Public hearings opened in Fort McMurray yesterday for a massive, C$20.6-billion tar sands/oil sands mine proposed by Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd.
The hearings on the Frontier mine, before a joint review panel set by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the Alberta Energy Regulator, are expected to take five weeks.
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“Pending regulatory approval and the company’s final blessing, construction would start in 2019,” CBC reports. “Despite the gloomy outlook and a federal court ruling halting the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Teck Resources said Friday it will proceed with the development of the mine if it gets approval from the joint review panel,” with public affairs director Doug Brown stating that the project doesn’t depend on completion of any particular pipeline.
CBC says the 292-square-kilometre mine is expected to employ 7,000 during construction and 2,500 for operations.
