Category Information or consultation sessions and visits Show all
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Last phase of project optimization before the environmental impact assessment is filed: the Wasamac team is ready to hear the community's proposals
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At our last neighbourhood meeting on November 16, a range of topics were discussed, including air, vibration, noise, water and traffic management, and land use planning. The topics were presented by 14 members of the Wasamac underground mining project team. The meeting was intended to be an opportunity for discussion, sharing and gathering comments, suggestions and questions in order to optimize the project before the impact assessment is filed. Virtual reality was used so that residents in attendance could see the project's progress. We were fortunate to be joined by about 30 people from the neighbourhood and community.
In setting up these meetings, our aim is to reiterate the importance of forging close relationships through accessible consultations with an emphasis on openness, responsiveness and discussion.
The minutes of the meeting is available here (in french only): https://www.wasamac-consultations.com/27423/widgets/111131/documents/97910
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our community relations team.
By phone: 1 833 510-0330
By SMS: 833-510-0330
By email: wasamac@yamana.com
At the Community Relations Office, 14 rue d'Évain, Rouyn-Noranda, J0Z 1Y0
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The 5th Neighbourhood Meeting is on Wednesday, November 16, 2022
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The 5th neighbourhood meeting for the Wasamac underground mining project carried out by Yamana Gold will be on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at the Évain Club de l’Âge d’Or, located at 100 rue Leblanc (same side as the library).
We suggest a meeting in the form of four workshops, giving everyone the chance to talk to several key Yamana Gold personnel. The small groups will be discussing these topics:
- Water
- Spatial planning
- Traffic flow
- Air quality, vibrations, and sound environment
We will present the work done in recent months to optimize the project. We will also answer your questions, and we look forward to feedback for further project improvement.
Two time slots are available to attend the meeting:
- 2:00 – 4:00 PM
- 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Please RSVP and reserve your time slot by email at wasamac@yamana.com
Or by phone at 1 833 510-0330 (toll free).
Be sure to mention your name, phone number and preferred time slot.
Public meeting open to all.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Consultations on the Topic of Water
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Since the start of the project, we have had numerous and diverse consultations with stakeholders in the water industry. Last September, during a virtual meeting, we spoke with several specialized regional organizations, namely the Conseil Régional de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue (CREAT), Organisme de Bassin Versant de l'Abitibi-Jamésie (OBVAJ), and Organisme de Bassin Versant du Témiscamingue (OBVT), in order to update them on the project and discuss known best practices in the mining sector. We were asked to host a field visit, which we did on October 12 on the site where the future tailings facility might be constructed. A representative of the Société de l'Eau Souterraine de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue (SESAT) and a person with the municipal environmental department of Rouyn-Noranda were also present for this tour.
These transparent and frank discussions enable us to present our findings and have them validated by experts in our community as the project moves forward.
The feedback from stakeholders is essential to building a project with an eye to sustainability and continuous improvement and meeting the community's various expectations.
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Socioeconomic Issues: An Initial Progress Report
Share Socioeconomic Issues: An Initial Progress Report on Facebook Share Socioeconomic Issues: An Initial Progress Report on Twitter Share Socioeconomic Issues: An Initial Progress Report on Linkedin Email Socioeconomic Issues: An Initial Progress Report linkSince 2021, 18 organizations in the socio-community, economic, education and health sectors have contributed to the development of the environmental and social impact assessment. Their input has helped us to better identify the main issues, expectations and concerns of the community so as to adapt the Wasamac underground mining project accordingly to the greatest possible extent.
Housing shortage, labour shortages, increasingly limited access to healthcare, education, services for seniors and vulnerable groups, and childcare availability are the main issues currently facing the organizations operating in the field. Income disparities, particularly between men and women, also emerged from our consultations.
To provide feedback to socioeconomic organizations with which we have engaged in dialogue, our team will seek their cooperation again in the fall of 2022 and winter of 2023. These talks will be an opportunity to further explore the challenges of project implementation ahead and to discuss mitigation measures that could address them. All salient points of the process to date are contained in the downloadable document, here.
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A Look Back at the December 1, 2021 Neighbourhood Meeting
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Some 20 persons attended the third neighbourhood meeting on the Wasamac underground mining project in the Golden Agers room in Évain on December 1, 2021
As we near the end of Yamana Gold’s first year as owner of the Wasamac underground mining project, we look back at our third neighbourhood meeting. It was an opportunity to present our growing team, project improvements suggested in the feasibility study, results to date of the exploration program, the environmental assessment process and alternative solutions being analyzed, as well as consultation activities held throughout the year. During the evening, we also announced that we have begun the process to secure permits for the advanced exploration recommended in the feasibility study.
Following Yamana's presentation in the first half of the meeting, we suggested an interactive workshop on the recreational uses of the local lands. Working in small groups, participants spent about 45 minutes, in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, placing icons on a large map to indicate the sporting and outdoor activities practiced or observed in the area. They also voiced opinions on the five possible sites for the tailings storage facility and on the three options being considered for access to the plant and primary infrastructure.
Back in plenary, each table presented the main areas identified for such activities as climbing, biking, snowmobiling, family outings, hunting and fishing, self-picking sites and birdwatching.
In addition to mapping the areas used for recreational and tourism activities, the discussion highlighted broader issues, such as the project’s potential to increase road traffic on Route 117, the coexistence of uses on rang des Cavaliers, and the safety of families and cyclists in the area. The subject of access to fishing and hunting areas, snowmobile trails, climbing sites and the Kékéko Hills was also raised. Concerns about light pollution affecting astronomical observation were also voiced, along with noise that might interfere with wildlife observation.
We closed the evening with a question-and-answer period addressing issues about noise, preservation of the rural quality of life, and priority solutions to safeguard the drinking water supply for the neighbourhood. Yamana reiterated that it intends to do its utmost to optimize the project with a minimum impact on local residents, that previous commitments will be upheld and that new ones will be discussed in the coming months.
The information gathered will be incorporated into WSP's impact assessment and will also be valuable to Yamana Gold in the evaluation of the proposed project infrastructure and access road locations.
A detailed report of this productive evening will also be published soon.
For those interested in viewing the contributions made during this meeting or who were unable to attend the event, you will have a chance to make your views known online in a few days. Your feedback is important. You are the experts on your community, and citizen input is essential to designing an optimal project. The exercise is also an occasion to identify opportunities to protect, support and enhance the neighbourhood’s attractions and the lifestyles of its residents.
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Mining technology students from Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue visit the Wasamac underground mining project site
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On September 30, a group of mining technology students from the Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue visited the Wasamac underground mining project site together with some Yamana staff and the firm responsible for the field work (WSP) as part of the environmental impact study which is currently underway.
During this visit, the group was able, among other things, to observe the installation of wells, geotechnical drilling, the taking of groundwater samples and other components of the environmental impact study.
The purpose of this exercise was to bridge the gap between the practical fieldwork and the theoretical knowledge of the students acquired during their "Groundwater dynamics" course in which they are enrolled. They will also have to produce a report on the learning achieved during their visit.
he Yamana Gold team thanks the students and their teacher for taking part in this process and wishes them success in their pursuit of their studies in the field of mining!
