Co-disposal of mine waste (waste rock and mill tailings) will be in a Tailings Management Facility (TMF) to ensure geotechnically sound and environmentally responsible storage.

The Casino team is committed to meeting and exceeding strict industry standard best practices around management of its waste and water including those set by the Canadian Dam Association (CDA). Over and above the CDA standards, Casino is a member of the Mining Association of Canada, and will adhere to the Towards Sustainable Mining performance indicators to meet the highest level of accountability, transparency, and credibility standards.

Casino has also reviewed the recently released Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management and either currently, or will commit to during operations, comply with it’s standards.

As a result of the proposed Casino Project’s referral to a Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) Panel Review in 2016, the Casino team also conducted a Best Available Tailings Technology (BATT) Study from 2016 to 2018.

Casino established a TMF Technical Working Group made up of Yukon First Nation governments, territorial and federal agencies and regulators, geotechnical experts and Casino team members to receive a broad range of input on the proposed design and operation the TMF.

Over an 18-month period, Casino worked with Yukon First Nations, YESAB and the Yukon Government to review the tailings and waste disposal plan for the Project. This process included input from Casino’s Independent Engineering Review Panel (IERP), which provided independent expert review, guidance and recommendations. This collaborative process reviewed 11 different waste disposal locations and five different waste disposal technologies.

During the BATT Study, the participants considered the environmental, technical, economic, social and failure impacts of the possible options for the disposal of tailings and mine waste and selected the option considered to be the Best Available Technology for the Casino Project.

The location and footprint of the proposed Casino Project’s TMF are similar to those initially proposed in 2014. However, the BATT Study identified and evaluated a number of design enhancements that will result in a more robust facility with reduced construction, operational, and closure risks and less potential for environmental impacts.