September 2, 2024
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Affirms Support for First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in (TH) affirms its support for the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun
(FNNND) and their demand for the suspension of all mining activity, other than care and
maintenance or remediation, within FNNND traditional territory until such time as the
Eagle Gold mine heap leach failure is remediated and root causes of the disaster are
addressed. We also want to thank Chief Dawna Hope and FNNND for their immediate and
honourable response to this tragedy and acknowledge their dedication to ongoing
collaboration and communication with our government and Citizens. We will continue to
work with FNNND to help determine and make public the full extent of this environmental
disaster and its true impacts to our water, lands, and inherent Aboriginal rights.
We have also noted the Yukon Government’s recent actions that resulted in Victoria Gold
being placed into receivership and express our concerns that this decision may leave
Yukon taxpayers to foot the bill for remediation both within the disaster site and
downstream. We understand from YG officials that the cost of cleaning up the damage left
behind by the Eagle Gold Mine disaster could be as high as $150 million. It is currently
unclear on how these funds will be provided. Yukoners should not have to pay for a mess
created by inadequate mine management; Victoria Gold must be held accountable in full
for all clean-up costs associated with the disaster.
We are gravely concerned for FNNND citizens and the impact of this ongoing incident to
their inherent Aboriginal subsistence harvest rights, and we have many questions about
who will compensate FNNND for the loss of rights enshrined in both the Canadian
Constitution and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Final Agreement. Throughout
Yukon’s history, it is the First Nations who have paid the ultimate price in mining disasters,
and we are saddened at the prospect of yet another broken promise to Yukon First Nations
people.
The future of mining in the Yukon must respect and uphold First Nation authority over our
lands and Traditional Territory, and it must ensure any mining operations with the territory
meet the highest standard of environmental and cultural stewardship, as defined by First
Nations. For TH, we wish to affirm that moving forward, no major mine in our traditional
territory will have our support without a comprehensive and meaningful benefit agreement
to the satisfaction of our government, along with guarantees that mining activities will be
undertaken in a sustainable way that respects the environment, TH rights, and TH
priorities. We will no longer tolerate a mine plan that does not consider our rights and
interests at its forefront.
TH confirms that it has worked closely with Newmont Gold over many years and, more
recently in light of this disaster, with renewed conviction on the proposed Coffee Gold
mine. We will continue to be steadfast in our efforts to ensure that the Coffee Gold heap
leach facility is designed and permitted in a manner that achieves industry best practices
in safety and environmental responsibility. As part of this work, we understand Newmont
Gold is conducting a third-party review of the proposed heap leach facility at Coffee Gold,
and we commit to fully evaluating and promoting any necessary changes that come out of
that review. We look forward to continuing our collaboration through the coming regulatory
processes and incorporating, as appropriate, what we have learned from the Eagle Gold
Mine failure into the mine plans at Coffee Gold. For this reason and more, it is critical that
Yukon Government and Victoria Gold commit to full transparency and an independent
investigation.
On August 5, 2024, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai stated, “more needs to be done to protect
public health and the environment”. We agree, and further, we call on the Yukon
Government to continue working with TH and other First Nations to develop and adopt
modernized mining legislation that is transformational to the way mining is managed in the
Yukon. We must build a system of accountability and forward planning that upholds the
rights and interests of First Nation Final Agreements and their authority over their lands and
waters, respecting the reality that mining is not always the best use of land. We must have
a system that allows for the equitable sharing of economic benefits, and most importantly,
we must ensure our laws guarantee adequate and effective systems for monitoring and
enforcement, with just penalties for infractions.
We are eager to meet with Yukon Government in the very near future to expedite the
process of protecting the future of all Yukoners. It is of the utmost importance that we work
together to make sure a disaster like this can never happen here again.
Contact
Elaine Corden
Director of Communications and Policy
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in
(604) 345 – 2140
