De Beers Group has announced that it is the recipient of the 2022 Tom Peters Memorial Mine Reclamation Award for its reclamation work on the Victor Mine since its closure in 2019, according to a press release.
The award, presented by the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA), recognizes De Beers’ efforts to “return the site to a natural state that is safe for people and animals.” Moses Madondo, Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations, commented: “We are grateful for this award because it recognizes the long history of work and collaboration with Indigenous communities and regulators to develop a closure and reclamation plan that enables the responsible closure of Ontario’s first and only diamond mine.”
The Victor Mine, which is located in the James Bay lowlands in Northern Ontario, operated between 2008-2019. By the end of 2023, Victor Mine is expected to be the first diamond mine in Canada to complete active closure, and “long-term monitoring will continue until at least 2039.”
