Minister's Response — Patterson Lake South Mine Project

Physical Activities

Fission Uranium Corp. is proposing the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of an underground uranium mine, located 160 kilometres north of La Loche, Saskatchewan. As proposed, the Patterson Lake South Mine Project would include a mill, a tailings management facility, ore and waste stockpiles and a camp. The mine and mill would have an ore input and ore production capacity of about 1,000 tons per day, over a seven-year life.

Decision

The project does not warrant designation.

Reasons

Pursuant to section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act (the IAA), I, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, considered the potential for the project to cause adverse effects within federal jurisdiction, adverse direct or incidental effects, public concerns related to these effects; as well as adverse impacts on the Aboriginal and Treaty rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In forming my opinion, I took into account the analysis prepared by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

I am of the opinion that the designation of the project is unwarranted for the following reasons:

  • The legislative processes that currently apply to the project and related consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous peoples provide a framework to address the potential adverse aforementioned effects and impacts, and concerns raised by Indigenous peoples and members of the public. These processes include:
    • the provincial environmental assessment and approval process under Saskatchewan's The Environmental Assessment Act, which includes enforceable approval conditions to mitigate potential environmental effects for all stages of the development;
    • the provincial legislation, as applicable, such as The Heritage Property Act; The Fisheries Act (Saskatchewan); The Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010; and
    • the federal authorizations, approvals, and reporting that may be required under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Fisheries Act; the Species at Risk Act; the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994; and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
  • The project must be carried out in compliance with provincial and federal legislation, including The Environmental Assessment Act; the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Fisheries Act; the Species at Risk Act; the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994; and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Document Reference Number: 2

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