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Newmont Porcupine building $160-million water treatment plant

While the province has not contributed cash to the project, the Premier was in Timmins to announce it
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Premier Doug Ford shakes hands with workers at Newmont Porcupine on Nov. 18, 2022.Maija Hoggett/TimminsToday

A Timmins mine has announced a major investment in its water treatment efforts. 

Today, Premier Doug Ford was in town to make the $160-million announcement for Newmont Porcupine.

Few details about the facility were made available at the event that was also attended by Timmins MPP and Minister of Mines George Pirie, Minister of Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford and Newmont Porcupine general manager Dawid Pretorius.

While the Premier revealed the news, the province has not contributed to the initiative.

"That’s Newmont, they’re investing in it. We’re so grateful for that,” said Ford.

During his comments, Ford said the new water treatment facility is a "huge vote of confidence in the sustainable future of Ontario mining."

"And it’s another clear sign that Ontario’s mining industry can lead the world in responsible mining because Northern Ontario’s blessed with some of the most mineral-rich deposits anywhere in the entire world. These are the critical minerals needed for advanced technologies, clean energy solutions and the electric vehicles of the future,” he said. 

No one from Newmont was available to comment on the project at the announcement. 

In a news release, the company said the water treatment plant will be finished before the end of the year and begin discharging in 2023. Once in operation, it will return 13 million cubic metres of treated water into the Mattagami, Frederickhouse and Upper Kapuskasing watersheds.

"Throughout 2021 and 2022, Newmont made a $160-million investment into the new plant, which will benefit the entire ecosystem and surrounding watershed through the collection, treatment and return of impacted water. Provincially, this plant will have among the lowest effluent discharge limits within the mining sector," reads the news release.

— TimminsToday