2.3.4 Developing the Rehabilitation Plan

The rehabilitation plan ensures that the site will be restored when mining operations are over.

A rehabilitation plan usually includes:

• a description of the site, its location, its history, operations, the physical, biological and socioeconomic components of the ecosystem and the licensing procedure,
  
• a detailed description of mining activities,
  
• a description of site rehabilitation techniques,
  
• an emergency plan and a list of safety precautions,
  
• a description of environmental monitoring,
  
• a work schedule and a breakdown of costs.
  

To ensure that the funds required to carry out the rehabilitation plan will be available when needed, the prospector must provide a financial guarantee and sometimes a deposit of money vested in trust.

Beware! The deposit can amount to millions of dollars!

Aerial view of Val-d’Or. In blue: proposed site for an open-pit gold mine. In yellow: proposed bypass for Highway 117. Source

Aerial view of the proposed site after seven years. Source

Aerial view of the proposed site after 15 years Source

Aerial view of the proposed site after rehabilitation. Source