This consultation was open from:
July 14, 2021
to August 28, 2021
Decision summary
An approval was issued to amend Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) No. 0004-AHJJKY for the renewal of the Limited Operational Flexibility conditions, for Vale Canada Limited, Coleman-McCreedy East mine, located in Sudbury, Ontario.
Location details
Site address
Coleman-McCreedy East Mine
177 Mine Road
Greater Sudbury,
ON
Canada
Site location map
The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.
View this location on a map opens link in a new windowProponent(s)
Vale Canada Limited
337 Power Street
Copper Cliff
Greater Sudbury,
ON
P0M 1N0
Canada
Decision details
An approval was issued to amend Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) No. 0004-AHJJKY, for the renewal of the Limited Operational Flexibility conditions, for Vale Canada Limited, Coleman-McCreedy East mine, located in Sudbury, Ontario. The facility is a nickel and copper ore mine.
The approval includes all emission sources from the mining and associated processes that exhaust to the air, including:
- drilling
- crushing
- ore handling operations
- any other equipment and ancillary and support processes and activities
Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere from this facility include:
- metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lead
- particulate matter
- products of combustion such as nitrogen oxides
The approval is an Environmental Compliance Approval (air) with Limited Operational Flexibility, which is a single approval that replaces all the current Environmental Compliance Approvals for air at this facility, and includes the addition of new, or historically unapproved sources for all emissions from the facility.
The Environmental Compliance Approval (air) with Limited Operational Flexibility requires that the company demonstrates compliance on an ongoing basis with:
- Ontario Regulation 419/05
- applicable ministry guidelines for air and noise
- other performance requirements as specified in their conditions
It permits modifications such as process changes, de-bottlenecking or addition of new equipment subject to limits on operational flexibility that include a production limit for the facility specified in the approval.
The limited operational flexibility conditions have a 10 years expiry date. The company is required to make an application for amendment at that time to renew these conditions.
Of specific public interest, one condition that is included in the approval requires the company to make available, at all times, at the facility for inspection by interested members of the public a table (Emission Summary Table) that documents the facility’s compliance with Ontario Regulation 419/05.
Effects of consultation
Comment received
One comment was received which indicated concerns in regards to the health effects of noise, low frequency noise, the usage of A-weighting, and the suitability of NPC-300 noise limits.
Ministry response
Noise emissions have been considered for this approval. Through the noise screening process, this facility is considered to be sited at a distance far enough from points of reception to operate in compliance with the ministry’s noise limits. The Environmental Compliance Approval for this facility requires that the noise emissions from the facility comply at all times with the limits set out in Ministry Publication NPC-300. The ministry takes public health and compliance very seriously, and addresses all complaints received as part of our ongoing compliance activities. The ministry conducts inspections and responds to complaints to ensure that the operation of regulated facilities meet approval requirements.
The ministry accepts the use of NPC-300 as guidance in determining the applicable sound level limit for a noise receptor. The NPC-300 noise guidelines are based on a worst-case hour of operation, which is more restrictive than a yearly average sound level (as used in some of the World Health Organization’s recommendations).
Low-frequency noise is typically defined as noise between 20 and 200 hertz. In assessing applications for approvals in situations where an Acoustic Assessment Report is required, the ministry asks for information about noise in the range of 25 to 10,000 hertz. Sound in the frequency range below 20 Hertz is not typically audible to humans. Complaints of low frequency noise most often relate to indoor sound where a number of factors make it difficult to measure this noise. The province is actively monitoring emerging scientific studies and jurisdictional developments to inform decision makers how to address complaints related to indoor low frequency sound in specific situations. A-weighting (dBA) is used as a standard across the acoustic, noise control, and audiology communities as it reflects the sensitivity of the human ear at different frequencies.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
How to Appeal
This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from March 14, 2022 to begin the appeal process.
Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.
How to appealClick to Expand Accordion
For instrument decisions published on or after June 1, 2021, please refer to the updated instructions for information on how to appeal a decision.
Appeal process for decisions published before June 1, 2021
If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.
First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.
If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.
Seek leave to appeal
To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:
- prepare your application
- provide notice to the minister
- mail your application to three parties
1. Prepare your application
You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:
- A document that includes:
- your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
- the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
- a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
- your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
- the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
- whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
- the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
- the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
- the outcome you’d like to see
- A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
- Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered
The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:
- is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
- could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?
2. Provide your notice
You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.
In your notice, please include a brief description of the:
- decision that you wish to appeal
- grounds for granting leave to appeal
You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:
College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3
3. Mail your application
You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:
- appellate body
- issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
- proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)
Vale Canada Limited
337 Power Street
Copper Cliff
Greater Sudbury,
ON
P0M 1N0
Canada
Environmental Review Tribunal
Attention: The Secretary
655 Bay Street
Floor 15
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca
Include the following:
This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Original proposal
Proposal details
This proposal is for the renewal of the Limited Operational Flexibility for Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) No. 0004-AHJJKY for Vale Canada Limited, Coleman-McCreedy East mine, located in Sudbury, Ontario. The facility is a nickel and copper ore mine.
This proposal includes all emission sources from the mining and associated processes that exhaust to the atmosphere, including: drilling, blasting, crushing and ore handling operations, as well as any other equipment and ancillary and support processes and activities.
Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere from this facility include:
- metals such as nickel, cobalt, and lead
- particulate matter
- products of combustion such as nitrogen oxides
The Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (air), when issued, permits modifications to the facility subject to limits on operational flexibility that include a production limit for the facility to be specified on the Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (air).
The limited operational flexibility conditions have an expiry date. The company will be required to make an application for amendment at that time to renew these conditions.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from July 14, 2021
to August 28, 2021
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comments received
Through the registry
1By email
0By mail
0