Giant Mine ‘must be better prepared’ for wildfires, evacuations

The watchdog for Giant Mine’s remediation says the federal project leading that work must do a better job of preparing for future wildfires and evacuations.

In its latest annual report, the Giant Mine Oversight Board said workers cleaning up the toxic former gold mine on Yellowknife’s doorstep need contingency planning for events that could affect the whole site, like an evacuation. The board also wants more research into the risk of arsenic release from forested sites during a fire.

Planning for large-scale emergencies – rather than just smaller-scale events like spills – “will improve the ability of the project team to respond safely and effectively,” the report states.

The board was concerned by the abandonment of the Giant site when Yellowknife was evacuated in August 2023 as wildfires threatened the city. A “comprehensive review” of the project team’s emergency response should take place, the annual report states, including the lessons learned.

While the board said it is unaware of any incidents at the site during the evacuation, gates remained open to some contractors and there was no on-site security.

“At a minimum, the site should have been secured due to potential safety risks related to unauthorized access, potential vandalism and equipment loss and/or failure,” the report states.

The oversight board also questioned the consequences of a fire burning near or on the site.

“Arsenic concentrations in the forested portions of the site and immediate area are elevated. A burn in these areas might release arsenic into the air that could pose an increased health risk to firefighting personnel and returning residents,” the report states.

Ahead of Yellowknife’s evacuation, federal officials told Cabin Radio the project manager was comfortable with the state of the site before evacuating. Those officials said a crew collected brush, cleared materials and disconnected power, save for a connection for three underground pumps.

The federal government said wildfires posed a low risk to the toxic arsenic trioxide dust stored underground at Giant, as well as contaminated materials from the deconstructed roaster, which are stored in shipping containers within tailing ponds.

The oversight board exists to ensure remediation of Giant proceeds in an environmentally sound, socially responsible and cultural appropriate manner.

The board is also tasked with finding a permanent solution for the 237,000 tonnes of highly toxic arsenic trioxide dust stored underground – reportedly enough of the material to kill every human on Earth several times over.

Until a permanent solution is found, the current federal plan of freezing the arsenic trioxide in place will be pursued. That plan, alongside other cleanup work, is estimated to cost $4.38 billion and take 15 to 20 years of active remediation, followed by “perpetual care” until a better plan is devised.

The oversight board said it did not identify any major environmental issues at the site in 2023 but “continues to be disappointed” with a delay in finalizing the project’s perpetual care plan and lack of significant progress toward northern and Indigenous hiring targets.

Those issues were also highlighted in a recent independent audit of federal contaminated sites in the North.

The board called for project leaders to improve local small businesses’ access to remediation work and offer more employment and training opportunities for residents, among other recommendations.

“GMOB believes these actions can ultimately lower costs while improving the NWT’s capacity to capture a greater share of the economic benefits expected from future remediation projects,” the board stated.

Cabin Radio has approached Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, which leads the remediation project, for comment.