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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
September's public hearings regarding Giant Mine, one of the most contaminated sites in Canada, are the last chance for Yellowknifers to make their voices heard on the issue before it's too late, said former Ndilo chief Fred Sangris.

Fred Sangris: "Nothing good came out of that mine for us, no opportunities, no jobs, no benefits."

"They need to be engaged, they need to express their concern because we are at the final stages here. Once the final stages are completed, there's no coming back to complain," said Sangris, who is also the chair of the Giant Mine Remediation Committee. "We've got one chance to do this right."

The environmental assessment hearings are set to run Sept. 10 to 14 at the Tree of Peace. Once the hearings are complete, the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board will look at the evidence and decide if the final remediation plan should be approved.

"The decision that's being made today, the future generation will have to live by," said Sangris.

The former gold mine has been a source of concern for the public almost since its inception because of the arsenic trioxide dust it produced during gold processing. Over the years, this toxic substance has affected the surrounding wildlife and environment as well as people living in the area. In the 1960s a public health study found a link between arsenic exposure and elevated cancer rates in Yellowknife, with the Yellowknives Dene being most affected because of their close proximity to the mine.

"That mine to most Northerners, it's a legacy, but to the First Nations here, the Yellowknives Dene, it's a heartache and painful memory," Sangris said. "Nothing good came out of that mine for us, no opportunities, no jobs, no benefits."

For more than 10 years the government has been looking at options on how to permanently close Giant Mine and store the 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust sitting underground. The current plan includes freezing the dust underground and storing it there indefinitely. The buildings and facilities at the abandoned mine will be demolished and tailings ponds covered.

Alternatives North member Kevin O'Reilly said he doesn't think the government's plan is well thought out and misses some important concerns.

There is no commitment to a perpetual care plan, there is no commitment to conduct further research to find a solution more permanent than freezing the arsenic underground and there is no talk of an apology or compensation to those negatively affected by the mine, he said.

"There is a whole bunch of work and arrangements that need to be reached in some way," said O'Reilly.

"I just don't think we're anywhere near where we should be."

But, Adrian Paradis, acting manager of the Giant Mine Remediation Project, said the plans weren't made lightly.

"The Giant Mine Remediation Plan, which has undergone extensive expert and public review, is a robust and diligent plan," Paradis stated in an e-mail.

Sangris disagreed, saying that the current remediation plan is just a Band-Aid solution that will cause problems in the future.

"It's unbelievable that Canada is supporting this kind of process and these kind of ideas that are generated by consultants," Sangris said. "(The mine) is a sitting time bomb."

Also, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) should have consulted more with the First Nations, Sangris continued. There should have been a partnership like the one seen between the Tlicho and the federal government during the remediation of Colomac Mine, which is located 220 km north of Yellowknife.

"At this time there is no partnership. (AANDC) took the lead on their own, with their agency and consultants, and they said these are our plans, this is what we are willing to do, you respond to us what you think," Sangris said. "They just want the First Nations to tag along and say yes."

Last year a joint venture between Det'on Cho Corporation and Nuna Logistics Ltd. - Det'on Cho Nuna - was awarded a 21-month, $14.9-million contract to care and maintain the Giant Mine remediation site. Det'on Cho Corp. is the economic development organization owned by the Yellowknives Dene.

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