Environment & Sustainability

Mining generates a great deal of new wealth from the small areas disturbed by mines. While it may not be possible for mining to have absolutely no impact on the local environment, our mining companies take their responsibility for the environment very seriously and the industry is highly regulated by all levels of government. Today’s mining companies continually search for ways to minimize their environmental footprint by introducing new processes and technologies and by contributing to research to develop even more environmentally friendly processes.

 

As a result of Newfoundland and Labrador’s long history of mining at a time when the environment was not a high priority, there are old mine sites in the province which have not been reclaimed to modern standards and for which the owners responsible cannot be identified.

 

This situation cannot happen in the future. In case that a company should go bankrupt or abandon the site for any reason, all current and new mines are required to provide the provincial government with the funds required to reclaim the site before they begin production. In the meantime, the government is using some of the proceeds of taxation from current mines to progressively rehabilitate abandoned sites. Please visit the National Orphaned/Abandoned Mines Initiative (NOAMI) to learn what industry, government and NGOs are doing by collaborating on the abandoned mine situation in Canada.