Ms. Celine Legault of the CEAA reports

HOPES ADVANCE IRON MINING PROJECT - FEDERAL FUNDING AVAILABLE

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is making available funding to support the participation of the public and aboriginal groups in the federal environmental assessment of Oceanic Iron Ore Corp.'s Hopes Advance iron mining project located in Quebec.

Funding will be provided to eligible individuals and groups to enable their participation in upcoming steps of the environmental assessment such as consultation related to the environmental impact statement and consultation on the draft environmental assessment report.

Applications received by June 21, 2013, will be considered. Recipients and the amount of funding allocated will be announced at a later date.

To apply for funding or for more information on the project and the environmental assessment process, visit the agency's website (registry reference No. 80008) or contact the Participant Funding Program by e-mail or by calling 1-866-582-1884.

As part of the strengthened and modernized Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012 put in place to support the government's Responsible Resource Development Initiative, the agency is conducting a federal environmental assessment of this project.

This project is being assessed using a science-based approach. If the project is permitted to proceed to the next phase, it will continue to be subject to Canada's strong environmental laws, rigorous enforcement and follow-up, and increased fines.

The proposed project

Oceanic Iron Ore is proposing the construction, operation and decommissioning of an open iron ore mine near Aupaluk in Nunavik. The proponent estimates that the mine will generate from 10 million to 20 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate product per year over a planned operation period of 48 years with a daily average extraction rate of 72,000 tonnes to 144,000 tonnes. The ore would be concentrated by a process based on gravity separation. For the shipment of the iron ore to European and Asian markets, the proponent is proposing to construct a marine terminal consisting of a 330-metre loading wharf, a tug moorage area, a commercial wharf and a causeway. The concentrate would then be pumped to the marine terminal through a 26-kilometre-long pipeline for shipping. The proponent may opt for a 190-megawatt thermal generating station as an energy source for operations. Based on the proponent's tentative timelines, production would start in 2016.