Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program
Abandoned mines present risks to the environment and human health and safety. There are 8 abandoned mine sites in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories managed by the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program through ongoing care and maintenance activities at the sites, with some sites in active remediation.
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Abandoned mine sites
Building on the investments of $2.2 billion over 15 years announced in Budget 2019, Budget 2023 invested an additional $6.9 billion over 11 years starting in 2024 to 2025, to continue to support environmental remediation activities related to 8 large and complex abandoned mine projects located at 14 sites within the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program.
Since 2020, the program supported work to address the largest, most complex contaminated sites in the North:
Responsibility for the sites
Most of these Northern contaminated sites originate from private-sector mining exploration and development activities that were abandoned by their former operators when they became insolvent.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada inherited these sites as manager of public lands and "owner of last resort" in the territories.
Under the Yukon and Northwest Territories devolution agreements, which transferred administration and control of most public lands to the territorial governments, the Government of Canada accepted responsibility for historical contamination that pre-dates implementation of the agreements, and continues to be legally obligated to fund and oversee remediation of the sites.
Remediation and site management
Each project has a team responsible for advancing remediation of the site and for working in collaboration with territorial and Indigenous governments and other partners throughout the process.
The Government of Canada supports the access of Indigenous and Northern communities impacted by each site to the employment and business opportunities associated with its clean up.
Description of Map of Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation program
The "Projects of the Northern Abandoned Mines Reclamation Program" map features the Yukon and Northwest territories and identifies the 8 remediation projects of the program, as well as the location of nearby First Nation communities and other municipalities. In Yukon Territory, listed from furthest North to furthest South, these projects are the Clinton Creek Mine Remediation Project, United Keno Hill Mine Remediation Project, Mount Nansen Mine Project, Faro Mine Remediation Project and the Ketza River Mine Remediation Project. In the Northwest Territories, listed from furthest North to furthest South, these projects are the Great Bear Lake Remediation Project, Cantung Mine Project and the Giant Mine Remediation Project.
Features
Bringing Life Back to Tsē Zūl: Revegetation of the Faro Mine site
Each summer, Kaska Dena return to Tsē Zūl to plant locally sourced seedlings, restoring the land and strengthening cultural ties as part of the Community-Based Revegetation.
Reading the Creeks and Fish at Tsē Zūl (Faro Mine)
Water is central to the Faro Mine Remediation Project, with monitoring of water quality and aquatic life guiding decisions and showing progress.