In spite of its economic outputs, the Canadian mining sector has suffered from several setbacks that have compromised its reputation. This has led many of its stakeholders to adopt a shift towards a new paradigm focused on sustainable development.In this review of the literature, we identify the impact that mining activities have had on various social, economic and environmental issues in Canadian society. We also survey the criteria and indicators included in various models that may be used to evaluate the adequacy of the transition of mines towards sustainable development. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of eight tools that have been applied to the socioeconomic impact of mines are analysed.A clear vision of prospects for promoting sustainable development in Canadian mining emerges from this survey. Our analysis reveals important factors that not given adequate consideration in the models used currently to evaluate and suggests opportunities to improve these evaluation tools through identification of more relevant criteria and indicators.The research undertaken should incite stakeholders to develop social and economic impact evaluation tools that are better adapted to the Canadian context.

The socioeconomic impact of mining in Canada has positive and negative aspects. Effective evaluation of its impact suffers from the inadequacy of the criteria and indicators chosen to measure its sustainability and the limitations of the current means used to minimize the subjectivity of expert judgments. Constraints associated with legislation and standards governing mining activities must also be considered.In this study, a theoretical model is proposed for evaluating the socioeconomic impact of mining in Canada.This model combines the multi-criteria analysis methods known as the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy integrated judgment (FIJ).Based on a simulation, the model is able to take into account the subjectivity of expert judgments. In addition to reducing this subjectivity and allowing measurement of sensitivity, the model provided an overview of the progress achieved by a mine during its transition towards sustainable development.