De Beers Canada Inc. - Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage)

Instrument type: Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage)

ERO number
019-5116
Ministry reference number
3172-CBNMRZ
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
February 23, 2022 - April 9, 2022 (45 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
February 23, 2022
to April 9, 2022

Decision summary

We have issued an amendment to the Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage) No. 6909-76ZGYP, issued on November 26, 2007, to De Beers Canada Inc.’s Victor Diamond Mine, located approximately 90 to 100 kilometres west of the community of Attawapiskat in the District of Kenora, Ontario.

Location details

Site address

Victor Diamond Mine Site
90 to 100 km West of Attawapiskat
Unsurveyed Territory, Unorganized Area, in the District of Kenora, ON
Canada

Site location map

The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.

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Proponent(s)

De Beers Canada Inc.
1601 Airport Road North East
Suite 310
Calgary, AB
T2E 6Z8
Canada

Decision details

We have issued an amendment to Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage) No. 6909-76ZGYP, issued on November 26, 2007, to De Beers Canada Inc.’s Victor Diamond Mine, located approximately 90 to 100 kilometres west of the community of Attawapiskat in the District of Kenora, Ontario.

Environmental Compliance Approval No. 6909-76ZGYP governs the sewage works for the Fine Process Kimberlite Containment Facility (the “Facility”) and associated water management infrastructure at the Victor Mine, and approves the discharge of wastewater from the Facility to an adjacent watercourse (North Granny Creek).

The proposal was to provide passive drainage from the Facility to North Granny Creek as part of overall site closure and rehabilitation. With ore processing and mine dewatering terminated in 2019 as the mine moved into the Closure phase, the following amendments to the Environmental Compliance Approval were requested and have been appropriately incorporated into the amended environmental compliance approval:

  • reflection of the discontinuation of processing plant discharge to the Facility
  • operation of the Facility in a passive manner
  • removal of chloride concentration restrictions on discharge to North Granny Creek
  • amendment of effluent limits and monitoring requirements
  • amendment of reporting requirements

Comments received

Through the registry

0

By email

0

By mail

0
View comments submitted through the registry

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.

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Address

135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

Office phone number

How to Appeal

This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from July 12, 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:

  1. prepare your application
  2. provide notice to the minister
  3. 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:

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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:

  1. 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?
  2. 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)

Issuing authority
Fariha Pannu
Manager

Environmental Assessment and Permissions Branch
1st Floor, 135 St Clair Ave W
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

416-314-7092

Proponent(s)

De Beers Canada Inc.
1601 Airport Road North East
Suite 310
Calgary, AB
T2E 6Z8
Canada


Appellate body

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

About the Environmental Review Tribunal


Include the following:

ERO number
019-5116
Ministry reference number
3172-CBNMRZ

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.

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Original proposal

ERO number
019-5116
Ministry reference number
3172-CBNMRZ
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Proposal posted

Comment period

February 23, 2022 - April 9, 2022 (45 days)

Proposal details

This proposal is for an amendment to the Environmental Compliance Approval (sewage) No. 6909-76ZGYP, issued on November 26, 2007, to De Beers Canada Inc.’s Victor Diamond Mine, located approximately 90 to 100 kilometres west of the community of Attawapiskat in the District of Kenora, Ontario.

Environmental Compliance Approval No. 6909-76ZGYP governs the sewage works for the Fine Process Kimberlite Containment Facility (the “Facility”) and associated water management infrastructure at the Victor Mine, and approves the discharge of wastewater from the Facility to an adjacent watercourse (North Granny Creek).

The proposal is to provide passive drainage from the Facility to North Granny Creek as part of overall site closure and rehabilitation. With ore processing and mine dewatering terminated in 2019 as the mine moved into the Closure phase, the following amendments to the Environmental Compliance Approval are requested:

  • reflection of the discontinuation of processing plant discharge to the Facility
  • operation of the Facility in a passive manner
  • removal of chloride concentration restrictions on discharge to North Granny Creek
  • amendment of effluent limits and monitoring requirements
  • amendment of reporting requirements

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 February 23, 2022
to April 9, 2022

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