Revised Final Environmental Study Report (24 MB) - Gold Canyon ...

Gold Canyon Resources Inc.
Springpole Gold Access Corridor Project
Final Environmental Study Report
2.2.2 Eastern Corridor
A general description of this alternative, along with the advantages and disadvantages, is provided
in the bullets below.
The eastern corridor trends southeast from the area of the Deposit to the outflow of
Springpole Lake via Birch River and connects with the planned Wenasaga Road that is
approved in the 2009-2019 FMP and is located within the 2011 burn area (refer to Figure 2-
1).
The eastern corridor meets the objective of reliable year-round, land-based access to the
area of the Deposit. The synergies of the eastern corridor with the currently approved and
future proposed Wenasaga Road extension are noted, as well as the reduction in the
potential for cumulative effects in the region compared with other potential corridor
alignments. For convenience, Figure 2-2 presents the Wenasaga Road approved in the
2009-2019 FMP and the future proposed expansion to the Wenasaga Road in the Trout
Lake Forest.
Based on a Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment by Horizon Archaeology, the eastern
corridor has a lower potential to host archaeological values compared with the western
corridor (refer to Appendix 2).
Based on a holistic effects analysis of the caribou range, this corridor is regarded as having
a lower potential to negatively affect caribou (DST, 2012).
If the Springpole Gold Project proceeds to production, progressive mine planning would
require the site to be situated within one (1) watershed rather than straddling multiple
watersheds to the extent practical. In the event that a production phase is proposed, this
corridor lends itself well to a compact mine site within a single watershed that branches off to
access the various mine site features. Furthermore, in order to minimize the overall
development footprint on the landscape it would be desirable to have the access corridor
overlap with the mine site features and this corridor alternative lends itself well to this sort of
progressive planning.
An analysis of the effects (positive and negative) associated with this alternative was undertaken in
accordance with Section 3 of MNR (2003) and is presented in Table 2-2. Unless otherwise stated in
Table 2-2, this analysis assumes that conventional, proven mitigation measures are applied to the
alternative in accordance with applicable guidance documents from MNR and DFO that are
referenced herein.
July 2013 Page 13