First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun has 'lost confidence' in Victoria Gold leadership
Caitrin Pilkington | CBC News | Posted: August 1, 2024 5:15 PM | Last Updated: August 6
Yukon government briefing revealed cyanide levels have continued to rise in the surrounding watershed
In a press release shared minutes after the conclusion of a Yukon government briefing on Eagle Mine, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun issued a directive for Victoria Gold to stand down.
Since the disaster unfolded, the mining company has led remediation efforts at the site. In Thursday's release, the First Nation says the company lacks the financial resources to effectively mitigate contamination, and urged the Yukon government to take action to prevent further contamination.
"The reality is that Victoria Gold cannot rectify the environmental damage caused by this event," said Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Chief Dawna Hope in the news release. "They have been failing to take the remediation actions directed by the Yukon government."
On July 26, the Yukon government said it had hired contractors to begin work at the site that it had initially directed Victoria Gold to do, but stopped short of assuming full responsibility for the mine site.
Yukon government updates
Brendan Mulligan, a senior groundwater scientist with the territorial government, said in a briefing Thursday that surface water sampling shows cyanide levels are continuing to rise.
"The highest concentration of [weak acid dissociable] cyanide in our test results are coming from the sampling stations closest to the mine site," said Mulligan. "As the contaminants flow through Dublin Gulch, into Haggart Creek, into the South McQuesten River and beyond, the cyanide is being diluted."
A sample of water taken from Haggart Creek on July 24 had a cyanide concentration of 0.005558 mg/L.
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment sets the federal standard for water quality guidelines. They put maximum long-term cyanide concentration guidelines at 0.005 mg/L and below for aquatic life.
British Columbia water quality guidelines state cyanide levels greater than 0.2 mg/L "are rapidly fatal to most fish species."
Samples have been collected at over 50 sites across the Haggart Creek watershed. 65 Arctic Grayling and 50 slimy sculpin are currently undergoing laboratory testing for heavy metals, with results expected "this year."
Little is known about how much contamination has leached into groundwater.
Mulligan said "exclusion zones" established by the company have prevented the government from groundwater sampling at the sites believed to be most severely impacted by the mine failure. Geotechnical engineers hired by Victoria Gold restricted these areas due to "instability" at the mine site.
"The wells that we've identified as relevant for sampling in response to this event in our monitoring plan unfortunately fall within those zones," said Mulligan. "So we can't safely access them at this time."
Public outrage
The briefing comes days after protests outside the Yukon Legislative Assembly, and after Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai excoriated Victoria Gold in a speech to the Council of Yukon First Nations' general assembly Tuesday.
While the Yukon government has not committed to the inquiry Na-Cho Nyäk Dun has called for, Pillai acknowledged the current regulatory system isn't working and repeated a longstanding commitment to improve mining legislation.
Victoria Gold CEO John McConnell also spoke out publicly this week for the first time since the disaster.
"We've been heads down, tails up, working extremely hard," McConnell said, adding that the company was starting to get things under control. "I think there's still potential for minor impacts, but no longer major impacts."
Earlier that day, the company shared a press release detailing the steps it has undertaken to address the situation, which included improvements to its water treatment system.
Speaking to CBC, McConnell apologized to the First Nation and acknowledged that relations have deteriorated since the mine failure.
"There's no doubt our relationship with NND is strained right now," he said, adding that the "best thing for us to do is all work together."
Chief Dawna Hope wrote in the news release that McConnell's apology and words "ring hollow and they ring false."
"The company has lost our confidence and we do not believe they will be able to effectively address this disaster they created in our traditional territory," she wrote.
Hope said as cyanide contamination grows daily, the disaster is something the First Nation will have to live with for generations.
"The risks from heap leach mining are no longer acceptable in light of the damage already caused to our lands by this catastrophe," she said. "The simple fact is that Victoria Gold now lacks consent and social licence."
Corrections:- An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the cyanide concentration of a water sample from Haggart Creek had risen to 0.0558 mg/L. In fact, the Yukon government said the concentration was 0.00558 mg/L. August 5, 2024 11:51 PM
- Federal water quality guidelines were added to the story for clarity. August 5, 2024 11:55 PM