The role of mining in community sustainability in Newfoundland and policy implications: a case study of Baie Verte

Uthman, Rashidatu Mohammed (2020) The role of mining in community sustainability in Newfoundland and policy implications: a case study of Baie Verte. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The island of Newfoundland is very important to the Canadian mining industry. It houses some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s (NL) major mining operations and exploration activities. Commercial mining, which began in 1864 on the island, has historically impacted the sustainability of communities. Using a mixed methods case study approach, the study first employed a three capitals sustainability assessment model, the ‘Telos framework’, to assess the current state of community sustainability in the Town of Baie Verte. The study then examined the impacts of mining on the assessed state of sustainability in Baie Verte and explored the role of government and corporate policies in these impacts. The study findings indicate that the Town of Baie Verte has had two mining eras (the old era from1960s-1996, and the new era from 2010-present). The mining operations in the old era, on the one hand, made significant contributions to the economic and socio-cultural capital of Baie Verte, but were environmentally destructive with adverse impacts on health and safety. The mining operations in the new or current era, on the other hand, seem to have good environmental performance so far, but have made fewer contributions to the economic and socio-cultural capitals of Baie Verte compared to the previous era. In terms of the role of policy, overall, both government and corporate policies seem to have played more of an environmental role than an economic or socio-cultural role in enhancing the sustainability of mining communities in NL; but in the case of Baie Verte, corporate policies have made significant socio-economic contributions as well. Two recently launched federal and NL provincial government sustainable mining policy initiatives, namely the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) and Mining the Future 2030, a Plan for Growth in the NL Mining Industry, have the potential to supplement other existing policies and plans and to enhance the overall sustainability of mining communities in NL, including Baie Verte. In order to achieve this, collaboration will be needed between stakeholders in government, industry, and local communities for implementing these plans.

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