A public meeting this week is taking a look at the rehabilitation work at Kam Kotia Mine near Timmins.
The Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM) is holding the meeting Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Kamiskotia Snow Resort chalet. There are sessions from 2 - 4 p.m., and 7 - 9 p.m.
According to the ministry, representatives will give a presentation and people will be able to ask questions.
There hasn't been mining at the former copper/zinc mine since the '70s, with the land and mineral rights being forfeited to the Crown in the 1980s.
In 2008, a partnership between the Ontario Mining Association and Ministry was announced to focus on rehabilitating the mine tailings at the site.
In an email, the ministry said the Kam Kotia site northwest of Timmins "has been one of Ontario’s highest mine rehabilitation priorities for more than 20 years. The ministry is pleased that we are now in the final rehabilitation phases."
The last public meeting for the rehabilitation was in January 2016.
Since then, the ministry says significant work has happened on three major projects.
"Rehabilitation work has reduced the footprint of the Kam Kotia Mine from the original 500-hectare site to approximately 200 hectares of covered, sealed and controlled tailings – a 60 per cent improvement since 2000. The environment can now sustain vegetation, control erosion, reduce contamination and support wildlife," according to MENDM.
"Given that an additional two-to-three years of work is anticipated, including large-scale excavation and haulage activities, a public meeting is being held to provide an update on past and upcoming rehabilitation activities."
