Canada · 8 d ago
New Brunswick strikes a deal to explore recovering metals from old mine waste
Nigadoo mine
Near Bathurst, New Brunswick
The agreement with U.S.-based Regeneration Enterprises covers waste at the Nigadoo mine near Bathurst, shut for nearly 50 years. It once produced copper, lead, zinc and silver.
Cost to the province
35 $ million liability
The company wants to fund the cleanup with the metals it recovers. It puts the site's cost to the province at $35 million, and says no provincial money is going into exploration now.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick says reworking a damaged site beats disturbing untouched land, but warns heavy metals could reach watersheds.
What we know
- Viability answer expected within a year
Not yet
- Whether the metals can be recovered
- Who pays if things go wrong
The company, working with Pabineau First Nation, expects to know within a year whether the project pays. Processing could begin two to three years after approvals.
