Province cancels plan to move radioactive waste into tailings area in northern Ont.

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Officials in the Township of Nairn and Hyman and the Township of Baldwin say that the Ministry of Energy and Mines has cancelled a plan to put niobium rock tailings from the former Beaucage Mine into the Agnew Lake Tailings Management Area.

The province now says it will proceed “with an alternative remediation plan that uses clean materials to repair and mitigate the Agnew Lake site,” the community said in a news release.

“The ALTMA site will now move into a remediation phase that includes cover repairs with clean rockfill, dam safety reviews, engineering design work, and additional monitoring and maintenance measures … Preparations are already underway, with major remediation work scheduled to begin in summer 2026.”

The niobium tailings from the Nipissing First Nation lands will now be moved to the Clean Harbors site near Sarnia, “ensuring that the material is managed in a secure and regulated environment,” the release said.

“I am personally thrilled with this announcement and on behalf of the community I would like to thank the provincial government for listening to our grave concerns,” Mayor Amy Mazey of Nairn and Hyman said in the release.

“This has been a difficult time in our area, but we have put in the effort, supported our stand with science and pulled together as a community. The two ministries heard our concerns and have chosen the safest path forward for everyone involved – the process worked.”

Residents in Nairn and Hyman and Baldwin have been vocal in their opposition to the plan, and have received support from surrounding municipalities and the United Chiefs and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising.

“The two councils also wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the ministries and their staff, noting that this decision reflects a willingness to listen and respond to community concerns in a way that prioritizes public health, environmental protection, and long-term site safety,” the release said.

CAO Belinda Ketchabaw said the decision will help protect the community’s drinking water.

Confirmed change in a letter

“It shows what can be accomplished when communities stand together and raise their voices,” Ketchabaw said in the release.

The province confirmed the change in an Aug. 11 letter from Marc J. Stewart, a senior manager with the Abandoned Mines Program, Mine Rehabilitation Section.

“The required cover repair will now be completed using conventional clean pit run rockfill, rather than the original proposal to use the niobium rock tailings,” Stewart wrote.

“Preliminary work is already underway to implement this approach for the required cover repair.”

He said a dam safety review is scheduled for fall 2025, and the findings “will inform the final engineering designs.”