Berm to buffer Timmins from open pit mine

Goldcorp's plans to begin construction of an open pit mine near downtown Timmins are being met with excitement and some apprehension.

The company announced this week that it now has the main environmental permits it needs to get the Hollinger project underway.

Noella Rinaldo will soon have a major construction project going on in her neighbourhood. But the city councillor for Schumacher which includes the Hollinger property said some people in the area have concerns about noise and dust from the site.

To address the issue, Goldcorp is building a 20-metre-high berm around it.

"We know there are going to be problems, but we're also confident that they're being good corporate citizens and that they will try to make things as painless as they can for us," Rinaldo said.

Brennain Lloyd is the project co-ordinator with the environmental group Northwatch.

She said she wants to see pollutants from the site monitored closely.

"Some of the impacts like dust and noise, and so on, are going to be of a greater concern because it really is right up against where people live," Lloyd said.

Goldcorp plans to put the mine into production in the second half of 2012, and it's expected to have life of8 to 10 years.

The company plans to rehabilitate the site once it's been mined out. It willfill in old tunnels and leave behind 250 acres of land.