Just outside the small coastal town of Baie Verte, Newfoundland, a towering legacy of environmental harm looms—a half-mile-long pile of toxic asbestos mining waste. Once home to the Advocate Mine, one of Canada’s largest asbestos producers, this quiet community is now burdened with the remnants of a hazardous past.
The mine opened in 1963 and was once an economic lifeline, supplying mineral fibres for insulation and fireproofing materials. But by the 1990s, growing awareness of asbestos-linked health risks, such as mesothelioma and lung disease, led to plummeting global demand. The mine closed in 1995, leaving behind economic hardship and decades of toxic tailings.
For residents like Trina Barrett, the legacy is personal. Like many in Baie Verte, her father worked in the mine. Today, she sees the long-standing pile of asbestos tailings as a symbol of environmental injustice and untapped potential. Wind and rain continue to scatter the dangerous dust into the air and water, and local children unknowingly play on contaminated ground.
But now, Barrett is leading a new chapter. As the cofounder of BAIE Minerals, she’s part of a growing movement that sees opportunity in mining waste. The company’s mission is to extract critical minerals from the tailings and use the remaining material to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
This innovative approach, known as carbon mineralization, aims to turn harmful legacy waste into a tool for climate mitigation. Barrett sees it as a way to right a historical wrong. “This is environmental injustice in my hometown,” she says. “We want to help make it right and fix the problem because my community is wearing this.”
As projects like BAIE Minerals gain traction globally, they signal a decisive shift — turning the scars of the past into climate solutions for the future. Read More
News Credit: Yale Environment 360
Picture Credit: Devon Bryan