Aside from GoldCorp wanting…

Aside from GoldCorp wanting to increase the nitrate tailings runoff to the daily maximum, rationale for the increase is not cited in the proposal. One can assume that they want to increase productivity for a growing industry. Based on the November 24, 2014 agreement with the four First Nations in the area, have these nations been advised of this proposal and what impacts there would be in the event of a tailings leakage?

There is research happening indicating that the long term impacts of such chemical releases into the water and environment can have a detrimental impact on animals, fish, aquatic organisms and along the food chain, humans. Porcupine River flows directly into Night Hawk Lake so any potential leakage would do harm to a vast water eco-system, especially if the amount flowing into the system was already at the maximum daily level. Fish and aquatic organisms would not be immediately protected from a leakage. For nitrate (as N), the 30-d average concentration to protect freshwater aquatic life is 3.0 mg
L-1and the maximum concentration is 32.8 mg L-1. For nitrate (as N), the 30-d average concentration to protect marine aquatic life 3.7* mg L-1.

Tailings pond leakages are becoming more common place in an industry that is only going to get bigger in Canada. International class action lawsuits (settled out of court it seems) against GoldCorp's transparency about tailings leakages, call into question its transparency about any such possible incidents in Ontario, or Canada for that matter, despite our tighter regulations. It was only after the class action lawsuit was filed, did GoldCorp agree to examine the degree of contamination in that incident.

Therefore, I ask the ERO to strongly consider ensuring the parameters of this proposal are detailed in such a way as to protect the livelihoods and health of the Indigenous bands, communities and wildlife/wetlands in the Timmins area, as well as ensure GoldCorp will be strictly monitored and held accountable for keeping its environmental and carbon emissions footprint well within Paris Agreement and current environmental norms.