Abandoned Mines/Mine Hazards

Ontario has a long and proud history of mining, which has been responsible for much of both the economic and the social growth and development of the province. However, historically the focus of the owners of those mines, as well as the legislation itself, has been on removing the mineral commodities from the ground at a profit, and not on the rehabilitation of the mine features once mining had ceased. Although much money was garnered from mining companies and individuals through taxation, none of this was set aside for assuring mine siterehabilitation.

While companies may not have closed out the site in a manner that meets today's standards, some of these lands have already reverted to the Crown. Other privately held lands may become the Crown's responsibility in extreme circumstances such as a business failure or receivership. There are also combinations of circumstances that will prompt the government to address serious or immediate risks on a privately owned site - for example when a company is in receivership and there are emergency situations that may place public health or safety at risk.

General information

• There are currently more than 5,700 known abandoned mine sites located within Ontario, containing more than 16,400 documented mine features.
• Of these, approximately 4,000 sites could potentially be hazardous to public health and safety and to the environment.
• These sites are scattered throughout most of the Province.
• Approximately 30 - 40 per cent of Ontario'sabandoned mine sites are estimated to be located on Crown land. The remainder are located on privately owned or municipal lands.
• In 1993, it was estimated that it would cost $300 million to properly rehabilitate all of Ontario's abandoned mine sites, approximately $120 million of which was directly related to Crown lands.
• Current cost projections indicate that approximately $500 million will now be required to properly rehabilitate all of Ontario's abandoned mine sites, with approximately $200 million required for sites on Crown lands.
• Although efforts are made to ensure that privately held abandoned mine sites are not allowed to return to the Crown, some sites will continue to do so through such mechanisms as the dissolution or bankruptcy of the current owner. The addition of these, as well as some of the municipally owned sites, could substantially increase the Crown's costs.
• Since 1991, mine sites that are subject to a Closure Plan under Part VII of the Mining Act have financial assurance, provided by the proponent, for the eventual site rehabilitation should the proponent be unable to conduct the required rehabilitation work. Therefore, there should not be any further cost to the Crown should any of these sites ever return to it in a non-rehabilitated state.

To address these concerns, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines has participated in the following initiatives:

Abandoned Mines and Hazards Databases and Reports

• Summary web page
• AMIS (Abandoned Mines Information System) - A database of site assessments of the 6000 abandoned mine sites
• Site Assessment Reports
• Geotechnical Investigation Reports
• Mine Plans and Sections

For information on abandoned mines and mine hazards, please contact

Marc Stewart
705 670-5822
marc.stewart@ontario.ca

Government Programs

• Abandoned Mines RehabilitationProgram (1999-2012 - $118 million)
  
  
  • Examples of Rehabilitated Sites
  • Kam Kotia Project

Government/Industry Partnerships

• Ontario Mining Association (OMA) Agreement
• Porcupine Gold Mine Agreement

For information on the Abandoned Mines Rehabilitation Program, Government/Industry Partnerships and Voluntary Rehabilitation Provisions, please contact:

Chris Hamblin
(705) 670-5806
chris.hamblin@ontario.ca