A proposed local gold mine has cleared a major hurdle.
Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna's announced that the Magino Gold Project is "not likely to cause significant adverse environment effects when mitigation measures are taken into account", clearing the environmental assessment process for the proposed mine near Dubreuilville.
McKenna's decision statement does set out 120 conditions to protect fish and fish habitat, migratory birds, human health, the current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes, and species at risk, along with mitigation measures and requirements for a follow-up program the proponent, Prodigy Gold Incorporated, must fulfill.
Prodigy - or its parent company, Argonaut Gold - will still need to obtain authorizations and permits from federal departments, as normal.
Located about 14 kilometres southeast of Dubreuilville, the Magino Gold Project's a proposed open pit gold mine with an onsite metal mill - McKenna's release says it's valued at $427-million, and could create up to 550 jobs during construction and 350 during operations over the life of the project.