A piece of flying blasted rock that injured a driver during the digging of the Magino Mine four years ago, outside Dubreuilville, resulted in a total of $221,875 in fines and surcharges for a gold mining company, a construction company and a drill contractor.
Alamos Gold, Sigfusson Northern, Fraser Drill Blast Management were all convicted in a Sault Ste. Marie court on Ja. 9 and Feb. 19 of this year for an incident that goes back to May 2021.
At the time, the Magino Mine was owned by Argonaut Gold, running under a subsidiary company, called Prodigy Gold. The whole mine project was later acquired by Alamos Gold.
The former underground mine was being redeveloped and carved out as an open-pit mine.
In early 2021, Sigfusson Northern, a heavy construction company, was contracted by Prodigy to complete construction and site development at the mine. Sigfusson subcontracted Fraser Drill Blast Management to do the drilling, loading and detonation of explosives at Magino.
Sigfusson Northern was responsible for traffic control, surveying work to set grades, blast patterns and limits, and blast guarding to secure the exclusion zone.
On May 14, 2021, Fraser detonated a blast at Magino Mine. At the time of the blast, a portion of Goudreau Road was not guarded. As a result of the blast, a piece of fly rock struck a vehicle travelling on the road. The fly rock broke the windshield of the vehicle and struck the passenger, resulting in a left forearm fracture.
Prodigy reported the incident to the provincial environment ministry the next day. An investigation determined that a exclusion zone limits for the blast had not been plotted correctly. The ministry’s investigation and enforcement branch laid charges which resulted in the convictions.
The convictions were for discharging, causing or permitting the discharge of a contaminant, namely fly rock, into the natural environment which caused an adverse effect.
Alamos Gold was convicted of one violation under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), fined $67,500 plus a victim fine surcharge of $16,875, and given six months to pay.
Fraser Drill Blast Management was convicted of one violation under the EPA, fined $50,000 plus a VFS of $12,500, and given 90 days to pay.
Sigfusson Northern Ltd. was convicted of one violation under the EPA, fined $60,000 plus a VFS of $15,000, and given one year to pay.
