THE MINE OF THE FUTURE

At the Matawinie Mine, located 120 km north of Montréal, we are developing our flagship graphite property.  

  • Mine and concentrator to produce approximately 103,000 tpa of graphite concentrate 

  • Responsible, all-electric mining

  • 25-year mine life

  • Access to key infrastructure, including hydroelectricity and road network 

  • Design prioritizing environmental and social considerations

  • Extensive flake graphite mineralization generating 97% pure concentrate

Following a rigorous environmental review, the Québec government issued a ministerial decree authorizing the Matawinie mining project. Our plans incorporate sustainable development measures such as an integrated water management system, co-disposal of mine tailings, progressive site restoration and biodiversity protection, all of which have been acclaimed by government environmental experts. 

From mine development and eco-engineering to metallurgy and project management, NMG has assembled an experienced team to steer the construction and operation of the Matawinie Mine with respect for the environment and our community. 

DEVELOPMENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY

In accordance with our COLLABORATIVE AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH, NMG has launched numerous initiatives since the discovery of the Matawinie deposit to align the development of the Matawinie Mine with the realities, concerns, and values of the local community and the Atikamekw First Nation. 

  • More than 100 outreach activities to establish an open and constructive dialogue with local organizations, residents, cottage owners, and members of First Nations.

  • Creation of a monitoring committee to build trust with stakeholders throughout the mine development process and integrate their concerns and expectations into the project design.

  • Consultations as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement review to analyze residents’ perspectives and identify mitigation or improvement measures.

  • Framework and pre-development agreement with the Atikamekw First Nation with a view to signing an Impact and Benefit Agreement.

  • Collaboration and benefit-sharing agreement with the municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints.

  • Ongoing dialogue with the community via our open-door office in the heart of the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, our Community Relations Manager, and our Indigenous Relations Manager.

  • Voluntary and proactive acquisition program for landowners within a 1-km radius of the mine site. To date, agreements have been reached with all interested parties.

  • Operating hours adapted to the tourism context and optimized site layout.
  • Participation in structuring initiatives, community campaigns, and regional activities in collaboration with local partners.
Photo of a team member shaking hands with the mayor
Des étudiantes de l'école secondaire prennent la pose avec un intervenant du domaine minier.

BEYOND THE MINE

We aspire to CREATE VALUE in our communities. That’s why we support local socio-economic development, encourage social dialogue, and collaborate with other organizations to exchange ideas and services. 

NMG has imagined a land integration plan to enhance the area around the mining site and enhance the region’s tourism and educational offering. Plans include 35 kilometers of multi-use trails, a graphite interpretation center with industrial tours, a mine site observation point, a cultural café, and the development of spaces near the project. We have created a non-profit organization, Espace nature Haute-Matawinie, to roll out this structuring project. 

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NMG has pledged to contribute 1% of its net after-tax cash flow from the Matawinie Mine to the COMMUNITY FUND FOR THE FUTURE, which will serve as a catalyst for structuring projects with a social, economic, and environmental scope in Haute-Matawinie. The fund, which will be administered by a fiduciary organization, will promote economic sustainability and community vitality beyond the mine’s operating life. 

An executive is giving a handshake to a young sponsored man.

Through our DONATION AND SPONSORSHIP program, we support the socio-economic development and well-being of our communities, as well as initiatives aligned with our corporate values and sustainable development objectives.  

BUILDING THE FUTURE: COMMERCIAL PHASE 2

Our Phase–1 operations have enabled us to optimize our processes, qualify our products with battery and electric vehicle manufacturers, train our employees, and advance the detailed engineering of our Phase–2 commercial facilities. 

START OF WORKS

Preparatory work on the industrial platform, access road and environmental infrastructure began in 2021. 

  • A nearly 8-km access road now links the mining site directly to Highway 131. The access road was rerouted away from residential zones in response to concerns expressed during community consultations and BAPE sessions.
  • The work is being carried out in accordance with social and natural environmental protection measures, respecting the parameters defined in the government decree and permits.
  • Detailed engineering, procurement activities, construction planning, and electrification development are progressing in parallel.
Information Mine Matawinie

ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEILLANCE & MONITORING 

In order to protect the environment and the well-being of the community, NMG has developed an environmental surveillance and monitoring to oversee the construction, operation, and closure activities of the Matawinie Mine. 

We follow-up on and disclose our environmental commitments and conditions via a summary document updated twice a year, in accordance with the analysis and authorization procedure of the Quebec Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change. 

STAGE 1 : COMPLETED 

Access road construction, civil works for site preparation 

STAGE 2 

Clearing and preparation of water management infrastructure 

STAGE 3 

Construction of industrial infrastructure 

STAGE 4 

Installation of the water treatment plant (commercial phase) and construction of the industrial buildings 

STAGE 5 

Construction of mining infrastructure; electrical and mechanical works for industrial buildings 

FINAL STAGE 

Facilities commissioning 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We have identified and analyzed the environmental and social impacts of the mining project’s construction and operation as per the environment impact assessment procedure of the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP). These impacts mainly pertain to:

  • Noise levels
  • Quality of life and health and safety of the public
  • Protection of plant and animal wildlife
  • Water quality
  • Relations with the Atikamekw First Nation, the local community, and stakeholders

All negative impacts are controlled and restricted to within a 1-km radius of the mine site. Following an analysis of all project components, the Québec government issued a ministerial decree defining the necessary conditions for the development of the mining project (Decree 47-2021).

One condition of this decree is the implementation of a surveillance and monitoring program. To disclose the actions that it has taken, NMG provides its monitoring committee with a commitments tracking table, which it also posts on its website.

