Immediately following this morning’s technical briefing on the Eagle Gold Mine disaster, the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun launched a scathing attack on Victoria Gold Corp., the mine’s owner.
“First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) calls for steps to be taken to remove Victoria Gold Corporation’s management from control of the work needed to remediate the heap leach disaster at the Eagle Gold Mine, which is located in FNNND territory in the Yukon,” the First Nation said in a prepared statement.
“FNNND urges the Yukon Government to take immediate and robust action to ensure that the necessary work is being undertaken to remedy and prevent further harm from the significant and confirmed cyanide contamination that was caused by the heap leach pad failure at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Gold Mine.”
The First Nation added, “FNNND also reiterates its call for a full and independent inquiry, under the Public Inquiries Act, to examine the technical, regulatory and legislative failures that caused this catastrophe and ensure it never happens again.”
“The reality is that Victoria Gold cannot rectify the environmental damage caused by this event,” said FNNND Chief Dawna Hope.
“They have been failing to take the remediation actions directed by the Yukon Government. Victoria Gold’s apologies and the comments of their CEO in the media 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.”
That statement follows a demand from the First Nation approximately a month ago for a moratorium on mining in the First Nations territory.
“The Eagle Gold Mine disaster is a catastrophe that our nation will need to live with for decades, if not generations,” Hope said.
“And the cyanide contamination gets worse by the day. FNNND can no longer support this project or any further heap leach mining on our territory.
“The risks from heap leach mining are no longer acceptable in light of the damage already caused to our lands by this catastrophe. The simple fact is that Victoria Gold now lacks consent and social licence.”
That statement stole the thunder from the Yukon government’s technical briefing, which concluded moments earlier after having provided very little new information.
Jordan Owens, a spokesperson for the cabinet, had little to say about the statement.
“Chief Hope’s comments speak for themselves,” Owens told The Yukon Star. “The Yukon government will not speak on behalf of a First Nation.”
Brendan Mulligan, a senior groundwater scientist with the government, provided most of what new information there was to be found at the briefing.
The latest available water test results show rising concentrations of cyanide around the immediate vicinity of the mine, he said. (The site is about 95 kilometres northeast of Mayo.)
However, the levels are still not enough to spark too much alarm, although they are significantly higher than regulations allow.
“There’s a pattern of increasing cyanide levels,” Mulligan said.
There has been no groundwater monitoring for several weeks, Mulligan said, due to safety concerns at the sites where the wells have been established.
He could not answer any questions on how much progress, if any, has been made on the safety berm and associated groundwater monitoring wells the government announced last week.
The Star has been informed that work might be stalled or cancelled.
There are lower concentrations of cyanide further downstream, as it begins to be diluted.
The Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Sudit Ranade, was also present at this morning’s briefing for the second consecutive week.
He opened his remarks by saying his comments from last week still stand, suggesting there was no real hazard to public health from the June 24 heap leach pad landslide.
During the briefing, Ranade’s office issued a statement on hunting and recreational practices in the area around the mine.
“Based on current information, there are no additional risks to anyone recreating in the surrounding area of the Victoria Gold mine site, including hunting. Harvesting wildlife or gathering plants in the area are not considered health risks at this time,” the statement said.
“In general, wildlife that appears sick or injured should not be targeted for harvest.
“Due to instability at the mine site itself, we recommend not eating fish from the immediate area of the mine and avoiding the immediate area for personal safety.”
Over time, some contaminants can build up in animal tissues and pose a risk to human health, the statement pointed out.
“However, not all contaminants will build up in wildlife tissues or reach levels that pose risks to human health from consumption.”
Dr. Mary Vanderkop, the Yukon’s chief veterinary officer, chimed in as well.
“While the situation is evolving and we know that some contaminants take time to accumulate, the Government of Yukon is collaborating with partners and will be asking hunters to submit selected tissues from harvested moose and caribou,” Vanderkop said.
“These data will establish a baseline for long-term monitoring of contaminant levels in tissues from wildlife in the area. Sampling kits and instructions will be available at the Government of Yukon’s Department of Environment offices in the coming weeks.”
Updates will be provided once sampling kits and instructions become available.
Meanwhile, the salmon run is just beginning, according to fish specialist Cameron Sinclair.
The government is consulting the federal Department of Oceans and Fisheries as to how much of a problem the contamination from the mine could present.
From what Sinclair said, not a great deal is known of the spawning patterns in the watershed surrounding the mine.
By the end of the day, the Yukon government will be launching a new information hub on its website incorporating much of the information known about the landslide disaster.
