Osisko Metals already in action in Murdochville

Osisko Metals will invest $5 million by June 30 to drill various holes in the old Mount Copper pit and south of the pit.

Two drills are currently at work, a third will be added in May. A team of around twenty people will then be assigned to the project.

If mining resumes, it will therefore be in the old pit located about half a kilometer from the city.

Depending on the results of the drilling, the mining company will decide whether or not to pay 25 million to Glencore at the end of September to become the owner of the mine.

Several steps and studies will follow before the mining company knows whether it will go ahead. If so, Osisko Metals plans to invest $1 billion to revive mining activities.

A list of questions

A little more and the inhabitants of Murdochville could imagine themselves in a baseball game coached by Yogi Berra: It’s not over until…

So still a lot of if before a decision, but also a lot of questions.

Citizens have already submitted a first list of questions to which the mining company recently responded on the municipality’s website. Osisko Metals has also agreed with the municipal administration that a space be reserved for information on the project on the municipal website.

Cohabitation with mining activities, impacts on the environment and outdoor activities are at the heart of citizens’ concerns. There are important issues concerning the health and quality of life of the citizens of Murdochville, can we read in the questionnaire submitted to Osisko Metals.

The citizens’ group notes that Metals This is not Osisko’s first offense in terms of compliance with environmental standards and has even been fined several times.

In this regard, Osisko Metals relies on the environmental studies that will be carried out during the project assessment phase.

The company is also open to subscribing to a cohabitation guide, such as one created in Malartic.This is something that normally takes a long time to negotiate, however, indicated the general manager of Osisko Metals, Robert Wares, in an interview with Bon Pied, bonne heures.

Government standards will be respected, also assures the director of the company: but it is also necessary to give a clear portrait to the citizens.

Noise, dust and vibrations

Mr. Wares does not deny that the beginnings of a mining operation are difficult for a population that lives nearby. This is when vibrations, noise and dust are most disturbing. It can last a couple of yearsadmits the DG.

On the other hand, the blasts will be less disturbing than those carried out at the time in the zone located under the residences. Robert Wares is well placed to make the comparison since he was then a geologist in Murdochville. He still remembers it very well: Sometimes there were blasts at 3 am, I lifted 3 feet in my bed!

He points out that in an open pit mine, the blasts mostly sound like rumblings in the ground and that computers now make it possible to better coordinate and control operations. Sometimes, he reports, all you see in the pit is a carpet that rises and falls and there is almost no vibration.

However, according to Osisko Metals, the concerns expressed by citizens regarding the pollution and toxic fumes that once invaded the atmosphere of Murdochville are not justified since the project does not include a new smelter, including no sulphurous fumes. .

Tourism and outdoors

Mount Porphyre, where trails for off-piste skiing and mountain biking have been developed over the years, is not currently in the company’s sights.

Osisko Metals General Manager Robert Wares explains that according to old drilling, the Mount Porphyry deposit is located at a depth of 1 km. If ever it is exploited, it will be an underground mine, specifies Mr. Wares. For the moment, only drilling to evaluate the deposit could be carried out.

In the event that real exploitation is envisaged, Robert Wares specifies that all of the impacts on recreational tourism activities such as those of Mount Porphyry will be assessed during the socio-economic study. If finally, he says, we decide to condemn Mount Porphyre, there is no lack of mountains in Gaspésie and there will surely be a way to create other trails elsewhere and we could certainly finance that.

If it happened that access to certain tracks in other mountains were blocked, the company would also finance and set up new tracks as a compensatory measure.

The mining company is also willing to collaborate in the development of the tourist industry during the life of the mine.

So far, the mining company has answered 15 questions. The answers to the other questions will come with the results of the various studies necessary for the realization of the project, specifies the mining company.

Upcoming studies

If the transfer of ownership takes place as anticipated in September, Osisko Metals will immediately undertake the socio-economic study. It’s a matter of talking to citizens, of managing expectations. This kind of project creates a lot of expectationscomments Mr. Wares.

The study will also assess the impact of the recovery on the city.

One of the issues is the renovation of the water supply and sewer system, the bill for which could rise to $40 million. This is a large amount for a population of less than 1000 peoplecomments Mr. Wares. If it’s municipal, federal, provincial and private collaboration, I’m sure there’s a way to raise funds.

The mining company intends, for this file, to knock on the door of the federal government which has set aside a sum of 1.5 billion to finance infrastructure work related to the exploitation of metals deemed critical such as copper.

The preliminary economic study will also be launched quickly. The mining company wants the evaluation of the profitability of its project to be completed before the end of 2022.

Prior to its implementation, the project will also be subject to a review by the Bureau d’audience publique en environnement (BAPE).