Agreement reached over Giant Mine boat launch access

A new agreement will provide “continued public access to the water” at the Giant Mine town site while the mine is remediated, the City of Yellowknife says.

Access to the boat launch had been a significant issue, with concerns and requests for compensation sent to regulators by sailing club members and the city.

For a time, the city had looked at opening a separate boat launch over fears the Giant Mine option would be blocked off for a year or more while a federally led team cleans up the former gold mine, which is home to more than 200,000 tonnes of toxic arsenic trioxide stored underground.

On Wednesday, the city said it had reached a deal with the NWT and federal governments to keep access to the water at Giant.

“As part of the access agreement, the GNWT will be responsible for the maintenance, access and management of the townsite, when it is not required for remediation purposes,” the city said in a news release.

The city said clean-up work at Giant would see access to “a public boat launch at the Giant Mine town site maintained at all times during the open-water season.”

In a statement, Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the agreement would “maximize enjoyment of our spectacular boating season throughout remediation.”