Amended Industrial Approval Issued For Zinc Mine
Zinc is used in the production of wind turbines (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
Scotia Mine Ltd. has received approval for changes at its open pit zinc mine in Cooks Brook, Halifax County.
The company’s existing industrial approval has been amended to allow for site changes needed for the mine to restart operations, which the company plans to do in 2027.
The site is about 600 hectares in size, and the company expects to have up to 150 employees when fully operational.
The mine first opened in the late 1970s, and operations have been on and off since then.
Quick Facts:
- 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
- an industrial approval regulates the daily operations of projects or facilities and has terms and conditions that companies must comply with to safeguard the environment and human health
- the Department’s large industrial file team in its compliance division manages large industrial projects that require expert oversight, co-ordination and timely decision making
- zinc is a vital component in renewable energy production and is listed in Nova Scotia’s Critical Minerals Strategy
- the strategy was launched in 2024 and updated it in 2025; it lists 20 critical minerals and four strategic minerals
Additional Resources:
Industrial approval document: https://novascotia.ca/nse/ia/pdfdocs/2006-055136-06.pdf
Information on the metal mining industrial approval process: https://novascotia.ca/metal-mining
Nova Scotia’s Critical Minerals Strategy: https://novascotia.ca/natr/meb/docs/critical-minerals-strategy.pdf