As per Directive 019, as well as Decree 47-2021 of the Matawinie mining project, we have set up an environmental program to monitor groundwater and surface water as part of the Matawinie mine operations. This program has been submitted to the MELCCFP and must be approved before the start of the mine’s activities.

The monitoring program has been established by hydrogeology experts to accurately track changes in water quality and water levels during the different phases of the mine’s development.

To monitor groundwater, a network of observation wells has been installed upgradient and downgradient from our mining facilities and infrastructure. These wells are sampled at least twice a year in both high and low groundwater conditions.

The surface water of the lakes and waterways surrounding the site and in various target sectors is monitored to validate baseline conditions and determine any changes in quality.

Samples are taken in accordance with the MELCCFP’s protocol and sent to accredited independent laboratories that provide water testing services, as per prevailing regulations. All of the results are compiled and interpreted by external hydrogeologists in accordance with the Québec government’s technical guidelines to monitor groundwater quality.

Although the regulations do not require this, we do have a wetland monitoring protocol in place for the Matawinie mine. Nearby wetlands that may experience groundwater discharge from the mine site operations are sampled to determine random fluctuations and will be monitored periodically during the mine’s construction and operation. Prior to the mine’s operations, a complete baseline survey of these wetlands will also be carried out that includes a characterization of these areas and a measurement of different parameters.

Decree 47-2021 authorizing the Matawinie mine stipulates the required noise limits and includes a number of requirements for monitoring noise levels during the operating phase, which include:

  • Maximum of 45 dBA during the day and 40 dBA at night (LAr, 1 hr).
  • Implementation of a monitoring program to:
    • Evaluate how the phases deemed critical for the mine-site construction contribute to noise levels at the most critical receptor points.
    • Propose mitigation measures to reduce the noise impact of work in sensitive areas, if noise levels risk being exceeded.
    • Establish the noise monitoring plan to be implemented during the site construction.
  • Monitoring of noise levels throughout the mine’s operations:
    • A permanent station is currently set up in the south sector of the Domaine Lagrange.

Publication of annual sound monitoring summaries on the NMG website.

A system is in place to follow MELCCFP guidelines, which define the peak particle velocity permitted around sensitive buildings or artesian wells depending on the excitation frequency.

For the Matawinie mine, the criteria that must be met are as follows:

  • The maximum allowable velocity (peak particle velocity) of ground vibrations from blasting operations recorded at the point of impact must be less than 12.7 mm/s.
  • The maximum air pressure threshold for any dwelling is 128 linear decibels.
  • No blasting may be conducted between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
  • An adequate blasting mat must be used when blasting is done within 500 m of a dwelling.
  • The maximum vibration level at the nearest Hydro-Québec 735-kV line towers must not exceed 25 mm/s.

NMG has installed a permanent seismograph to measure vibration levels and air overpressure at the Domaine Lagrange residence closest to the mine site.

Our air quality monitoring program aims to ensure compliance with air quality standards and criteria. Two sampling stations will be used for this monitoring: one to the south of Domaine Lagrange and the other in the sector of the reception pavilion for the recreation and tourism facilities included in the territory integration plan.

Sampling stations will be set up according to Environment Canada’s National Air Pollution Surveillance Network Quality Assurance and Quality Control (2014), and the stations will be positioned according to the spacing criteria defined by the National Air Pollution Surveillance Program.

NMG currently employs about one hundred people at its Phase 1 facilities. The operation of the Matawinie mine should require about 150 jobs, which will fluctuate depending on the project’s phases and needs.

During the construction period, the labour demand curve will fluctuate from 50 to 450 workers at peak periods. Our housing strategy is being developed to limit the impact on the housing inventory in the region and on the community. We will prioritize hiring local people and using existing accommodations for our housing needs.

NMG and the snowmobile club have worked together to relocate the trail to separate snowmobile traffic and keep everyone safe. The figure below shows the location of the trail that snowmobilers must use before the new trail is set up.

Matawinie snowmobile trail map

NMG has cleared trees and done preparatory work in the section of the new snowmobile trail that runs through the NMG site.

We developed our tailings management approach to avoid using tailings dams and to reduce the environmental footprint of our infrastructure. The design includes a desulphurization process to separate potentially acid-generating (“PAG”) tailings from non-acid-generating (“NAG”) tailings through dry stacking and the co-disposal of tailings to prevent acid mine drainage. Our approach is aligned with the best practices of the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management and the International Network for Acid Prevention, among other bodies and standards.

QUESTION? CONCERN?

NMG wants to ensure a harmonious cohabitation with the community and our stakeholders. We recognize that our activities can generate impacts, both negative and positive, and propose concrete tools to ensure a feedback mechanism with stakeholders. 

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Since 2017, a MONITORING COMMITTEE, composed of local citizens, members of First Nations, business representatives and local organizations, has been assisting NMG in the development of the Matawinie project. It ensures that the implementation of the project respects the milieu, minimizes environmental impacts, and integrates the concerns and expectations of the community. 

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Isabelle Levasseur

Manager Community Relations

+1 450 757-8905 #220

Kelly LeBlanc

Manager Indigenous Relations

+1 450 757-8905 #280

HELP US BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

NMG is committed to maximizing the local and regional benefits associated with the development of our projects, through training, employment, and business opportunities, particularly as set out in our pre-development agreement with the Atikamekw First Nation and the collaboration and benefit sharing agreement with the municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints. 

To this end, procurement is managed through a centralized process that strives to ensure compliance with NMG’s environmental, quality, and health and safety programs. 

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