New partnership aims to streamline mine closure in Canada

Triton Environmental (Triton), 360 Engineering and Environmental Consulting (360 EEC), and NewFields Canada announced a strategic alliance to deliver regulatory-ready, community-trusted mine closure plans to mine owners across Canada.

NewFields Canada operates as an independent consulting firm that provides engineering consulting, design, and construction services to the global mining and oil and gas industries.

Unlike the standard closure-plan offerings from many large consultancies, the three firms combine environmental insight, engineering certainty, geochemical analysis, and social engagement to help mine owners develop sustainable closure plans with the specialized experience of niche firms.

Leon Botham, president of NewFields Canada, said: “With the addition of geochemical management to a mine closure plan, progressive mining firms have access to essential data to model and design long term mine waste and water management solutions far beyond the life of the mine. This long term approach to sustainability is precisely why we built a team of geochemists from around the world, with decades of experience in mine closure planning.”

Nelson Debogorski, Director of Mining at 360 EEC, and Roald Strand, Geochemistry Technical Lead at NewFields Canada, inspired the alliance while discussing ways to improve mine waste stability and water quality management through geochemical analysis in closure plans. Facing a shortage of senior geochemistry leaders at large firms, Strand and Debogorski invited Ian Emerson of Triton to form an alliance that lets mining companies plan closures with a single integrated team.

Ian Emerson, director of strategic accounts at Triton, stated: “The intention is to help mining firms in Canada easily integrate geochemistry analysis into their existing programs to build stronger closure plans, that make sense for indigenous communities, stakeholder communities, economies, and the environment.”

Nelson Debogorski of 360 EEC added: “Our alliance provides a strong alternative to large consulting firms in the mining sector, combining the scale and depth of established experience with the agility and focus of specialized consultancies, under one contract.”

Under the new alliance, each firm will continue to operate independently while making it possible to work as a single team to manage mine closure planning—from indigenous and community engagement to revegetation—with greater confidence in mine waste and water quality management.