Province opening new gold mine bringing jobs, billions in GDP

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins and Natasha O’Neill

Nova Scotia announced a new gold mine is coming to the province, which it says will bring jobs and boost the economy.

The provincial government said on Wednesday morning that it has now given industrial approval to NexGold Mining Corporation to open the new operation, known as the Goldboro Gold Mine in Guysborough County.

The government said the mine could create 735 new jobs and contribute $2.1 billion to the province’s economy. It’s projected to bring $1.1 billion of direct and indirect household income to the province, with over a decade of tax revenue estimated at $528 million split between the three levels of government.

The province also notes that the industrial approval includes strict terms and conditions, and the mine will be subject to continuous regulatory oversight.

“Mining is the backbone of modern economics, while sustaining communities, economies and governments,” Janice Zinck, Executive Director of Natural Resources at the Department of Natural Resources, said at the press conference. “Even agriculture takes mining.”

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Construction on the new mine is expected to begin in 2026. It will be the only current gold mine in the province, according to officials.

The province says it has leased NexGold nearly 800 hectares of crown land, and the mine will be on both crown and private land.

The way this project was put through follows a new path that the Nova Scotia government created to help the development of new mines.

New process for mine approval tested

In June, the province said it would streamline the approval process for potential metal mining projects after they go through an environmental assessment.

Environment Minister Timothy Halman announced changes to the “industrial approval” process, which sets rules for the daily operations of a mine and the monitoring of environmental requirements.

Halman told a news conference in Halifax previously that his government’s new “phased” approach allows applicants to submit some details about their plans after their projects have been approved. For example, a company will be able to submit erosion- and sedimentation-control plans after its project’s approval, but before construction on the mine begins.

The minister said the changes will help projects begin more quickly and maintain environmental standards.

“What’s being presented to you today is years and years of listening to companies asking for greater clarity and greater predictability and we’ve delivered that today,” he said.

The Mining Society of Nova Scotia said in a release that the industry welcomes the changes.

However, Karen McKendry, wilderness outreach co-ordinator at the Ecology Action Centre, said in an interview with The Canadian Press that the Progressive Conservative government hasn’t made needed improvements to transparency in the industrial approval process.

The public can’t view documents related to industrial approval applications until after they’ve been approved, she said.

“All of the details about water monitoring and air monitoring and protecting wildlife are very opaque … There’s no public input.”

With files from Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press.