Dec 11 2015
Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. ("Sabina" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company's Final Environmental Impact Statement ("FEIS") for the Back River Gold Project (the "Project"), submitted to the Nunavut Impact Review Board ("NIRB") on the 23rd of November, has been deemed conformant with NIRB requirements. With this decision the FEIS will now enter the final technical review period.
"This is a major milestone in the permitting and environmental assessment process of the Back River Gold Project," said Bruce McLeod, President & CEO. "The FEIS demonstrates how the Project will bring responsible sustainable development to the region, including training, jobs, creation of business opportunities as well as associated royalty payments and taxes. Additionally, we are very pleased with the positive results of the document's conformity review and look forward to continued engagement with the NIRB, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, communities, various levels of government and other stakeholders as we move through the final stages of the environmental assessment process."
Copies of the FEIS will be provided to relevant regulatory authorities, aboriginal groups, communities and other interested parties over the coming weeks. Reviewers may participate in the information request and technical review phases of the process culminating in final public hearings anticipated to be held in Q2 of 2016. Following this review process, NIRB will issue its recommendation to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada ("INAC") on whether or not the project should proceed. If the Project successfully passes through this stage, the Company could be in a positon to receive a project certificate during the second half of 2016. A project certificate from the Minister of INAC would be a major de-risking event for Back River and the Company.
The FEIS is a comprehensive document composed of 10 volumes representing the culmination of over six years of scientific studies and Inuit traditional knowledge contributions from community members of the West Kitikmeot Region. It has been prepared in concordance with the NIRB Guidelines for the Preparation of a FEIS for the Back River Gold Project as well as the Pre-Hearing Conference Report on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The Back River FEIS presents scientific and community based knowledge that determined key aspects of the natural and socio-economic environments in the region. Project interactions were identified; residual effects assessed and proposed mitigation and monitoring plans developed for the construction, operation and closure of the Project.