Project summary

The rapid growth of the Cree population in Waskaganish has resulted in an urgent need for community expansion. Waskaganish has planned a number of infrastructure projects for the next few years, which will require a significant amount of gravel, sand and crushed stone. For decades, the community of Waskaganish has used a number of aggregate deposits along the access road, on Category I lands. However, these deposits are nearly exhausted. No other sources of aggregates have been identified on Category I lands. The proposed project involves the operation of a total of 5 borrow pits and 3 rock quarries located on Category II lands along the access road to the community. The operation of borrow pits involves excavating the materials using construction equipment designed for excavation. The materials are then stored directly onsite or transported offsite by truck. All necessary access roads to the borrow pits will be constructed using materials extracted from them. The quarrying method involves a single explosion, and then excavation of the blasted materials using construction equipment designed for excavation. The materials are then stored directly at the site or transported offsite by truck.

Details on location

The proposed project is located on Category II lands alongside the existing access road to the community of the James Bay First Nation of Waskaganish.