Great Bear Mining Project Water and Discharge Permits

awarded

Kinross Gold's Great Bear mining project in northern Ontario has received two permits from Ontario's Ministry of the Environment: a five-year water-taking permit allowing the extraction of 2.9 million litres of surface and groundwater per day, and an environmental compliance approval for the treatment and discharge of that water back into the environment. The permits have raised concerns from the Grassy Narrows First Nation about potential environmental harm, specifically the discharge of sulphates leading to increased methylmercury production, which could worsen the existing mercury contamination in the region's waterways.