Although the mining industry provides minerals and metals for the global market and represents important economic opportunities, it also constitutes a major anthropogenic disturbance in the ecosystems where it takes place. However, little is known about its offsite impacts on plant communities. We assessed the frequency and the abundance of five common boreal understorey plant species (Coptis trifolia, Cornus canadensis, Linnaea borealis, Lysimachia borealis and Maianthemum canadense) at different distances around six mines of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec (Québec). Our results showed that Coptis trifolia and Maianthemum canadense were negatively affected by the presence of mines, suggesting that they might be sensitive to the loss of forest cover, particle deposition and soil contamination induced by mining. Conversely, Cornus canadensis was favoured by mining activity, which indicates its resilience to the stress caused by mines and its ability to exploit the niche space left by more sensitive species. No effects on Linnaea borealis and Lysimachia borealis were observed. Our study confirms the presence of offsite impacts of mines on plant communities and further studies considering enigmatic impacts should be made to develop our understanding of the broader environmental footprint of mining activity.