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

GCU has hired qualified, independent consultants to conduct baseline
environmental studies with direct participation of First Nation technicians.
The baseline environmental work surpasses what is typically required for
an environmental assessment for a road corridor of this nature.
Alleged Deficient
Baseline Studies
(Sections 5.3-5.5)
GCU offered in the final ESR to share the “working draft” baseline studies
that GCU has initiated in the larger region. These “working draft” studies
are simply factual reports that are intended to characterize environmental
and socio-economic conditions in the larger region to support a potential
future environmental assessment process for a mine development. The
“working draft” studies contain no impact predictions and are not required
to inform the environmental assessment for this Project, they simply
supplement the compulsory information that has been provided in the final
ESR.
The baseline environmental studies identify values that should be avoided
by the road corridor (see Figure 2-1 of the final ESR). Those studies also
document the current conditions used in the impact analysis for the winter
road. That analysis is presented in Appendix 4 of the final ESR.
The TFTO Submission does not identify any material deficiency with the
baseline studies and associated impact analyses that were relied on and
incorporated as Appendix 4 to the final ESR.
Assessment of
Potential
Cumulative
Impacts
(Section 5.8)
Future use of the
road
Although not specifically required by the Class Environmental Assessment
process, potential cumulative impacts were considered throughout the final
ESR and the preferred corridor has been selected to minimize cumulative
impacts. This is articulated throughout the final ESR. The nature, intensity
and duration of the project are appropriate for a Class Environmental
Assessment and it is not a unique undertaking that warrants an individual
(Category D) environmental assessment.
Concerns regarding future use or upgrading of the road and eventual
decommissioning are addressed in the final ESR. Full disclosure is
provided regarding collaborations and future plans.
(Sections 5.9,
5.10)
Gold Canyon Resources Inc.
Response to TFTO Submission for Springpole Access Corridor Final ESR
April 2013 Schedule 1/- 2-