Gold mine collapse in Yukon could have been prevented: report

An independent review board tasked with looking into the cause of last year’s Eagle gold mine’s heap leach failure has determined multiple factors led to the incident and that its impact likely could have been greatly reduced or prevented. The incident, which took place on June 24, 2024, caused millions of tonnes of cyanide-laced ore to be released into the environment, contaminating local groundwater and Haggart creek near the community of Mayo, Yukon. Formerly owned by Victoria Gold Corp., the mine is also located on the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun’s traditional territory, which has expressed outrage over the environmental impacts of the incident. According to the board’s 156-page report, which was released publicly on Wednesday, the incident “started with a local failure in the oversteepened area of the south slope ”at the mine’s heap leach facility. Heap leaching uses chemicals to percolate through crushed ore, allowing it to extract gold. It said the collapse was triggered by the failure of a section of mine’s heap leach facility, which was too steep and had a history of poor drainage. It says that in addition to “geomechanical causations” of the collapse, it’s clear that “actions and inactions” of owner Victoria Gold Corp. and third-party contractors also contributed to the failure,  directly or indirectly. “In summary, the Eagle Gold Mine (heap leach facility) was a complex system, which, when combined with conditions discussed above, led to catastrophic failure similar to some tailings storage facility failures.” It notes if just one of the causes behind the failure hadn’t been present “the failure would not have occurred” or “it would not have been catastrophic.” It goes on to provide recommendations to prevent future occurrences, such as changes to industry practices and the regulatory process. John Streicker, minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, said in a statement Wednesday that the government is reviewing the board’s findings and recommendations and that PricewaterhouseCoopers and Na-Cho Nyäk Dun had received technical briefings on the matter. He noted additional briefings, including a media briefing, would be held soon. He also indicated that with the review now complete, the government would be determining next steps in regards to a public inquiry – something Na-Cho Nyäk Dun has long called for. “We will have more to say soon on how these findings may help to shape the future of mining in the Yukon, but our intent is clear: we can all learn from this incident and must continue working to ensure responsible, sustainable mining for the benefit of all Yukoners,” he said. The report follows a decision made by an Ontario court last week that approved PricewaterhouseCoopers putting the mine up for sale. With files from the Canadian Press Continue Reading