Moose River, Nova Scotia (February 13, 2025) – St Barbara Mining and their subsidiary, Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia is pleased to announce the winner of their competition to design a community space at Touquoy’s lookout area, as part of the former mine’s reclamation process.  

St Barbara received 17 proposals from three schools: Musquodoboit Rural High School (Middle Musquodoboit), Marine Drive Academy (Sheet Harbour), and Northumberland Regional High School (Pictou). A committee of five members from the Atlantic Operations team anonymously reviewed the proposals and selected Megan McCurdy from Musquodoboit Rural High School as the winner.  

“Megan's proposal skillfully integrated aspects of environment, community, safety, history, and modern mining while remaining feasible and practical” says Andrew Strelein, Director of Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia. “Her dedication was evident as she engaged with all members of the Atlantic Operations team in one-on-one conversations and left a tour of the mine site with over eight pages of notes.” 

Megan’s school, Musquodoboit Rural High School, will receive $25,000 for the best overall submission and her proposal will be reviewed with a landscape architect to develop the final design for implementation. Marine Drive Academy and Northumberland Regional High School will receive $1,000 for their participation.  

“We were also pleased that two schools took the opportunity to visit the mine site, where students enjoyed a tour of the TMF, pit, and lookoff area,” said Andrew Strelein, Director of Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia. “We enjoyed hearing views and ideas from the younger generations of Nova Scotians, and showing the opportunities provided by our local mining and resource industries.” 

Reclamation activities have commenced on the site and will happen in phases over the coming years. St Barbara has invested over $7 million in reclamation in this budget year and will be the very first mining company in Nova Scotia to fully reclaim a mine of its type. Looking ahead, St Barbara continues its work with Natural Forces to develop renewable energy opportunities at the closed mine.  

For more information, please contact: communityrelations@stbarbara.ca