JOYCE LAKE DIRECT SHIPPING IRON ORE PROJECT: Environmental Impact Statement
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Joyce Lake Direct Shipping Iron Ore Project Stassinu Stantec Limited Partnership Chapter 18: 141 Kelsey Drive St. John’s, NL A1B 0L2 Tel: (709) 576-1458 Historic and Cultural Fax: (709) 576-2126 Resources File No. 121416571 Date: May 2021 JOYCE LAKE DIRECT SHIPPING IRON ORE PROJECT: Environmental Impact Statement TABLE OF CONTENTS 18.0 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................................. 18-1 18.1 VC DEFINITION AND RATIONALE FOR SELECTION ............................................. 18-1 18.1.1 Archaeological and Cultural Resources ..................................................... 18-1 18.1.2 Approach to Assessment of Effects ........................................................... 18-3 18.2 SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT ............................................................................... 18-3 18.2.1 Regulatory Setting ..................................................................................... 18-3 18.2.2 Influence of Consultation and Engagement on the Assessment ................ 18-4 18.2.3 Temporal and Spatial Boundaries ............................................................. 18-4 18.2.4 Selection of Environmental Effects and Measurable Parameters .............. 18-6 18.3 STANDARDS OR THRESHOLDS FOR DETERMINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS .......................................................... 18-8 18.4 POTENTIAL PROJECT-VC INTERACTIONS .......................................................... 18-10 18.4.1 Interactions Rated as 0 ........................................................................... 18-11 18.4.2 Interactions Rated as 1 ........................................................................... 18-12 18.4.3 Interactions Rated as 2 ........................................................................... 18-12 18.5 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................... 18-12 18.5.1 Information Sources ................................................................................ 18-12 18.5.2 Method for Characterization of Baseline Conditions ................................ 18-13 18.5.3 Baseline Conditions ................................................................................ 18-16 18.6 ASSESSMENT OF PROJECT-RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ............... 18-29 18.6.1 Construction ............................................................................................ 18-29 18.6.2 Operation and Maintenance .................................................................... 18-30 18.6.3 Closure and Decommissioning ................................................................ 18-30 18.6.4 Mitigation of Project Environmental Effects ............................................. 18-30 18.6.5 Characterization of Residual Project Environmental Effects .................... 18-31 18.6.6 Summary of Project Residual Effects ...................................................... 18-31 18.7 ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS .......................... 18-31 18.8 ACCIDENTS AND MALFUNCTIONS ...................................................................... 18-35 18.8.1 Train Derailment...................................................................................... 18-35 18.8.2 Forest Fire ............................................................................................... 18-37 18.8.3 Settling/Sedimentation Pond Overflow .................................................... 18-37 18.8.4 Summary of Residual Effects Resulting from Accidents and Malfunctions ............................................................................................ 18-38 18.9 DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANCE OF RESIDUAL ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT ................................................................................... 18-38 18.9.1 Project Residual Environmental Effects ................................................... 18-38 18.9.2 Cumulative Environmental Effects ........................................................... 18-41 18.9.3 Accidents and Malfunctions ..................................................................... 18-41 18.10 FOLLOW-UP AND MONITORING ........................................................................... 18-41 18.11 SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 18-42 18.12 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 18-42 18.12.1 Personal Communications ...................................................................... 18-42 18.12.2 Literature Cited ....................................................................................... 18-42 121416571 i May 2021 JOYCE LAKE DIRECT SHIPPING IRON ORE PROJECT: Environmental Impact Statement List of Tables Table 18.1 Issues Raised by Indigenous Groups and Stakeholders ................................ 18-4 Table 18.2 Measurable Parameters for Archaeological and Cultural Resources .............. 18-6 Table 18.3 Potential Project Environmental Effects to Archaeological and Cultural Resources.................................................................................................... 18-10 Table 18.4 Summary of Residual Environmental Effects: Archaeological and Cultural Resources.................................................................................................... 18-32 Table 18.5 Potential Cumulative Environmental Effects ................................................. 18-34 Table 18.6 Summary of Residual Environmental Effects – Accidents and Malfunctions . 18-39 List of Figures Figure 18.1 Historic and Cultural Resources: Local Study Area ........................................ 18-5 Figure 18.2 Historic and Cultural Resources: Regional Study Area .................................. 18-7 Figure 18.3 Archaeological Potential Mapping of the Revised Project Footprint – December 2014 ........................................................................................... 18-17 Figure 18.4 Cultural Traditions of Labrador ..................................................................... 18-18 Figure 18.5 Previous Archaeological Research in the RSA ............................................. 18-21 Figure 18.6 Cultural/Spiritual Sites in the RSA ................................................................ 18-25 Figure 18.7 Ground Survey/Testing Locations ................................................................ 18-26 Figure 18.8 Archaeological and Contemporary Sites ...................................................... 18-27 121416571 ii May 2021 JOYCE LAKE DIRECT SHIPPING IRON ORE PROJECT: Environmental Impact Statement 18.0 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES As detailed in chapter 1, Joyce Direct Iron Inc. succeeded Labec Century Iron Ore Inc. ("Labec Century") as the Project Proponent on February 18, 2021 following an internal reorganization. All references to Labec Century as the Project proponent may be interpreted as now referring to Joyce Direct Iron Inc. 18.1 VC Definition and rationale for Selection Historic and Cultural Resources include sites, materials, geological deposits and, in certain instances, landscape features of archaeological, historic, cultural/spiritual, paleontological or architectural importance. Such resources can date to the very distant past, or to the Pre-contact or Historic Periods. These resources are valued by Indigenous people and the public at large, for their cultural, spiritual, natural and/or scientific importance. In Newfoundland and Labrador, these resources are protected and managed under the Historic Resources Act (1985), administered through the Provincial Archaeology Office (PAO) of the NLDTCAR. Historic and Cultural Resources has been selected as a VC because these resources frequently comprise the only physical information on the lifeways of Indigenous people prior to the arrival of Europeans in North America. They can also help us understand the early history of a region and the interactions that occurred between different cultural groups, and the connections they had with their environment. Within the Historic Resources Act (1985), there are also provisions for the protection and management of paleontological and architectural resources. The three broad categories comprising Historic and Cultural Resources include: • Archaeological and Cultural Resources (such as the remains of campsites and objects - e.g., stone tools - pre-dating 1960, as well as Indigenous and non- Indigenous burial sites and other sacred places and landscape features); • Paleontological Resources (fossils); and • Architectural Resources (such as historic buildings and other heritage properties). 18.1.1 Archaeological and Cultural Resources All Archaeological Resources (defined as physical evidence of land use pre-dating 1960) discovered during field research or otherwise, are inventoried under the Borden System (the Canadian registry for archaeological remains) in accordance with the provincial Historic Resources Act (1985). In Newfoundland and Labrador, Cultural Resources can include Indigenous and non-Indigenous burial sites and other sacred/religious places and landscape features. Because there are both archaeological sites and cultural properties known for western 121416571 18-1 May 2021 JOYCE LAKE DIRECT SHIPPING IRON ORE PROJECT: Environmental Impact Statement Labrador, they are assessed further in this EIS under the combined heading Archaeological