Jess McDiarmid
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, January 30, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - The NWT Mining Heritage Society is protesting city plans to allow testing of a fire suppressant in a building at the abandoned Giant Mine town site.

President Walt Humphries, vice president Mike Vaydik and board member Ryan Silke signed a letter to Yellowknife's mayor and city council dated Jan. 24, in which they wrote that they were "dismayed by this decision and strongly disagree with it."

Council earned the ire of the Mining Heritage Society following its approval of a motion to use House No. 213 at the Giant Mine townsite as a test site for a sprinkler system that sprays fire-suppressant foam. - photo courtesy of the NWT Mining Heritage Society

Last week, council approved a motion to allow the National Research Council (NRC) to use House No. 213 to test a sprinkler system that sprays foam rather than water on fires.

If successful, the system could be instrumental in fighting fires in areas that lack plentiful water supply, as do many Northern communities.

Areas in Yellowknife without piped water such as Kam Lake and Old Town could receive both better fire protection and lower insurance rates if the system was installed.

But the mining heritage society wrote that the town site is a key part of its plans to preserve mining heritage in Yellowknife.

"We are shocked at the city's cavalier attitude about destroying a building that is listed as "salvageable" in our plans for the townsite," the letter read.

In closing, the society asked council to instruct staff to stop the "planned destruction" of the building.

If the system, which has been successfully tested at a facility in Ontario, works properly, the house wouldn't be badly damaged.

The Yellowknife Fire Department is also slated to be on-scene during the testing, which the NRC hopes to do in April.

Humphries said in an interview that even if the house wasn't destroyed, the city should use one that isn't classified as salvageable.

The society has published a business plan following discussions with the city's heritage committee, tourism groups, city planning consultants and the territorial government looking at plans for the future of the site.

That proposal is scheduled to be brought forward next month.

Humphries said the society wants the Giant Mine site turned into a tourist spot where people can see what Yellowknife was like decades ago when the gold rush was paving its streets.

"The Giant Mine town site is the last place where you get a feel for what Yellowknife was like in the 1940s and 1950s," said Humphries.

Coun. Dave McCann said he was a "little bit perplexed" by the situation as he had asked if the building held any interest from a heritage perspective when the matter came up at council.

Administration said there was not, based on a list of four buildings the mining heritage society identified as priorities for preservation.

No. 213 wasn't on that list but is salvageable, according to the society.

McCann said if the information council received was correct, he didn't see a reason to deny the testing but was open to further discussion and information.

Coun. Shelagh Montgomery said she'd like a complete list of buildings considered salvageable.

"If the one recommended (for testing) is one considered worthy of saving, I'm prepared to see another building used."

Catherine Pellerin, chair of the city's heritage committee, said they have a working group looking at what to do with the Giant Mine townsite.

But the group hadn't met to decide on their response to the proposed testing so it was too early to comment, she said.