Sisson mine public consultation nears end

New Brunswickers have one more week to submit comments or concerns on the proposed open-pit Sisson mine as part of the province's environmental review of the project.

The public consultation period began in April after Northcliff Resources submitted an environmental impact assessment on the project.

The tungsten and molybdenum mine would be built on 12.5 square kilometresof Crown land near Napadogan, north of Fredericton.

About 300 people packed the Stanley High School gymnasium last month for the province's public consultation meeting. It was chaired by an independent review panel, which will make recommendations to the government on the project in the fall.

Dozens of speakers made their case both for and against the mine.

Industry groups supported the mine because of the jobs associated with the project, while environmental groups, First Nations and private citizens expressed concerns about the possible impact of the mine on the environment.

Several First Nations representatives also spoke about howthe mine would destroy land onMaliseet territory.

The project is expected to create about 500 jobs during constructionand 300 jobs during the mine's 27-year lifespan.

Some residents at the public consultation meeting raised concerns that not enough people knew about the meeting and another one should be held as part of the public consultation period.

Theresa Gorman lives in Stanley and said she didn't recognize many people at the public meeting.

"There seems to be a crowd here... but there's a lot of people that must be out of the area. I've been here for a long time and I haven't seen a great lot from the community here," Gorman said.

Comments about the proposed Sisson mine or Northcliff Resource'sEIA report can be sent to the Department of Environment and Local Government.

A federal environmental review of the Sisson mine is also underway. It's expected to be released later this year.