONITORING STATION DETAILS... 12-9 12.5 REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES... 12-13 12.6 CORRECTIVE ACTION AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT... 12-13 12.7 RECORD KEEPING RESPONSIBILITIES... 12-13 12.8 QA/QC... 12-13 13 ROAD MANAGEMENT PLAN... 13-1 13.1 INTRODUCTION... 13-1 13.2 PROCEDURES... 13-3 13.3 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS... 13-7 14 GEOCHEMICAL MONITORING ACTION PLAN... 14-1 14.1 INTRODUCTION... 14-1 14.2 GEOCHEMICAL MONITORING... 14-2 15 ABORIGINAL TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE STUDY PLAN... 15-1 15.1 BACKGROUND... 15-1 15.2 PURPOSE... 15-1 15.3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES... 15-1 15.4 TYPES OF INFORMATION TO BE COLLECTED... 15-2 15.5 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION... 15-2 15.6 RESPECTING PRIVACY... 15-3 15.7 DATA ANALYSIS... 15-3 15.8 DATA STORAGE... 15-4 16 CULTURAL RESOURCES ACTION PLAN... 16-1 16.1 INTRODUCTION... 16-1 16.2 PROTECTION MEASURES... 16-1 16.3 CHANCE FINDS PROCEDURE... 16-2 17 REFERENCES... 17-1 ix of ix