The creation of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (1972) and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (1985) marked the beginning of environmental monitoring of mining projects. Today, the mining companies of the Red Lake camp are committed to reducing their environmental impact, employing best practices and aiming to be better than industry standards.
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Major Historic Mining Issues
  1. Historically, tailings (the waste material after the milling process) were often put directly into the waters of the region without treatment. This was considered industry standard at the time and only became monitored with the creation of government enforced environmental standards. Tailings polluted waters like Balmer Lake with heavy metals, arsenic and ammonia until rehabilitation work began in the 1990's.
  2. Some mines in Red Lake used roasters in the gold extraction process. Byproducts arsenic trioxide dust and sulphur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere until companies introduced an arsenic recovery process in the 1970's. High-quality arsenic dust was collected and sold. Companies kept low-quality arsenic and any unsold high-quality arsenic in sealed underground stopes. However, this storage method did not prevent the dust from coming into contact with water, causing it to remobilize and become a contaminant.
  3. If companies could not sell their equipment and buildings, they often abandoned the mine sites as they stood.  Deserted buildings, equipment and waste rock/ore stockpiles could cause issues ranging from contaminated water sources to continued disruption or the elimination of plant and wildlife species.
  4. Historically, mining companies stored waste rock (rock removed to get access to the orebody) around the shafts in what is known as Mine Waste Dumps. The waste rock was not separated as non-acidic and potentially acid generating. In Red Lake, waste rock was used for landfill and construction around the community.​
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Source: The District News, October 27, 1960
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Abandoned equipment at McMarmac Red Lake Gold Mines, 1980's
PictureWater testing at Balmer Lake - Photo courtesy of Goldcorp
Contemporary Environmental Practices
  1. Tailings/waste management has significantly improved and today companies treat tailings before they leave the mill. Solids are used as backfill, while tailings ponds are used to treat tailings water and safely discharge them. To assist with the continued rehabilitation efforts with Balmer Lake, Goldcorp utilizes a wetland to clean the water further before it enters the lake.
  2. The autoclave replaced the roaster, utilizing high pressure and heat to oxidize ore for recovery. Any arsenic present is combined with iron to produce a stable compound, which discharges into a tailings pond. Autoclaves can also be used to stabilize arsenic-trioxide dust for safer long-term storage.
  3. Mine closure plans and reclamation became part of the Ontario Mining Act in 1990, reducing the lasting environmental footprint left by mining. Closure plans detail facility and infrastructure removal as well as the land restoration that will happen when the project closes. Companies have to pay a reclamation bond or financial assurance payment to ensure that money is available for reclamation. The Crown holds the bond in trust and guarantees that closure plans are carried out, even if the company faces financial issues. Companies reclaim the bond after all restoration has been completed.  
  4. New environmental standards require mines to categorize mine waste into two categories: i) non-acidic or ii) potential acidic generating. The risk for contamination, however, means that even non-acidic waste is not a desirable purchase as landfill. Instead, waste is either used on mine property or is used as backfill in the mine after closure.