NAMUR INFORMATION SESSION – SEPTEMBER 2024
On September 23rd, 2024, Lomiko participated in an information session organized by the municipal council of Namur, QC. The following presentation was given to those in attendance:
Lomiko is engaging in smaller focused meetings with local citizens as the La Loutre graphite project is in the earlier stages of development. With only the PEA completed, we still do not have all the answers to many of the key concerns of the local citizens. All current knowledge is based on the PEA. Lomiko will be looking to address all questions related to environmental site management with the ongoing PFS study and further environmental studies, which aim to minimize impacts from the project development.
A number of key concerns were brought up by the Namur citizens in attendance. Most of these concerns have been previously addressed in the FAQ section of this website: https://lomiko.com/la-loutre-community-updates/frequently-asked-questions/
Site-wide water management:
Conceptualized in the PEA, the site-wide water management at the proposed La Loutre graphite mine by Lomiko is expected to incorporate several measures to manage surface and groundwater, minimizing the environmental impact.
Surface Water Management:
Retention Basins: Water collected from precipitation and site runoff will be directed into retention basins. These basins will store water temporarily, allowing sediment to settle and preventing pollutants from entering nearby streams or rivers.
Recycling Water: The process water will be treated and recycled within the mining operations, reducing the amount of water withdrawn from natural sources. Only water that meets regulatory standards will be discharged into the environment.
Erosion Control: Measures such as berms, drainage channels, and vegetative buffers will be put in place to manage surface runoff and prevent erosion.
Groundwater Management:
Monitoring Wells: Hydrogeological wells will be installed around the site to regularly monitor groundwater quality. This will ensure that mining activities do not contaminate local aquifers.
Closed-loop Systems: The mine’s water management is expected to include a closed-loop system to minimize groundwater usage and reduce contamination risks. Water used in the processing of graphite will be treated and reused, reducing discharge into the environment.
These strategies aim to meet both provincial and federal water quality regulations while mitigating environmental impacts, aligning with Lomiko’s goal of minimizing water use in its operations. The comprehensive water management plan is designed to maintain the integrity of local water bodies, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project.
For more specific details on the plans, including sections 18.7 and 20.1 of the Preliminary Economic Assessment, Lomiko’s 2021 report can be accessed here.
Waste rock storage and backfilling:
According to the PEA, approximately 40.1 Mm3 of mine waste will be stored within the waste disposal facility (WDF), including 15.1 Mm3 of filtered tailings and 9.7 Mm3 of waste rock in the co-disposal storage facility (CDSF), and 15.3 Mm3 of waste rock in the waste rock facility (WRF). The overall surface area of the originally conceptualized waste storage area is 0.81km2.
Progressive Backfilling: Waste rock from the early phases of the mining operation will be used to backfill mined-out sections of the open pit or other designated areas. This reduces the need for permanent above-ground storage, minimizing long-term environmental disturbance.
Pit Reclamation: After the active life of the pit, Lomiko plans to utilize remaining waste rock to backfill the pit as part of the reclamation process. This approach aids in restoring the landscape to a more natural state, reducing the environmental footprint of the mine post-closure.
DUHAMEL INFORMATION SESSION – JULY 2024
In July 2024, Lomiko participated in the first of three information sessions on the La Loutre project in Duhamel, QC. Click on the link below to view the presentation that was shown during this session.
PRESENTATION TO THE COMMUNITY – OCTOBER 2023
In October 2023, Lomiko visited the La Loutre region and met with elected officials of MRC Papineau. Click on the link below to view the presentation that was shown during the community meetings.
Click the link below to see what was discussed during the municipal council meeting in Duhamel on October 23rd, 2023.
PROJECT UPDATE – APRIL 2023
- The exploration program resulted in increased Indicated resources due to the infill-drill program – the existing resource base increased as graphite was discovered in the marbles.
- We have better defined the quality and geometry of the deposit with additional mineral zones interpreted – this is a geological model and not a mine plan
- The mineral resources can not be considered mineral reserves until further engineering studies are completed
- Pre-feasibility level studies will better define the project footprint and infrastructure layouts and community input would be solicited
- In 2023 Lomiko will continue work on the engineering studies and aims to finish the pre-feasibility study in 2023, pending financing
- Lomiko will solicit input from local communities and Kitigan Zibi First Nation on the project layout and reclamation plans.
PRESENTATION TO THE COMMUNITY – MAY 2022
In May 2022, Lomiko visited the La Loutre region and met with the community officials of MRC Papineau. Click on the link below to read the presentation that was shown and find out more about who we are, the need for graphite, and our plans for La Loutre in the coming months.
We are pleased to have hosted a networking reception at Faskens October 3rd, 2022
Voices at the Table:
Climate change, Critical minerals & First Nations & Indigenous Women in 2022. Our friends in Montreal could meet our team and hear our vision. Lee Arden Lewis and Anne Chabot First Nations, Indigenous advisors presented as well as artist Kirk Brant who created this unique original art work to express a collective vision: Voices at the Table.
Artist Statement
Voices at Table, Kirk Brant, 2022
In creating this piece for Voices At the Table I was very mindful of what is most important when approaching the land as a sustainable resource.
For Indigenous People we view the land as our Mother, she nourishes every part of our physical and spiritual lives. When we approach the land for harvesting purposes we have to do so as respectfully as possible to maintain the balance of taking and giving, a balance that has sustained us for as long as we have been on our Mother Earth.
When we speak of the land we not only acknowledge the land itself but we also acknowledge the water, the sky above and all of our fellow creatures that inhabit every corner of our Earth.
In the painting it was important to illustrate the relationship we have with the sky above the land and water. As with any extractive process considerations must be made to maintain the health of all these environments.
Traditional knowledge has always been passed down from our Elders, women have always been our special connection to the Earth itself. As life givers they are symbolic of the relationship we have to the Earth as a Mother to us all.
We see two Elders in conversation relaying the importance of the relationship we have to the land, the sky and the water.
The Moon is illustrated as it is seen as a Grandmother to the Earth and all of us, symbolic of the relationship to life that extends beyond the Earth and into the Sky World from where the First People came.
Above the water we see this symbolically represented by a skydome with a celestial tree that extends into the cosmos. A traditional Haudenosaunee world view.
I see this painting as a conversation about our relationship to our Mother Earth acknowledging the traditional wisdom we learn from our knowledge keepers and Elders.