Environmental footprints: Tackling the impacts of historical mines

Canada has more than 14,000 historical mine sites in care and maintenance or closure, according to the Canadian Institute of Mining. Most of these sites were developed in the early to mid-1900s prior to the establishment of environmental standards and permits—and as a result, many have legacy environmental impacts.

The increasing price of metal commodities and technology advancements has made the redevelopment of historical mine sites economically achievable. More mining companies are investing in these former sites and deploying state-of-the-art technology to recover minerals that remain.

This trend raises two questions: How do we redevelop these historical mine sites in an environmentally and socially responsible manner? How do we address legacy impacts while also minimizing environmental risks associated with new mining activity?

Michelle Fraser discusses how collaboration and new innovations hold the answers to these questions in her article in Environment Journal.