Sustainability

CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) is a global environmental impact non-profit, providing a platform for companies, cities, states and regions to report information on their climate, deforestation and water security impacts. Agnico Eagle began reporting to the CDP in 2007 and continues to report on an annual basis.

To consult our latest CDP disclosures, click here. 

Agnico Eagle understands that operating responsibly and maintaining the trust of our stakeholders requires that we demonstrate that the gold we produce has been extracted in a manner that does not fuel unlawful armed conflict, nor contribute to serious human rights abuses or breach international law. As such, we have adopted and implemented the World Gold Council’s (WGC) Conflict-Free Gold Standard (CFGS). Annual audit and certification reports, for both Legacy Agnico Eagle and Legacy Kirkland Lake Gold, are available here.

We disclose on an annual basis specific payments made to all governments in Canada and abroad including taxes and royalties, as per the Canadian Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA). 

To consult our latest ESTMA report, click here.

For more detailed information on financial performance refer to our Annual Report.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sets out specific criteria and indicators that organizations can use to measure and report on their economic, environmental and social performance. We measure our performance using the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, including mining industry specific indicators incorporated in the GRI’s Mining and Metals Sector Supplement (MMSS). Agnico Eagle self-declares that we are following the GRI Standards: Core Options.

To consult our 2021 GRI Index and Data Table, click here.

For more information, visit globalreporting.org.

Detour Lake Mine, Kittilä Mine, La India Mine, as well as the Pinos Altos and Meadowbank Complexes are currently certified as compliant with the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC). The LaRonde Complex and Meliadine Mine are working toward attaining certification in the coming years.

For more information on ICMC, visit cyanidecode.org.

To consult our audit reports, click here. 

As a member of the World Gold Council (WGC), Agnico Eagle is committed to producing gold in a responsible manner. To underscore our commitment, we have fully endorsed the WGC’s Responsible Gold Mining Principles (RGMP) (the “Principles”).

Accordingly, we: 
• develop and implement policies, systems, processes, and controls that conform with the Principles,
• disclose information that helps external stakeholders understand how we achieve conformance,
• secure annual independent assurance over the process to ensure stakeholder confidence and credibility in the process and conclusions; and, 
• disclose instances or events that have given rise to a situation of non-conformance and the steps taken to remedy the situation.

2021 Activities

The RGMPs apply to – and must be implemented at – all mining operations over which the company had direct control in 2021. In accordance with the RGMP implementation schedule, six Agnico Eagle mines were externally audited in 2021. Meliadine mine, which began commercial production in 2019, will be audited in 2022, and Hope Bay, acquired in 2021, will be audited at a later date.  Additionally, to support our implementation of the RGMPs, we completed a detailed gap analysis in 2020 at both the corporate and mine level, except for Meliadine and Hope Bay.

The six Agnico Eagle mines that were externally audited in 2021, along with the corporate level, were Kittilä, Meadowbank, LaRonde, Goldex, Pinos Altos and La India mines. Despite the pandemic, the Canadian and Finnish site audits were conducted in person. The Mexican site audits were completed by video conference due to travel restrictions. Agnico Eagle has systems in place for monitoring adherence to company policies and processes, including those related to conformance with the RGMPs. Based on the monitoring procedures performed, the company conformed with the Responsible Gold Mining Principles for the period ended December 10, 2021.

Agnico Eagle engaged the services of an assurance provider, EEM EHS Management, and its Independent Assurance Report can be viewed here.

In 2022, we will continue to reinforce our existing processes to strengthen overall compliance with the RGMP requirements. For example, we plan to document Chance Finds procedures and implement an audit program for our main suppliers, to ensure compliance with Agnico Eagle’s commitments on Human Rights. We will also conduct an external audit of the Meliadine mine, which is in the process of completing RGMP implementation.

Former Kirkland Lake Gold operations, which were acquired as part of Agnico Eagle’s merger with Kirkland Lake Gold in February 2022, are outside the scope of Agnico Eagle’s 2021 audit and report. The Kirkland Lake Gold operations completed the 2021 RGMP verification and reporting process in September 2021, and were found to be in conformance with the “year two” assurance requirements set out in the RGMPs. A separate summary report is available on our website. In 2022, we are integrating the newly merged entities into Agnico Eagle’s implementation and reporting process for RGMPs. 

For more information on RGMP, click here.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Metals and Mining disclosures and metrics identify financially material sustainability topics and metrics relevant for our industry. Agnico Eagle began reporting SASB disclosures and metrics for the 2021 reporting year and will continue to report on an annual basis.

To consult our 2021 SASB Index and Date Table, click here.

Responsible tailings management is part of the commitments made in our Sustainable Development Policy. It means we are committed to managing tailings facilities to minimize effects on the environment and protect the health and safety of our employees and communities.

To fulfill our commitment to responsible tailings management, we locate, design, construct, operate, decommission and close tailings facilities while ensuring that:

• All structures are designed, constructed, and operated to meet appropriate stability criteria;
• All solids are managed within designated areas;
• All aspects of tailings management comply with regulatory requirements, Company standards, sound engineering principles and applicable industry best practices, including the principles of MAC’s Tailings Guide; and
• Leadership, personal commitment and accountability from all employees and contractors involved in tailings management is promoted.

 We have implemented a Tailings Management Policy and we continue to implement the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) tailings management governance model, which provides clear accountability for tailings management.

For more details on our tailings management, consult our Tailings Summary Reports:
- 2021 
- 2019

In 2021, Agnico Eagle formally committed support for the TCFD. Our Approach to Climate Change is guided by the TCFD’s framework of recommendations and supported by the best practices and implementation guidance provided by the TCFD. For Agnico Eagle, TCFD provides both a structure and framework for disclosures, as well as guidance on initiatives and actions.

The Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative promotes best practices in environmental protection, energy efficiency, community engagement, safety, and transparency. TSM external audit is a condition of membership in MAC and is performed every three years, with the most recent one being performed in 2021. An annual self-assessment is also carried out. Both external verification and self-assessments are disclosed publicly mine by mine on the MAC website. Legacy Agnico Eagle and Legacy Kirkland Lake Gold were strong supporters of TSM and the New Agnico Eagle looks forward to continuing to actively support the initiative.

For more information on TSM and our assessment results, visit mining.ca.

Agnico Eagle is working to support progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). We recognize that the mining industry has an opportunity to positively contribute to all 17 of the SDGs.

For information on our contributions, click here.

For more information on UN SDGs, visit un.org/sustainabledevelopment

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR) guide companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within a framework that ensures respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Also, the Voluntary Principles provide guidelines for companies to conduct an assessment of human rights risks associated with security and guide them on how to engage appropriately with public and private security providers. It also helps companies develop systems for reporting and investigating allegations of human rights abuses.

Agnico Eagle began adopting the VPSHR in 2016 and became a formal member in 2017. Agnico Eagle is committed to apply the Voluntary Principles to all mining activities over which the company has direct control.

All aspects of the VPSHR are included into the Agnico Eagle integrated management system, from the commitment (Policy) to the annual management review, including risk management, objectives and targets, training, audit, reporting, etc.

For more information on the VPSHR, visit voluntaryprinciples.org.

To consult our annual report, click here.