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

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GCU began consulting with TFTO in 2012. In early 2013, GCU asked TFTO to identify any
issues that remained unresolved for the TFTO. TFTO identified three outstanding concerns that
are all addressed in the ESR, but the focus of TFTO members was asking GCU to provide
economic compensation or buy their operations, which in most cases are far from the Project
vicinity. GCU has declined to buy any operations of TFTO members, but has remained open to
discuss any reasonable outstanding concerns about impacts of the proposed road.
The balance of this letter elaborates further to put the Project and the TFTO Submission into
proper context. A more detailed response to the TFTO Submission is attached.
The Project
GCU’s Springpole Gold Access Corridor Project (the “Project”) involves the construction of an
already approved forestry road (~22 km) and a short-term, restricted access winter road (~21 km)
on lands that will be leased, pursuant to Section 81 of the Mining Act. The proposed road corridor
is illustrated on Figure 2-1 of the final ESR. Contrary to the original TFTO Submission, the area
to be cleared for the Project consists of only 0.645 km 2 , rather than 645 km 2 , and approximately
0.33 km 2 of that area is already approved to be cleared in the Trout Lake Forest Management
Plan. 1
The proposed road will allow the safe and efficient exploration work necessary to further define
the mineral resource on the Springpole Gold Project, currently known to host more than five (5)
million ounces of gold and 26 million ounces of silver. This Project goes no further. The results of
the work to define the mineral resource will lead to a further decision on whether the Gold Project
would proceed to the environmental assessment review stage:
• If the Gold Project proceeds to the environmental assessment review stage, a
comprehensive environmental assessment would be initiated to assess the Gold Project
from its development to it ultimate decommissioning.
• If Gold Project does not proceed – and, specfically, GCU does not initiate a provincial
environmental assessment for the Gold Project before 2017 – then the portion of the
proposed road beyond the forestry road will be decommissioned in accordance with the
MNR’s modern best practices, as described in Section 5.3 of the Final ESR. GCU will
provide financial assurance to the Crown to support any such decommission work as a
condition of this environmental assessment process.
The Project is a road corridor development; a type of undertaking that has been commonplace in
Ontario for more than 50 years. The environmental protection measures for road development are
well understood and proven, having been integrated into numerous EA processes and projects
across northern Ontario. The Project incorporates best practices and additional site-specific
measures to further mitigate potential impacts to biological values. In addition, GCU proposes to
decommission historic mineral exploration trails in the region.
Consultation with Stakeholders
GCU has consulted local stakeholders, including the TFTO, since April 2012 regarding the
Project. GCU has modified the Project design and adopted specific mitigation measures to
respond to stakeholder concerns.
1 TFTO filed a revised submission to correct this significant error, but the value was still miscalculated.