The environment

The protection of Canada’s natural environment is fundamental to creating a responsible, sustainable, competitive, and inclusive mining industry.

Goal of this strategic direction

Through this strategic direction, the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) is taking action to solidify Canada as a leader in developing tomorrow’s low-footprint mines and responsibly managing the legacy of past activities. Mining-related activities have the potential to significantly impact people and ecosystems. Canadians expect that these activities should include measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate environmental impacts, and that lands previously used for mining should be restored to a more natural state. Meeting these expectations fosters positive public perceptions about the industry and builds public trust.

chart

Text Version

We envision …

The continual reduction of mining’s environmental footprint
A circular economy where mine waste is transformed into useful products and environmental liability is reduced
Enhanced mine closure planning and environmentally-reclaimed mine sites
Systemic climate change adaptation planning

Resulting in …

The protection of Canada’s natural environment underpins a responsible, competitive industry. Canada is a leader in building public trust, developing tomorrow’s low-footprint mines and managing the legacy of past activities

Targets

The CMMP Action Plan 2021 introduced the following targets to implement the vision for the Environment Strategic Direction:

By 2020, an expanded mandate for National Orphaned/Abandoned Mines Initiative (NOAMI)
By 2020, a pan-Canadian Mining Value from Waste research program is established to reduce the footprint of mine wastes and improve environmental performance.
By 2025, new mine developments demonstrate environmental leadership through increased adoption of best available technologies.

Key initiatives

Orphaned and Abandoned Mines

Pan-Canadian multi-stakeholder initiatives for collaboration and information-sharing on managing orphaned and abandoned mines.

National Orphaned and Abandoned Mines Inventory

National OAM inventory incorporating inactive mineral site inventories from participating Canadian jurisdictions on the Open Science Data Platform

Areas for Action

In addition to pan-Canadian initiatives to realize the CMMP’s targets, federal, provincial and territorial governments, industry, Indigenous Peoples, and other partners are undertaking actions to:

Reduce waste by providing targeted support for research and development (R&D) and innovation that reduces the consumption of water and energy and the production of waste rock.
Accelerate efforts to develop and adopt alternative, renewable, and clean energy sources, particularly for northern, remote, and isolated communities that rely on diesel, and including the feasibility of small modular reactors (SMRs) in mining operations.
Further integrate circular economy principles into the mining cycle by evaluating Canada’s recycling and reprocessing capacity and mine waste capabilities to determine how they can support sustainability and competitiveness.
Collaborate to recommend best practices for reclaiming mine sites regarding:
- ecosystem rehabilitation plans
- improved financial assurance measures for new mines
- innovative practices, technologies, and guidelines to address environmental and other concerns arising from orphaned and abandoned mines.
Encourage the industry to plan for and adopt climate change adaptation measures for current and legacy mines.