The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council is contributing $650,000 to researchers who are examining contaminated mine sites.
A 17-member team including Professor Steve Siciliano with the University of Saskatchewan Department of Soil Science will collect and analyze soil samples at a number of locations across the country.
Siciliano says the information will be used to develop better standards, since cleaning up after mining operations can be a huge challenge for the companies involved.
“Sites have normally been impacted by a whole collection of different metals and so it makes it really difficult for them to try to restore these sites and a classic case you might see up near Flin Flon.” he adds “For the last five or six years we’ve been working with Hudson Bay Smelting near Flin Flon, working with them to develop new technologies that allow them to restore the boreal forest that has been impact by the smelter”.
Siciliano says team will collect soil samples and analyze the impact on soil microbes, insects and plants.
“Probably what is going to happen with the information from this project is that this project is going to be used by the government, basically Environment Canada as well as well as the mining companies to come up with, to take another look at the clean up standards they currently have, and see if those standards are overly protective or not protective enough”.
The project is expected to continue for three years.