No Snap decision from minister
Delay of 45 days granted; approval would raise allowable mineral salts from De Beers mine
Evan Kiyoshi French
Northern News Services
Friday, July 31, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger is taking another 45 days to consider raising the allowable amount of mineral salts released from the De Beers Snap Lake Diamond Mine, according to department spokesperson Judy McLinton.
The De Beers Snap Lake Diamond mine has to wait another 45 days to find out if Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger will increase the allowable amount of mineral salts. - NNSL file photo |
The minister said he'd take the 45 days to decide whether he'd sign-off on the early April decision made by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board to raise the limit of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which seep into Snap Lake from the underground walls of the mine.
In an e-mail, McLinton wrote that the minister has taken time to make decisions like this before - by invoking subsection 47(4) of the Waters Act - since he became the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in April 2014.
Zabey Nevitt - executive director for the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board - said the minister signs off on all new water licences and on water licence amendments, so he has the final say.
"The legislation says the minister has 45 days and if he needs more time to make that decision he can invoke that portion of the act ... and he can take another 45 days," said Nevitt.
"He's done that, he's decided 'I couldn't make my decision in the first 45 days so I need another 45 days to make that final sign-off."
"It's a fairly standard process. Sometimes he does take the extra 45 days, sometimes he doesn't."
Terry kruger, spokesperson for De Beers Snap Lake Diamond Mine - located about 220 km northeast of Yellowknife - stated in an e-mail that out of respect for the regulatory process the company is not conducting interviews at this time.
Todd Slack, director of land and environment for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, who expressed concern over the impact an increase in the TDS limit would have on the lake, did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
