Mine site re-purposing in northern Ontario: An application of the 'Transition Template'

This article presents a Transition Template to guide studies of economic transition in formerly mine dependent territories. It is comprised of five components: stage, approach, mechanism, trajectory, and base, whose constituents are drawn, and extended, from extant literature. We apply this organizational structure by demonstrating how a particular transition mechanism (mine site repurposing for recreation and nature-based activity) that reflects a particular development base (place), has unfolded in a Canadian municipality (Atikokan, Ontario). Through document analysis, and stakeholder interviews, we identify during which lifecycle stage this repurposing mechanism was planned and initiated (i.e. pre-dependent, dependent, post-dependent or independent), the approach that drove and enabled its implementation (i.e. exogenous, endogenous, neo-endogenous or neo-exogenous), and, the development trajectory (path-emergent, path-dependent, or branching innovating) it has enhanced. Our findings have implications for scholars interested in economic transition in resource-reliant regions, and for stakeholders considering mine-site repurposing as an integral part of a place-based development strategy.