EDM Resources Inc (TSX-V:EDM, OTC:SWNLF) said it has submitted a Fisheries Act Authorization (FAA) application to Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a key federal regulatory step required to extend the main pit at its Scotia Mine in Nova Scotia.
The Vancouver-based miner said the submission follows more than three years of additional permitting work and includes environmental, engineering and consultation materials aimed at securing approval for the pit extension.
“This FAA submission represents a major regulatory and technical milestone for the Scotia Mine,” CEO Mark Haywood said in a statement, adding that the project has been designed to avoid in-water works, protect fish habitat and incorporate monitoring and offsetting programs.
The application includes more than 20 years of baseline environmental data, hydrological and hydrogeological modelling, and detailed engineering designs, EDM said. The company said it also documented multi-year consultation with Indigenous communities, regulators and local stakeholders.
EDM said the project design avoids all mapped fish-bearing watercourses, maintains a minimum 30-metre buffer from aquatic features and does not require new watercourse crossings or discharge locations. Mine water would continue to be collected and treated through existing tailings and polishing pond systems before controlled discharge at an established site.
The FAA submission includes a Pathways of Effects assessment evaluating potential impacts on fish and fish habitat, including water quality, blasting and sedimentation, and outlines mitigation measures and residual effects, the company said.
EDM has also proposed a fish habitat offsetting program for residual effects that cannot be fully avoided, and has prepared a draft performance bond of C$1.16 million to support implementation of the offsetting plan, subject to approval by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The federal review process will include technical evaluation and consultation with Indigenous communities and stakeholders. EDM said Fisheries and Oceans Canada has confirmed receipt of the application and will begin its prescribed review.
The company said completion of the FAA review would represent the final major federal permitting milestone required to advance the Scotia Mine toward a construction decision, subject to regulatory timelines.
