Spring has been a volatile season at the Giant Mine site in years past. On May 3, 2012, and May 4, 2013, relatively small amounts of contaminated meltwater flowed into Baker Creek, which runs through the site and into Great Slave Lake. This year, concerns are being raised about the lack of federal inspectors available to monitor the site. - Laura Busch/NNSL photo |
Chief: 'Who's inspecting Giant Mine?'
Questions raised about who is left to keep an eye on spring melt post-devolution
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, May 2, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Concerns have surfaced about who is supposed to be inspecting the Giant Mine site now that federal inspectors have devolved over to the GNWT.
Dettah Chief Ed Sangris said the Yellowknives Dene First Nation began asking this question to Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada six months ago and have yet to receive a response.
With the spring meltwater now making its way through the site on its way to Great Slave Lake, he told Yellowknifer this lack of communication is unacceptable.
"I don't think a guy sitting in an office in Gatineau (Quebec) would have any idea what we face every spring. There is the potential for disaster, it's ridiculous how they operate," Sangris told Yellowknifer on Wednesday.
On May 3, 2012 as well as May 4, 2013, relatively small amounts of contaminated meltwater flowed into Baker Creek, which flows through the Giant Mine site, into Yellowknife Bay on Great Slave Lake.
"We'd like to ensure the safety of the communities of Dettah, Ndilo and the City of Yellowknife. If any incidents should occur, it's going to be really hard to see that through and get that problem fixed before there is any further impact on the communities surrounding Giant."
While the federal government retains jurisdiction over the Giant Mine site and is responsible for its cleanup, the federal inspectors who previously monitored the site have been devolved to the GNWT.
In a letter to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt, Alternatives North member Kevin O'Reilly states it is believed that the closest federal inspector is now located in Iqaluit, more than 2,300 km away.
"With the spring melt and freshet just around the corner here in Yellowknife, we question how an inspector located in Iqaluit can effectively carry out inspections that are supposed to protect public safety and the environment," wrote O'Reilly. "It may be time to consider designating or delegating the inspection authority over Giant Mine to another competent agency such as Environment Canada or the Government of the NWT."
Sangris echoed the call to have GNWT inspectors at the site until the federal government can hire a federal investigator to take over the file.
"I was hoping for the federal government to say, 'OK, those guys who were doing the job before could do the job until they get people for the feds in place.' There is a void here that no one is looking after so we have concerns," he said.
When the devolution of responsibility for land, water and resources came into effect April 1, the federal government retained responsibility for existing contaminated sites, including Giant Mine.
Among the many federal staff who devolved over to the GNWT on devolution day were 16 inspectors with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada who now work for the new Department of Lands and six water resource officer positions with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).
The job of inspecting resource operations in the NWT now falls to the Department of Lands' resource management officers, while ENR's water resource officers are responsible for monitoring and enforcing the conditions set out in water licenses.
Where the federal inspectors were once responsible for enforcing water licences and land-use permits on Crown land, GNWT inspectors are now responsible for GNWT lands - just not the contaminated sites retained by the federal government.
However, while it may not fall under its responsibility, ENR spokesperson Judy McLinton told Yellowknifer that the federal government can always make a request to the GNWT to have inspectors attend the Giant Mine site.
Considering the history of springtime leaks into Baker Creek in recent years and the amount of time it has had to respond to the question of who will be inspecting the site this year, Sangris says there is nowhere near enough information out there to alleviate concerns about what would happen if there was an emergency.
"It's kind of ironic that the federal government will not do nothing about this potential problem, and yet they want to be responsible for contaminated mine sites," he said.
Officials with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada did not respond to Yellowknifer's request for comment by press time.
