Timmins lays out new plan: provides special provisions for mining.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: MINING

With its first official plan in more than two decades, the City of Timmins is looking to tackle the problems of its mining history, and harness the power industry will play in the future.

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The document features a mix of policies and provisions which serve to protect the interests of the city as well as those of mining activities. This includes a special "Goldfields" unique provision to address the hazards created by prior mining operations.

This provision also recognizes the opportunities for Goldcorp Inc. to pursue new development at its former Hollinger and McIntyre mines. Goldcorp has proposed a series of open pits in the downtown area, and new mining along the Highway 101 corridor, that is subject to a series of criteria which must define the scope of the mining operation in detail, and undertake measures to mitigate the impact of extraction activities, such as noise, dust, blasting, and truck traffic.

Plans for progressive and long-term rehabilitation of any mined lands must also be set out, and a program of public consultation and disclosure must be provided.

"We want to encourage mining because it's important to the economic base, but at the same time, we want to make sure it's done safely and with environmentally sound techniques," says Glenn Tunnock, president of the Perth-based Tunnock Consulting Ltd, which has led development of the plan.

"The genesis of Timmins came from mining, so it goes without saying that it would feature prominently in this plan."

Overall, the official plan provides the municipality with a vision for development over the next 20 years. It also deals with urban, downtown Timmins, Schumacher and South Porcupine developments. The management of the resource base is also addressed, and ranges from mining, mineral aggregates, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and forests within the municipality.

The document suggests four land use area types. These are broken down into residential, employment areas which consist of commercial and industrial spaces, resource development areas, as well as the unique Goldfields area.

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