Design, engagement and human environment: three ways to accelerate the impact assessment process for mining projects

Impact assessment and permitting for new mines, or mine expansions, may be subject to federal, provincial, territorial and/or treaty regimes. “Working with Rights-holders, stakeholders and regulators to refine project design can reduce regulatory timeline risk for a smoother permitting process,” says Callie Andrews, Business Group Leader – Natural Resources and Impact Assessment Eastern Canada at GHD.

Every mining project is different: they vary in size, scope and type of mineral from region to region, affecting different communities and have varying requirements from a regulatory standpoint. Depending on the type of mineral or the tonnage extracted, projects may not require federal impact assessment, which can be more extensive than most provincial regimes and take years to be approved (to date, no mining project has been approved under the current Impact Assessment Act (2019)). Examining development scenarios helps to evaluate the cost and benefits of limiting operations under thresholds for federal impact assessments.

Regardless of the preferred development scenario, a thorough impact assessment is important for identifying potential risks and designing the mine to avoid or mitigate negative impacts. Thoughtful impact assessments can save time, resources and costs by expediting required approvals and permits. Tackling problematic issues upfront, and carefully planning mitigation and monitoring is beneficial to the approval and permitting process, as it helps to assure regulators, stakeholders and Rights-holders that the proponent is committed to environmental and social sustainability.

Obtaining permits quickly is essential for maximizing a mining project's value and return on investment. Designing a project to avoid environmental and social impacts to the extent possible will expedite the permitting process. “Using baseline data to inform the design of the project is critical to managing the risk associated with drawn out regulatory timelines. Understanding current and traditional land use, as well as biophysical and socioeconomic constraints, along with solid engagement with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, are key to informing the design. The resource location cannot be shifted, but taking the time to design other components to minimize impacts enhances the social acceptability of a project. In addition, understanding the permitting complexity should inform design changes to mitigate certain permitting requirements and timelines,” Andrews says. 

As an example, our client, a gold mining, development and exploration company engaged Rights-holders and community stakeholders early in the planning process for its new mine operation in Eastern Canada, to encourage feedback on the project design. “Through its key values of safety and environment, integrity, reliability, responsibility (sustainability), respect and inclusivity, and resourcefulness, [the organization] has endeavored to work with the local community, Indigenous groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), regulatory agencies, and interested members of the public,” reads the Environmental Assessment Registration Document submitted by GHD in June 2022. This project was able to move through the provincial environmental assessment process in only two months, a testament to what a quality environmental assessment can accomplish. 

Along with the natural environment, people and communities are also affected by mining projects. This is why impact assessments also focus on the human environment and socioeconomic studies to determine impacts and benefits, to avoid or reduce negative effects and enhance benefits. Building relationships with Indigenous groups and conducting relevant socioeconomic studies are essential parts of the broad landscape of impact assessment for a mining project.

Projects that trigger Canada’s Impact Assessment Act require undertaking extensive socioeconomic studies that support community impact and benefit measures. “The federal Impact Assessment Act typically puts more emphasis on the socioeconomic components and not just on the environment. So socioeconomic studies focus on Gender-based Analysis Plus, social determinants of health and related considerations,” adds Andrews.

Brigitte Masella, Impact Assessment and Community Engagement Technical Director at GHD, specializes in socioeconomic impact assessment for mining projects. “When conducting a socioeconomic impact assessment, we put an emphasis on community health and wellbeing based on social determinants of health within an intersectional perspective, which is a requirement under the federal Impact Assessment Act.”

In the case of Indigenous Peoples, potential impacts on their Rights must be assessed in a holistic fashion, in partnership with Rights-holders. “Our engagement services also include assisting in negotiating agreements for land and resource use studies, pre-development activities and impacts and benefits between proponents and Indigenous groups,” Masella adds.

GHD’s multidisciplinary team of mining sector professionals has experience conducting impact assessments that encompass permitting, Rights-holder and stakeholder engagement and socioeconomic considerations for a custom analysis of each project’s needs, with the aim of creating lasting community benefit. Our clients gain from our extensive global and local experience working with complex environmental challenges on major projects.

Contact us to discuss your mining project and how we can assist with environmental and socioeconomic studies, impact assessments and environmental permitting approvals.