BY CRAIG GILBERT
Greater Sudbury could have another mine in the short term rather than the long term, according to the city?s director of planning services.
Falconbridge Ltd. has applied for a rezoning of three parcels of land about 13.7 kilometres north of Chelmsford in Bowell Township. The company wants to turn 100 hectares of land into an open pit mine.
A report to the planning committee of Sudbury council says the rezoning is in conformity with the city?s official plan.
The plan designates the land as ?mineral reserve,? and bordering lots are already zoned M4 Mining Industrial, the same designation Falconbridge is pursuing.
Before any new mine opens, a closure plan for post-production must be in place through the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
The company will also have to sign an agreement to pay for any improvements to city roads used as haul routes to the satisfaction of the general
manager of public works.
A letter from Falconbridge Sudbury?s property supervisor indicates any ore from the open pit mine would be transported by way of a new private
road to the Levack?s Strathcona Mill, a journey of about 17 kilometres.
Anytime a new mining operation starts up in the city it is good news, said deputy mayor Ron Dupuis.
?There is a lot of exploration going on in the Sudbury Basin,? he said. ?It?s something we desperately need to maintain current employment levels in the mining sector and create more jobs.?
The traffic study will be a necessity, Dupuis said. Those big trucks have a detrimental effect on the roads they travel, he said, and it is appropriate for the city to demand the company shoulder repair costs.
He said there will be more and more smaller mining operations popping up, which is just what the city needs.
?There is a whole new excitement about mining in the city,? said Councillor Lynne Reynolds, vice-chair of the planning committee.
Falconbridge spokesman Scott Albion said the operation probably would be a small one, with fairly simple, surface-level extractions going on.
He said the explorations arm of the company has been scouting several small properties for open pit operations, and the Bowell township location is likely one of them.
The company, he said, has in recent years shifted its focus from finding ?big elephants? to looking for more and smaller ore deposits.
?We have some significant infrastructure in Sudbury, including mills and smelters,? Albion said. ?The more we can find locally, the better.?
