The environmental assessment of New Gold’s Blackwater Project, a proposed open pit gold and silver mine approximately 110 km southwest of Vanderhoof, continues to be on a temporary suspension.
New Gold voluntarily requested the temporary suspension in August 2016.
According to Claudette Gouger, Blackwater Project’s community manager, the suspension was to allow time for rigorous review of changes to waste and water management design of the project.
The changes include the inclusion of a water treatment plant, which will facilitate water recycling and enhanced control of water, as well as the elimination of a waste rock dump. The elimination of the waste rock dump - from two piles to one - allows for a smaller footprint, less diversion of natural catchment runoff and overall impact of the mine.
Gouger said the changes were made in response to comments from First Nations, government and stakeholders.
“We expect a decision on the provincial and federal environmental assessments as early as mid-2017,” she said.
Once developed, the proposed mine is expected to produce more gold than all other New Gold operations combined. The mine expects to hire from 1000 to 1500 people during construction - from 2018 to 2020. In addition, 500 full-time workers are expected to operate the mine from 2020 to 2037.
The Blackwater Project’s original construction start date was 2015, but has since been moved to 2018. Gouger said the delay was because New Gold plans to complete its fifth mine - the Rainy River Project - before construction on the Blackwater Project can begin.
“When we move into construction, we will be holding information sessions and hiring fairs because of the volume of people we’re going to need.”