The metals that attracted the mining industry to Flin Flon naturally occur in the area’s soils. Recent studies suggest that, over the years, smelting and refining activities have gradually built up these naturally occurring metal levels.

Mining in Flin Flon

The Flin Flon area is located in the Flin Flon Belt, a Precambrian volcanic belt that was an element of the Trans-Hudson Orogen.  The majority of the belt was formed approximately 1.9 billion years ago by aquatic volcanic eruptions; these intense eruptions and multiple episodes of glaciation left us the present unique landscape. The belt is the source of the vast mineral deposits, which are primarily zinc, copper, silver and gold. Flin Flon is in close proximity with the Saskatchewan communities of Creighton and Denare Beach, all of which are located within a 20 km area.

Tom Creighton and David Collins discovered the main lens of the Flin Flon volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit in 1914. Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company quickly established a fully-functional mine with one of the largest smelters in Canada. This investment by HBMS quickly developed Flin Flon into a thriving community.

Today, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company is still the major employer in the area, and mining is at the heart of the economy.

Source: City of Flin Flon official website: http://www.cityofflinflon.com/

Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting

Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting (HBMS) has operated a base metal smelting complex in the city of Flin Flon, Manitoba since 1930. This facility produces copper, cadmium, and zinc metals.

The composition of emissions released from this complex have varied over the years as a result of variations in ore composition and improved technologies associated with the processing, recovery and smelting processes.

A significant reduction in the release of particulate emissions has occurred since the 1970s, beginning with the construction of a 251 m stack in 1974. The implementation of new technologies associated with the smelting process have reduced emissions by approximately 90% from pre-1974 levels.

As a result of ongoing activities at the HBMS complex, government agencies and independent researchers have completed numerous studies focused on characterizing the content of smelter-related metals in various environmental media. Although many of these studies found that concentrations of several metals were notably elevated in media at varying distances from the smelter, it was the release of the Manitoba Conservation report in 2007, “Concentrations of Metals and Other Elements in Surface Soils of Flin Flon, Manitoba and Creighton, Saskatchewan, 2006” that prompted interest in the completion of a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA).

Source: Draft HBMS Terms of Reference

Manitoba Conservation soils study

The HHRA is a follow-up study to a report by Manitoba Conservation, Concentrations of Metals and Other Elements in Surface Soils of Flin Flon, Manitoba, 2006; published July 2007. Manitoba Conservation conducted sampling in August 2006 to determine the concentration and potential distribution of metals and other elements in the surface soils of Flin Flon, Manitoba (includes Channing) and neighbouring Creighton, Saskatchewan. 

Sample sites included publicly accessible lands such as boulevards, parks/playgrounds, schoolyards, vacant lots and undeveloped parcels of land in each community.  A total of 108 sites were sampled, including 93 sites in Flin Flon, 13 sites in Creighton, a site at Bakers Narrows Provincial Park and a site in Cranberry Portage. The survey was designed and funded by Manitoba Conservation, with assistance from the Saskatchewan government.