Mine Site Visits
Upcoming Trips
The organizing committee of the 2025 Symposium on the Environment and Mining is proud to offer participants mine site visits to complement their stay and discoveries.
Please read the descriptions of each visit carefully for details on the day’s itinerary and the equipment to bring.
All visits will be conducted in both French and English, according to the participants’ requests.
Glencore – Fonderie Horne
Discover behind the scenes of the Horne Smelter, a key industrial player in Rouyn-Noranda and Quebec. Dive into the heart of our facilities and closely observe the copper transformation process, from recycling to the finished product, including our tailings ponds.
You will be accompanied by our experts, who will guide you through our operations and the many initiatives implemented to reduce our environmental footprint and improve our facilities. An enriching visit that will give you a better understanding of this industry and its advancements.
An immersive and memorable experience that will enhance your visit to the 2025 Mines and Environment Symposium.
Glencore – Mine Matagami
Matagami Mine operated twelve zinc mines between 1963 and 2022, including Bell-Allard, Perseverance and Bracemac-McLeod. Closure and restoration work has begun, and several tens of millions of dollars will be allocated to closing the site over the next 10 years. On this tour, you’ll have the chance to see the restored Bell-Allard mine site, the Perseverance mine site, which is currently being restored, and the tailings facility, where various restoration scenarios are still under study. The tour will include visits to sites at different stages of reclamation, and discussions on the realities of mine reclamation implementation.
Agnico Eagle Mines – LaRonde
In 2018, the LaRonde mining complex began reflecting on the best approach to increase the storage capacity for future tailings for the known reserves up to 2032. The conversion to filtered tailings management was then undertaken, with construction work starting in 2020 and completed in October 2022. This approach has significantly reduced the environmental footprint and optimized the costs planned for the restoration of the accumulation areas.
A visit to the tailings filtration facilities, the new water management cell, and the transition work from tailings storage areas to filtered tailings will allow participants to discuss the issues and understand the challenges faced by Agnico Eagle over the past five years.
MRNF Sites (Manitou and Preissac Molybdenite)
The Manitou site, located east of Val d’Or, was mined between 1942 and 1978, producing 7.5 million tonnes (Mt) of zinc, silver, and lead ore, as well as 3.6 Mt of copper ore. The site was classified as an ‘abandoned mine site’ in 2002, following the bankruptcy of the last operator. Therefore, this site is listed under the environmental liability from mining and is an integral part of the ministerial work plan for the restoration of abandoned mining sites.
The visit to the Preissac Molybdenite site will provide an opportunity to observe the progress of the restoration work carried out so far and to anticipate the challenges that still remain. Located about six kilometers south of the municipality of Preissac, the former Preissac Molybdenite mining site was operated for molybdenum and bismuth between 1962 and 1971.