Page 56 Decline in world metal prices sees Goldcorp change Hollinger Pr oject By Gregory Reynolds A change in the proposed open pit gold operation at the site of the former Hollinger Gold Mine in T immins is not stop ping development work Goldcorp Inc announced in its second quarter report releas ed July 25 that given the current metal prices the company is advancing alternatives including a smaller pit which has stronger economics than the previous plan while also ad dressing the reclamation and safety issues associated with this historic mining site The City of T immins was notifed by the company of the situation City chief administration offcer Joe T orlone said to my knowledge the change will not have any impact on our current arrangements The project was supposed to be in operation last year but the Ontario government has been holding it up In its quarterly report the company also said As of June 6 2013 all air and noise models and reports had been sub mitted to the Provincial Ministry of the Environment for the project s Environmental Compliance Approval for Air and Noise permit that is required for construction and mining activity to start on the property Some of the people living close to the project which is in the centre of the city have opposed it despite numerous public meetings and changes added by the company to the original plan The city has granted all the required approvals The company also stated as of June 30 that the pit project haul road between the Dome where the mill is located and Hollinger sites was completed during the quarter includin g an eight metre high noise berm wall along the north side of the road Onsite work continues to remediate voids below areas where the environmental control berm will be constructed and reverse circulation drilling to defne ore limits prior to mining Three separate pits were originally planned Eventually they would become one pit and it would be turned into a lake that has been of fered to the city The company said in June of this year that our team conti nues to prepare and enthusiastically awaits the green light to begin stripping the soils and rock that lie above the ore body These materials will be used to construct an Environmental Control Berm that will shield the community from noise and air blast overpressure during mining operations This 10 to 25metre berm will be vegeta ted on the outside creating an aesthetically pleasing view while establishing a cover to help minimize soil erosion and dust that results from wind and rain The most common concerns among residents include noise dust fy rock vibration and some apprehension around site stability and potential for subsidence Each of these concern s was addressed through a number of technical studies feld testing and a series of public meetings that were held over the past seven years Hollinger at one time the lar gest gold mine in the British Empire operated from 1910 until 1968