New gold mine near Goldboro passes next hurdle

A mining company is one step closer to developing Nova Scotia's next gold mine.

NexGold wants to develop an open-pit gold mine near Goldboro, N.S. 

The provincial government announced Wednesday it has granted Goldboro Gold Mining Inc., a subsidiary of NexGold, a Crown land lease for 779 hectares.

"Gold is a strategic mineral with great potential to attract investors and be an economic driver for Nova Scotia," said Tory Rushton, minister of natural resources, in a news release.

The company has already received environmental approval for the project, as well as mineral exploration and extraction licences. It has also signed community benefits agreements with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs and the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. 

It is still awaiting an industrial approval for the project.

Kevin Bullock, the president and CEO of NexGold, said in a news release he is pleased with the development. 

"This is a significant project milestone, and a reflection of NexGold's positive working relationship with the government of Nova Scotia," he said.

The company expects the mine to last for 15 years, including 11 years of operation, and to create 735 jobs over its lifespan.

NexGold was previously known as Signal Gold, and before that Anaconda.

The Goldboro area was extensively mined as far back as the late 1800s. At the time Anaconda pitched the mine in 2018, public and government feedback showed that some people were concerned new mining activities could disturb historical contaminants that persist there to this day.

The Nova Scotia government recently created a list of strategic minerals that it will prioritize for development. Those include gold, gypsum, aggregate and potash.

Nova Scotia's other gold mine, the Touquoy mine near Moose River, N.S., opened in 2017 and wrapped up active mining in January 2023. That site is now in the reclamation process.