- Canadian Copper Inc. has announced plans to acquire the shuttered Caribou mine site from the province in late 2024 for $6.2 million.
- The project is expected to create 230 jobs during the construction phase starting in 2027 and 115 permanent positions during operations.
- Canadian Copper has filed an environmental impact assessment to redevelop an open pit mine at the former Murray Brook Mine, about 60 kilometres west of Bathurst.
- The project's impact assessment registration is the first involving a mine in New Brunswick since 2013.
- The 387-page EIA calls for an open pit to be developed in four phases with its final dimensions reaching 10 to 12 hectares in size.
- The goal is to begin production in 2028, according to the company.
Canadian Copper Inc. is advancing a significant mining redevelopment project in northeastern New Brunswick, having acquired the Caribou Mine site. This initiative aims to extract copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold over a 14-year period, with processing occurring at the nearby Caribou facility.1
The provincial government has announced that the project will create 230 construction jobs starting in 2027 and 115 permanent positions once operations commence. The company anticipates beginning production in 2028, with an estimated processing rate of 3,300 tonnes per day.26
This environmental impact assessment marks the first of its kind for a mine in New Brunswick since 2013. The filing emphasizes that the metals produced from the Murray Brook deposit are essential to global supply chains. In June, Canadian Copper notified all First Nation chiefs in New Brunswick about the project’s impending EIA registration.3
The expansion is projected to contribute approximately $31 million to New Brunswick’s GDP, highlighting the economic significance of the project. The company’s detailed submission outlines plans to extract minerals and transport them to the Caribou Mine mill for processing over the estimated mine life.
“The project aims to process 3,300 tonnes of ore per day over a 14-year lifespan, with production expected to begin in 2028. This redevelopment is the first mining impact assessment in New Brunswick since 2013, highlighting the province's renewed focus on resource development.”
