Balancing expectations and community views: a case study from Cobalt, Canada
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Authors: Getty, R; Korman, K; Poirier, F Open access courtesy of:
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DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2515_36
Cite As:
Getty, R, Korman, K & Poirier, F 2025, 'Balancing expectations and community views: a case study from Cobalt, Canada', in S Knutsson, AB Fourie & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2025: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2515_36
Abstract:
International good practice for closure demands that sites are made safe and stable, and are protective of human health and the environment, and that the views of local communities and stakeholders are incorporated. Closure risk management, for threats and opportunities, must be appropriate to the site context and characteristics, and stage of the mine life. However, closure risk management from a mining perspective can be at odds with local stakeholders’ views, especially if the community has a strong sense of place or a predefined post-mining vision. Proactive and ongoing engagement is necessary to understand these views and inform rehabilitation and closure activities. Social values can be complex; entwined in environmental values, history, local and regional context, experiences and economic characteristics which vary across the individuals, community, government and time. To achieve positive outcomes, engagement needs to be meaningful and responsive, and balance what is needed for risk management with community and stakeholder aspirations. This is a case study into the challenge of balancing different expectations. The Town of Cobalt in Ontario, Canada, was the location of a silver mining boom in the early 20th century, with the last mine closing in 1989. The silver mining boom was chaotic by today’s standards and left a legacy of more than 900 historical mining hazards and features entwined with the town and across the local area. Cobalt is passionate about its long mining history, and the Cobalt Historical Society and Cobalt Mining Museum aim to preserve and promote the mining heritage of the area. This paper describes the unique challenges involved with this rehabilitation project, the site-specific processes adopted to manage closure risk while balancing community views, the benefits of different types of engagement and the lessons learned that can be of benefit to closure planning more broadly.
Keywords: expectations, engagement, communities, risk management, legacy
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