SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The winter road connecting seven abandoned mine sites east of Yellowknife got the go-ahead from the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board just before the new year.

Despite concerns raised by Yellowknives Dene First Nation, lodge owners and people who use the area to hunt, trap and fish, ground has already been broken on the project.

Hay River's Rowe's Outcome Joint Venture won the $14.9-million contract to remediate the Bullmoose, Chipp, Spectrum, Storm, Beaulieu, Joon and Ruth Mines, including construction of the road. The road connects the mine sites with the Ingraham Trail at Reid Lake, reactivating a seasonal route last used in the winter of 1988-89.

Rowe's completed scouting and profiling of the ice Jan. 2 through 8. Full construction is expected to start on Jan. 26, if conditions allow.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada anticipates the road to be completed and open for approximately three weeks in March.

Ron Breadmore, project manager of the Bullmoose-Ruth Remediation Project stated in an e-mail to Yellowknifer on Dec. 16 that the project will employ between 30 and 40 people.

Beyond creating jobs, he said the road could be a good thing for people already using the area.

"For example, authorized users (commercial lodge owners or cabin owners with land tenure in the area), could use the winter road to transport material to commercial lodge properties for building care and maintenance or for rebuilding structures damaged in recent fires," he stated.

But community members aren't so sure. Before the board approved the project, several people wrote letters expressing concerns, ranging from the impact of increased traffic to the potential for contamination, either from litter left behind or from the remediation project itself.

"It would be catastrophic were such debris to crash through the ice on Campbell Lake," wrote Peter James Graham, who leases land on Campbell Lake.

Ken Yoder, president of Hearne Lake Operations Ltd., which operates Hearne Lake Lodge, couldn't be reached for comment by press time. In his letter to the board, he wrote that after they purchased the lodge in 2011 they discovered garbage left behind from the last time the road was active in the 1980s. He expressed concern the lodge could be "looking at the same scenario" if the winter road is allowed to re-open to the public.

To address some of these issues, the board required a buffer of 30 metres around known or suspected historical or archaeological sites or burial grounds, 150 metres around any privately owned land, leased land, structure or cabin used for traditional activities, and 500 metres around Hearne Lake Lodge.

There was no public hearing before the board approved the project.

The permit mentions a "reasonable" period of notice was given to communities, First Nations and the public, and applications were publicly available online before approval.

"Public hearings are required for Type A Water Licence proceedings. This Water Licence is a Type B - that means that a hearing is optional and based on information submitted by the public," stated Jen Potten, regulatory co-ordinator with the Mackenzie Land and Water Board.

"In this case, there was no expression of interest for a public hearing."

In permit documents, it's stated that the board received comments and concerns, but there were no claims for compensation, and therefore the board found there were no water users or other people adversely affected by the use of the waters or the deposit of waste. The board declined to elaborate further.

Breadmore stated that prior to applying for the permits, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada "engaged stakeholders, including indigenous stakeholders," involving Yellowknives Dene First Nation in a Traditional Knowledge Study and the development of a draft Remedial Action Plan in 2010, and again in January and February 2015 through a technical review.

Public meetings were held in Ndilo in March 2015 and in September 2016, and members of Yellowknives Dene First Nation participated in a site blessing as part of a tour of the seven project sites.

But Dettah Chief Edward Sangris says it's not enough.

"Just sending us e-mails and stuff like that doesn't mean they're consulting with the leadership of the First Nations," he said.

He said he's not sure why the board approved the project, despite public concerns.

"I've got no idea. I don't know why they did that. There's so many oppositions but they still went ahead and did it," he said.

"They don't regard concerns."

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