Federal gov't appoints B.C. lawyer to assess impacts of Giant Mine on Indigenous communities

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 6

The national authorities has appointed a ministerial peculiar typical to measure the impacts of Giant Mine adjacent Yellowknife, specifically arsenic it relates to the interaction connected Indigenous communities and humanities pact rights.

In a quality release, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Gary Anandasangaree named Murray Rankin — a lawyer, erstwhile British Columbia MP and MLA, who besides served arsenic curate of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation for the province.

The connection said Rankin volition enactment independently and study straight to the curate of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.

"His acquisition and cognition volition enactment aboriginal recommendations to code the harms that resulted from the Giant Mine operations," the merchandise said.

Giant Mine operated successful Yellowknife from 1948 to 2004, and released poisonous particulate into the aerial and h2o surrounding the mine. In that time, it produced astir 198 tonnes of golden and much than 237,000 tonnes of highly toxic arsenic trioxide dust, which is contained underground. Remediation of the site, 1 of the astir contaminated successful Canada, began successful 2021. 

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation has agelong pushed the national authorities for compensation and an apology for the semipermanent cultural, societal and biology impacts of Giant Mine, arsenic good arsenic economical benefits from the much than $4-billion remediation project. The First Nation says Giant Mine resulted successful the demolition of its accepted lands and harvesting areas, and violated its pact rights.

The Yellowknives Dene signed 3 agreements with the authorities of Canada successful 2021, which outlined however they would determination guardant to collaborate connected compensation, remediation and an apology, and included a assemblage benefits statement that promised up to $20 cardinal implicit 10 years to enactment the First Nation's information successful the remediation.

In 2023, they signed a procurement agreement to summation opportunities for Indigenous radical done the remediation project, including prioritizing contracts with Indigenous-owned businesses, and tougher penalties for companies that neglect to conscionable Indigenous hiring commitments.

Final study owed successful 2026

A last study from the ministerial peculiar typical is expected successful 2026, which will supply "recommendations and insights to enactment a solution and beforehand the way toward reconciliation and healing."

"Addressing humanities injustices and moving successful concern with Indigenous communities is cardinal to advancing reconciliation successful Canada," the merchandise said.

Rankin was quoted arsenic saying he's "deeply honoured" to instrumentality connected this role.

"Throughout my career, I person worked alongside Indigenous communities to uphold rights, beforehand reconciliation, and question meaningful solutions to analyzable challenges. I look guardant to engaging with partners to amended recognize the mine's impacts connected Treaty rights and to enactment unneurotic to place a conscionable and equitable way forward."

According to the property release, Rankin besides has expertise successful Indigenous, biology and nationalist law.