Notice of Public Hearing for the Marathon Palladium Project

Press Release

OTTAWA, December 7, 2021 – The Joint Review Panel (the Panel) established to review the proposed Marathon Palladium Project (the Project) and conduct an assessment of the environmental effects of the Project has determined that the information provided to date is sufficient to proceed to a public hearing. The public hearing will begin on February 15, 2022 and is anticipated to take place over 30 days. Additional details and a hearing schedule will be announced at a later date.

Members of the public, Indigenous groups, governments and other organisations are invited to participate in this next stage of the process. See below for information on how to participate in the hearing.

The Panel will prioritize the safety of all hearing participants and will hold the public hearing sessions virtually by video.

The Public Hearing

All hearing sessions are open to members of the public wishing to observe the proceedings. The public hearing will provide Indigenous groups, interested parties, government authorities, and the proponent with an opportunity to present. The Panel will hold three types of public hearing sessions:

• General hearing sessions will provide an opportunity for participants, the proponent, and the public to present their views on the project and its potential environmental effects.
• Topic-Specific hearing sessions will allow experts to present information relevant to the environmental assessment of the project. Note that for the purposes of the hearing, an expert is a person who provides information to the Panel on scientific, technical, social science or traditional knowledge matters.
• Community hearing sessions will be held to allow Indigenous communities to express to the Panel their views and present information and issues of importance to them.

Closing Remarks will follow these sessions to allow participants to summarize their conclusions to the Panel.

How to participate

The Panel will conduct the hearing in accordance with the Public Hearing Procedures, issued on December 7, 2021, which describe how the sessions will unfold and how the public may participate.

The Panel invites those wishing to participate in the public hearing to register with the Panel Secretariat at marathonminereview-examenminemarathon@iaac-aeic.gc.ca, no later than January 16, 2022. Early registration will assist in planning the public hearing sessions.

When registering, Participants must indicate the following:

• Whether they wish to register for the Community, General, or Topic-Specific hearing sessions;
• If they are registering as an individual or a group;
• The name and contact information of the main contact;
• A synopsis of the information they intend to present;
• Whether they have a need for a translator and for which language; and,
• Whether they intend to be represented by legal counsel.

For more information, please contact:

Jason Patchell
Co-Panel Manager, Marathon Palladium Project
c/o Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor, Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
marathonminereview-examenminemarathon@iaac-aeic.gc.ca

Media Contact:

Shelley Rolland-Poruks
Joint Review Panel Communications Advisor, Marathon Palladium Project
Tel.: 613-404-7259
Shelley.Rolland-Poruks@iaac.aeic.gc.ca

The Proposed Project and the Joint Process for the Review

GenPGM is proposing to construct, operate and decommission an open pit platinum group metals and copper mine approximately 10 km from Marathon, Ontario. The proposed project would include three open pits, an ore processing plant, tailings and mine rock storage facilities, site access roads, a transmission line, explosives factory and magazines, water management facilities, ancillary mine infrastructure and associated activities. The rate of production would be approximately 25,200 tonnes of ore per day with a proposed operating mine life of approximately 12.7 years.

The Joint Review Panel Agreement (Document #730) between the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks describes the Joint Review Panel’s process and mandate.

Where can I find more information about the Project, the Environmental Impact Assessment, and the hearing?

All documents are available on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (Registry reference number 54755). To be added to the distribution list and be kept informed of activities relating to the panel review process, provide contact information to marathonminereview-examenminemarathon@iaac-aeic.gc.ca.

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