Remediation company demolishes mill at former Mount Nansen mine, but First Nation says cleanup of site still lacking

The company behind the cleanup of a contaminated former mine site in central Yukon says it’s making good progress at the site with the demolition of the facility’s mill – though the First Nation whose traditional territory the mine is located on continues to say otherwise. The Mount Nansen Remediation Limited Partnership (MNRLP) is slated to finish demolition of the processing mill at the Mount Nansen mine site near the community of Carmacks this month. “It’s gone very well,” said MNRLP’s project director Jim Harrington. “The buildings were falling down, and so there was definitely a hazard there.” The gold and silver mine was abandoned by BYG Natural Resources in 1999 and left contaminated. The site is now under the responsibility of the federal government. Chief Russell Blackjack of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, whose traditional territory the mine sits on, said it’s located in a culturally important area used for harvesting, gathering medicinal plants and berry picking. “It’s created a sense of damage to the country area because now we have to go further out to get moose or look for caribou,” he said. “It hasn’t really done anything for our people. The people (who mined) there took the money and left.” MNRLP, a joint venture between Ensero Solutions and JDS Energy and Mining, has been responsible for care, maintenance and remediation work at the site on behalf of the government since 2021. Harrington said the now-dilapidated mill, which was used to process gold from rock, was the biggest building structure still standing at the site. He said the demolition process entailed removing residual chemicals at the site, hauling around 10 truckloads of chemically contaminated water and waste to British Columbia and disposing of other materials left over from previous buildings at the site. He also noted MNRLP plans to study potentially impacted groundwater at the mill site, including how to best treat it and prevent further contamination. “Getting those chemicals out of the environment was one of the big benefits,” he said. The demolition of the former Mount Nansen mine near Carmacks, Yukon. The mill was previously used to extract gold from rock. Photo: MNRLP Chief says First Nation doesn’t agree with cleanup But Blackjack says the demolition doesn’t address long-standing concerns held by the First Nation about MNRLP’s overall cleanup of the site. “The idea is there. They want to clean it, but how they do it – First Nations don’t agree with it,” he said. Blackjack said one of the most pressing issues is that the mine’s tailings pond is not fenced off. The federal government says the tailings pond, which was once considered to be heavily contaminated with high levels of cyanide and metals, is regularly treated and contains low levels of cyanide. But Blackjack believes the tailings pond still poses a risk. He said he’s heard reports of wildlife like bison being found dead near the tailings pond after drinking the water. “If you don’t tackle the tailings ponds properly, then we’re going to lose more animals, even birds. We’ve already lost a bunch of birds from that area. I found them laying around on the ground,” he said. Blackjack also believes the mill should have been torn down when MNRLP began working at the site four years ago. “If they went in there at the beginning and took things down one at a time, that place would have been done by now,” he said. The First Nation’s concerns about the cleanup are nothing new. In 2023, it asked the Yukon Water Board for a public hearing, compensation and changes to MNRLP’s water licence, arguing its cleanup work wasn’t up to par and was making things worse at the site. “We want to support them, but we want it done right,” Blackjack said. “We want it cleaned proper, including the tailings pond, because that is one thing that’s going to be there for the rest of our lives.” Little Salmon/Carmacks Chief Russell Blackjack isn’t convinced MNRLP is cleaning up the Mount Nansen mine properly. Photo: Jordan Haslbeck/APTN News MNRLP confident things are getting better at site Harrington understands the First Nation’s frustrations. He said MNRLP has been working with the First Nation and the federal government to build a fence around the tailings pond with the intention of completing the work this fall. However, he said MNRLP had trouble finding contractors who were available to do the job, which is now is unlikely to be completed until next year. He also agrees with Blackjack that the mill should have come down sooner, but said MNRLP has to follow proper procedures. “It takes time to do these kinds of big projects,” he said. He added that when MNRLP took over the mine site, it inherited several long-standing issues and spent more than a year assessing its environmental status. He said that slow progress, as well as limited interaction with the First Nation due to COVID-19, didn’t help matters, though he believes things are improving as MNRLP continues to better understand the site. He noted engagement with the First Nation has also increased in recent years. “I’m not saying everything we’ve done is perfect, but certainly our intent and our hearts are to make sure that the community understands what we’re doing,” he said. “As we continue working through the environmental assessment and the regulatory process, I think we’ll get to a place where everyone’s on the same page and we can move forward on implementation.” MNRLP’s Project Director, Jim Harrington, understands the First Nation’s concerns – but says progress at the site is being made. Photo: APTN Despite Blackjack’s concerns, he said he’s glad the mill is finally coming down. “It’s not only an eyesore, but it’s becoming dangerous,” he said. “And again, they’re willing to work with us – whether they do what we want is another story.” The First Nation’s request for a public hearing into its complaint against MNRLP was originally scheduled to take place in September, though the Yukon Water Board opted instead to go with written submissions. The dispute is currently in board review. At the same time, MNRLP recently submitted its water licence renewal package to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) for review. The proposal includes additional provisions for things like increased water treatment capacity. Continue Reading