Crown Land Lease for New Gold Mine
A Crown land lease will help a new gold mine be developed near Goldboro in Guysborough County. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
Access to Crown land will help a new gold mine generate jobs and investment in Guysborough County.
The Department is granting Goldboro Gold Mining Inc. a lease for 779 hectares of Crown land near Goldboro that was previously mined for gold.
“Gold is a strategic mineral with great potential to attract investors and be an economic driver for Nova Scotia,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources. “We added gold to a new strategic minerals list and we are pleased to announce a Crown land lease to support this development that will create more than 700 jobs and add $2.1 billion to Nova Scotia’s economy over its lifetime.”
The company has signed community benefits agreements with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs and the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
The lease – plus applicable approvals and permits – will allow the company to develop and operate an open pit gold mine, with processing and tailings management facilities, other infrastructure, and on-site storage of waste rock, till and organic material.
The company already has licences for mineral exploration and extraction for most of the lease area. The new mine has already received environmental assessment approval and is awaiting an industrial approval.
Quotes:
“We are extremely pleased to be receiving our Crown land lease and licence for the Goldboro project and are very proud of the hard work and diligence required to achieve this. The lease includes a land package that covers both the deposit and critical infrastructure for mine development, allowing final permitting to progress. This is a significant project milestone, and a reflection of NexGold’s positive working relationship with the Government of Nova Scotia.”
— Kevin Bullock, President and CEO, NexGold
Quick Facts:
- the mine’s 15-year lifetime includes development, 11 years of operation, and remediation; part of the mine will be on the Crown land and part will be on private land
- like all mines, financial security and a reclamation plan are required; they are reviewed and updated regularly
- the Department is also granting a licence to cross Crown land, allowing the company to reach the mine site
- the company is owned by NexGold, formerly Signal Gold
- the mining industry accounts for at least 2,500 jobs in Nova Scotia that pay an average of $100,000 a year in wages and benefits
Additional Resources:
News release – Nova Scotia Updates Critical Minerals Strategy: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/05/14/nova-scotia-updates-critical-minerals-strategy
Goldboro gold mine project: https://nexgold.com/goldboro-gold-project/
Information on environmental assessments: https://novascotia.ca/environmental-assessment-getting-started/
Natural Resources on X: https://x.com/NS_DNR