public comment

Fifteen Mile Stream public comments:

Good afternoon,

I am writing as an independent concerned citizen of & for NS.

Exploration for gold/silver is currently happening in my community's watershed in eastern Pictou County. This mining activity led me to research gold mining further so as to understand the potential benefits and / or threats of gold mining.

What I learned is:

• Nova Scotia is clearly deemed a “mining friendly” jurisdiction
• Atlantic Gold is quite eager to expand their cheap production of concentrated shiny bits of rocks from scattered places across the provincial landscape
• Globally, gold mining is considered quite environmentally destructive (https://www.earthworks.org/publications/us_gold_mines_spills_failures/ )
• Historically, mining is an exceptionally socially irresponsible industry

( http://mcgillleftreview.com/article/whats-yours-mined-confronting-abuses-canadian-mining-industry, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/571f8d69d51cd4590b8328fa/t/5d6f36781f0e4c0001145b5a/1567569534257/Power+Report.pdf ) .

Nova Scotia ecosystems were/are negatively affected by historic gold production. Multiple contaminated sites continue to contribute to the acidification of provincial rivers and streams daily. The government has been lapse in addressing this fact. ( https://oag-ns.ca/sites/default/files/publications/July2020-2Full_0.pdf ). I suggest that now be the time for provincial decision makers to finally CLU-IN ( https://clu-in.org/ )

Promoting mining companies to re-mine these sites as an attempt at remediation is a falsehood.

New massive tailing ponds and open pits in place of historic tailings is not a sustainable solution to the issue. I suggest microbial and phytoremediation as a cost effective and more environmentally acceptable plan of action with the modern understanding of climate change

( https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3184/003685006783238344 , https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317886266_Soil_Bioremediation_in_Heavy_Metal_Contaminated_Mining_Areas_A_MicrobiologicalBiotechnological_Point_of_View , https://academic.oup.com/jimb/article/32/11-12/502/5992817 , https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/7017 ).

Particularly considering the need for better protection of biodiversity and areas providing habitat for threatened and endangered species such as the Mainland moose

( https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1890/ES14-00421.1).

There is also the emerging opportunity to generate electricity while safely remediating these historic mine sites ( https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03348/full ).

I request full baseline water quality testing reports on surrounding watercourses to the project area to be made public prior to further disturbance in the historic mining zone of Fifteen Mile Stream.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to public comments on this project.

Trudi Rhynold