Evaluating and Planning Rehabilitation in an Historic Mining Camp Using a Risk Assessment Approach in Cobalt, Ontario

Agnico Eagle holds to this day the rights of a portion of the historic mining sites in the
Cobalt-Coleman Area (about 230 properties). Some of these sites were operated and
closed well before Agnico Eagle acquired the properties. From 1957 to 1989, Agnico
Eagle Silver Division operated 23 mines, 4 mills and 1 refinery in the Cobalt-Coleman
Area. Closure plans (7) were developed and filed with the Ministry of Northern
Development and Mines (MNDM) between 1993 and 1998. Closure and rehabilitation
work was done during the same period, and extended up to 2004.
In 2012, the MNDM asked for amendments to 1990’s closure plans. Agnico Eagle thus
engaged in a thorough inventory and investigation of their properties. The amount of
information gathered during this exercise called for a system to be developed to support
data analysis. We also needed to process the information in order to prioritize
additional/required rehabilitation actions based on criteria that would take into account
technical and economic factors, but also environmental and socio-cultural factors. A risk
assessment approach was selected to reach that goal.