First Mining Gold (TSX:FF) has received federal environmental assessment approval for its Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
The Federal Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, and Nature, the Honourable Julie Aviva Dabrusin, announced the Decision Statement allowing the project to proceed. Springpole represents one of Canada’s largest undeveloped gold resources and sits approximately 110km northeast of Red Lake, Ontario.
“This is a monumental day for First Mining, the local Indigenous communities and municipalities who are positioned to benefit economically and socially from the project, First Mining shareholders and all of Northwestern Ontario,” CEO Dan Wilton says.
The approval follows a comprehensive environmental assessment process initiated in 2018. The evaluation included input from Indigenous communities, the public, and federal government departments, including Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Transport Canada.
Wilton says the project will serve as the biggest economic driver of Northwest Ontario in a generation. The company expects the development to generate billions of dollars in government revenue, deliver hundreds of jobs, and provide contracting opportunities for regional and Indigenous businesses.
The decision statement includes conditions of approval based on environmental mitigation commitments and management actions proposed by First Mining during the federal environmental assessment process. These conditions cover engineering designs, aquatic and terrestrial protections, monitoring, adaptive management, and consultation requirements.
With the environmental assessment complete, First Mining is advancing engineering designs and optimisations as it moves the project towards construction readiness.
The company operates as a gold developer advancing two of Canada’s largest gold projects. Beyond Springpole, First Mining holds the Duparquet Gold Project in Québec, a preliminary economic assessment-stage development project located on the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone in the Abitibi region.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash
