Canadian Malartic to fight noise, compensation complaints

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – The Canadian Malartic General Partnership (CMGP), an equal joint venture between partners Agnico Eagle Mines and Yamana Gold aimed at operating the Canadian Malartic mine, in Quebec, on Thursday said it would defend itself against an injunction application seeking to restrict operations at the mine, and any related lawsuit. 

The CMGP advised that it had received a notice on August 15 of an application for an injunction aiming to restrict the mine's operations to sound levels and mining volumes below the currently approved limits.

The application was filed under the Environment Quality Act by plaintiffs Dave Lemire and Benjamin Gagnon-Lamothe, both members of the Citizens Committee for the Zone South of the Malartic Railway (CCZSVFM), in Quebec.

“CMGP has reviewed the injunction request, considers the request without basis and will take all reasonable steps to defend itself in connection with this injunction and any related lawsuit,” the partnership stated.

Another member of the CCZSVFM, Louis Trottier, is the plaintiff in the class action motion that was filed on August 1. The CCZSVFM had challenged the compensation amounts contained in the ‘Good Neighbour Guide', which was developed through a collaborative and transparent process with the citizens of Malartic, various stakeholder groups and experts, and addresses the allegations contained in the lawsuit.

A key element of the guide includes the terms of the financial compensation available to all residents living in the three neighbourhoods of the town Malartic, which borders the prolific gold mine. Compensation is being offered for issues related to noise, dust and vibrations and is based on the intensity of the impacts, as well as the residents' proximity to the mine.

A property acquisition programme for residents living in the neighbourhood closest to the mine (south of the railway) is also part of the guide. The Malartic Working Group (MWG) plans to start implementing the compensation terms of the guide on September 1.

Since August 2, the MWG has been holding information sessions with the residents of Malartic to provide each resident with the details of the compensation amount they are entitled to (both retroactively and yearly) in the future, as well as the purchase option available to all residents of the southern district.

According to the CMGP, more than 800 people have participated in the information session since then, to better understand the details of the guide.

Canadian Malartic is currently Canada’s largest operating gold mine and is developing into one of the world’s largest pure gold producers. The 55 000 t/d openpit mine and plant produced a record 571 618 oz of gold as well as 601 000 oz silver, on a 100% basis, in 2015. It is expected to produce about 560 000 oz of gold in 2016, with a mine life expected to last through to 2026.

The mine has 7.72-million ounces of gold in proven and probable reserves.