Research project in progress.
Canada’s role as a global leader in the export of uranium products began in the 1940s and continues today. Uranium mining in Canada is historically situated at a number of locations: Rayroche and Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories; Elliott Lake and Bancroft, Ontario; and Uranium City, Saskatchewan. Several mines in Northern Saskatchewan remain in operation, with new proposals under review for licensing by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in Quebec and Nunavut. Though still an obscure history, the most well-known locations—Port Radium, NWT; Elliot Lake, Ontario; and Uranium City, Saskatchewan—have been the subjects of numerous investigations, including reportage, documentary films, articles and books.
Lesser known are the Bancroft mines in southeastern Ontario. In operation from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, these mines brought about an economic boom in the area which enabled the building of schools, paved roads, and other infrastructure. Following shifts in the global uranium market, the mines’ closures caused an economic recession with a continuing impact.
Kavanagh’s research includes on-the-ground documentation of four decommissioned and remediated uranium mine sites: Madawaska/Faraday Mine (1957-82); Bicroft Uranium Mines (1955-63); Canadian Dyno Mines (1956-60); and Greyhalk Mines (1956-63). Three of the sites have been remediated and one is in process.