Saint Mary’s industry partnership tackling legacy of pollution from gold mining in Nova Scotia

From Springboard Content Lab 

Nova Scotia has been mining gold since the 1860s. It has been a lucrative industry producing economic wealth and jobs for the province. But it has also left behind a toxic legacy. 

Over 300 gold mines are contaminated with mercury, arsenic and other toxic elements hazardous to wildlife, wetland habitats and humans. In total, three million tonnes of contaminated waste tailings have been left behind in delicate freshwater ecosystems. 

This pollution is a problem in Nova Scotia and at mining sites around the world. 

Saint Mary’s University’s research into environmentally sustainable and cost-effective remediation of historic gold mines across Nova Scotia aligns with our corporate commitments, namely growing sustainably, respecting the environment and stronger communities. We believe in learning from the past to secure our future and are proud to support the important work being done by Dr. Campbell and her team.

Andrew Strelein,
Managing Director and CEO
Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia

SMU collaborating with industry to combat pollution 

A five-year research collaboration between Saint Mary’s University and industry partner Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia (a wholly owned subsidiary of Australia-based St Barbara Ltd.) is addressing this environmental problem by developing new ways to clean up fragile wetlands contaminated by mining operations. 

“We are currently wrangling with the consequences of decisions and actions made a long time ago,” says lead researcher Dr. Linda Campbell, from the Saint Mary’s School of the Environment. 

 “Our goal is to ensure legacy arsenic and mercury contaminants will not continue to be a problem for Nova Scotians for another hundred years. We are looking forward to working with Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia and our other collaborators to undertake the necessary research and development to help restore ecological vitality of impacted wetlands.” 

Dr. Campbell’s research team is investigating less invasive, cost-effective techniques for removing these toxic tailings. Traditional remediation is expensive and destructive to the environment. In 2019 costs were estimated at $48 million to clean up the Crown land portion of two Nova Scotia legacy tailing sites. 

Gold mine tailings in Nova Scotia

New remediation approaches protect wetlands 

The new techniques use a thin layer of reactive material to limit the risks of gold mine tailings and support natural recovery of wetlands without endangering wetlands and wildlife.  

“Wetlands are incredibly important ecosystems, and these sites need help to recovery, said Dr. Emily Chapman, Senior Project Research Manager. “It is about finding the right blend of ingredients that will reduce the mobility and toxicity of contaminants in the sediment, without adding so much material that wetlands are infilled and destroyed. Having worked on the development of innovative approaches for dealing with these risks for several years, I am pleased to see that this issue is getting some recognition.” 

The new methods will have ecological and economic benefits for wetlands in Nova Scotia and similar sites around the world. 

The Saint Mary’s Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE)  played a crucial role in fostering this research relationship: 

• Leveraged additional funding to support the initial investment by Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia 

• Facilitated contracts and agreements necessary to carry out the work 

• Helped researchers with NSERC Alliance application, which was the first ever to be approved for a research project at Saint Mary’s. 

Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia, a wholly owned subsidiary of St Barbara Ltd, operated the Moose River Gold Mine near Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, which is now in the initial stages of environmental reclamation.  The Company is looking to permit additional mining projects along Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. The Company is investing in a research partnership with Saint Mary’s University to explore the remediation of historic gold mine tailings in freshwater ecosystems