Victor Dimond Mine

With Ontario's first diamond mine so close to being in progress, it is crucial to ensure that sufficient planning has been done to sustain both the ecosystem as well as community development. The proposed mining project would cover an area over 5,000 hectares with an open pit 220 meters deep and a kilometer wide. The company has already invested $140 million to develop the project but estimates the total cost of the project to be around $983 million. The Victor Diamond Mining project has the potential to cause a significant alteration in water levels and flow, a threat to the abundant wildlife as well as to the traditional livelihood of the north

ern First Nations people.

The DeBeers area is one of the largest, intact wilderness areas left on earth and supports abundant wildlife including threatened woodland caribou, healthy fisheries and clean water. The implementation of this project will interfere with the habitat of the caribou and could lead their extinction in the Attawapiskat area. Dewatering the mine will result in the displacement of 100 000 cubic meters of salty water daily, which will greatly affect the fish populations. It is crucial to look at the whole picture and ensure that proper measures are in place to protect threatened species and to make certain that the ecosystem is not upset.

The second area of concern is the effect the mining project will have on the environment. Many harmful toxins will be released into the air, causing long term damage to the environment .The contamination of the Attawapiskat River and surrounding waters is a major issue, along with the drying out of 2000km2 of muskeg. The waste rock poses as a threat as it may leach chemicals, such as acids, into surrounding waters. The diesel fuel that will be used by the tankers is also very destructive to the land. Although DeBeers has plans to restore the land to the previous state it is impossible to guarantee anything.