Review panel announces public hearing for proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project

OTTAWA, June 20, 2013 /CNW/ - The Federal Review Panel for the proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project today announced that the environmental impact statement (EIS) along with the additional information submitted by the proponent contain sufficient information to proceed to the public hearing. The public hearing will begin in Williams Lake, B.C. on July 22, 2013, and will be completed within approximately 30 days.

The Public Hearing
All hearing sessions are open to members of the public wishing to observe the proceedings. The primary purpose of the hearing is for the Panel to receive the information it requires to complete its assessment of the environmental effects of the project.  The Panel will hold public hearing sessions as follows:

General hearing sessions will provide an opportunity for registered interested parties and the public to present their overall views on the project and its potential environmental effects. The general sessions will be held in Williams Lake starting on July 22, 2013.

Topic-Specific hearing sessions will allow interested parties and experts who possess specialized knowledge to present technical information relevant to the environmental assessment of the project. Topic-Specific sessions will be held on topics such as: geology and hydrogeology, aquatic environment, terrestrial environment and human environment. These sessions will be held in Williams Lake, starting July 26, 2013.

Community hearing sessions will be held in selected Aboriginal communities to allow community members to express to the Panel their views and present information and issues of importance to them in an informal setting.  These sessions are expected to take place in Xeni Gwet'in, Tsi Del Del (Alexis Creek Band), Yunesit'in (Stone Band), Tl'esqox (Toosey Band), Tl'etinqox (Anaham Band), Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Band) and Esketemc (Alkali Lake Band), starting August 6, 2013.

A Closing Remarks session will be held for interested parties to summarize their overall conclusions to the Panel.  This session will be held in Williams Lake, starting the week of August 19, 2013.

How to Participate
The Panel will conduct the hearing in accordance with the Public Hearing Procedures, issued in February 2013, which provide an outline of how the various hearing sessions will unfold and how the public may participate.

For the General and Community sessions, participants may make an oral presentation or file a written submission or both make an oral presentation and file a written submission. At the Topic-Specific sessions, oral presentations must be accompanied by a written submission.

Participants who wish to make an oral presentation to the Panel at any of the hearing sessions are asked to register and file any written submissions with the Panel secretariat at least 7 days in advance of the day on which they plan to present. Registration dates are as follows:

Type of Hearing Session/ Dates	Register and File Submissions
General hearing sessions Will begin July 22, 2013	As of  July 15, 2013
Topic-Specific hearing sessions Will begin July 26, 2013	As of July 19, 2013
Community hearing sessions Will begin August 6, 2013	As of July 30, 2013
Closing Remarks session Will begin the week of August 19, 2013	Date to be determined

The Panel will soon provide further details on the hearing schedule, including exact dates, times and locations.

To register, file a submission for the hearing sessions and schedule a presentation, contact:
Livain Michaud, Panel Manager
New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project - Federal Review Panel
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor, Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]

Following the close of the public hearing, the Panel will submit its report to the federal Minister of the Environment according to the terms of reference.

The sufficiency determination letter and the Hearing Procedures are available on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry at www.ceaa.gc.ca, registry number 63928.

SOURCE: New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project - Federal Review Panel

Media may contact: 
Lucille Jamault, Communications
New Prosperity Mine Project - Federal Review Panel
Tel.: [phone] / [email protected]