Question Period Note: Giant Mine Remediation Project

• Our Government continues to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous rights holders and partners, and other stakeholders to advance the cleanup and remediation of Giant Mine.
• The five-year land use permit was issued on August 7, 2020, and the twenty-year water license was issued on September 18, 2020.
• These regulatory approvals allowed the Government to begin remediation at the site, including breaking ground on the non-hazardous waste landfill, in July 2021.

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If pressed on the timing of the Giant Mine Remediation Project
• The current baseline schedule for the implementation or remediation phase of the GMRP shows project completion by March 31, 2038.

• The schedule has been extended by several years to account for changes in scope as a result of legally-binding measures from the Environmental Assessment, the final Closure and Reclamation Plan, as well as the Project Implementation Plan.

• The new schedule also ensures we have the ability to spread out the work to maximize benefits to northern and Indigenous companies and to ensure they have the capacity and resources to be competitive.

If pressed on the Giant Mine Oversight Board
• The Government continues to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous rights holders and partners, and other stakeholders to advance the closure and reclamation plan while managing risks to human health and the environment.
• We continue to engage as we develop and execute the closure and reclamation plan. We welcome views from interested parties, including the independent Giant Mine Oversight Board, to foster a strong and lasting trust moving forward.
If pressed on Giant Mine perpetual care planning
• A Giant Mine Perpetual Care Plan is required to document how the Giant Mine site will be managed post-remediation and how future generations will be informed about the site.
• A Task Force of team members and key stakeholders has worked collaboratively to develop a detailed framework that outlines all of the main elements of the Perpetual Care Plan.
• The Project Team, with input from the Task Force, is currently in the process of contracting the services of a consultant who will bring the necessary expertise to develop the first draft of the Perpetual Care Plan, in 2022-23.
If pressed on the socio-economic approach
• Canada strives to deliver social and economic benefits to Indigenous and Northern communities through investments in the remediation of the mine.

• The Socio-Economic Strategy which was co-developed with stakeholders to help ensure Northern and Indigenous employment is maximized, is being updated to reflect the scope of the project from 2022 onwards.
• Key performance indicators and associated targets have been developed in collaboration with rights holders and stakeholders to measure the project’s socio-economic success. These indicators are collected monthly and are reported on at the end of each fiscal year.
If pressed on Giant Mine Socio-Economic Benefits
• From 2005 to June 2022, $313 million (48%), out of approximately $648 million, in contracts has been awarded to Indigenous contractors.

• As the Project advances towards the Implementation Phase, starting in 2022, it is expected that additional socio-economic opportunities will become available for Indigenous Peoples and all Northerners.

• On August 13, 2021, the Government and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation signed a co-developed Community Benefits Agreement.

If pressed on the Community Benefits Agreement
• The Agreement outlines how the parties are working together to help the First Nation achieve socio-economic benefits from the remediation project.
• The goal of the Agreement is to provide more certainty to the Yellowknives Dene First Nation with respect to socio-economic benefits resulting from long-term project commitments.

• This agreement includes funding of up to $20 million over 10 years to support capacity building during the Active Remediation and Adaptive Management phase of the Giant Mine Remediation Project.

If pressed on Giant Mine Remediation Project Procurement
• Canada and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation have developed a terms sheet to guide future procurement discussions.

• An additional agreement, called the Procurement Framework Agreement, will be finalized in the coming months and will ensure a common understanding of how Canada and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation will work together on procurement matters.

If pressed on Giant Mine Apology and Compensation
• On August 13, 2021, the Government and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation signed the co-developed Collaborative Process Protocol Agreement.

• This Agreement guides how Canada and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation will work collaboratively to address the request for apology and compensation regarding the historical operation of the Giant Mine site.

• Apology and compensation discussions with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation are active, ongoing and collaborative.

• Funding, of $2 million over two years, has been secured through Budget 2022 to support the Yellowknives Dene First Nation’s continued participation in the collaborative process.

If pressed on contamination off the Giant Mine site
• The Yellowknife Garden Metals Study concluded that although local vegetables have slightly higher levels of arsenic than those from the grocery store, they represent a very low risk and are safe to eat.
• The Government of the Northwest Territories is supported by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and other federal departments to proactively manage this public concern.
• Together, we are ensuring that the public, local and Indigenous Peoples, and visitors are fully informed of potential risks to human health.
If pressed on the Giant Mine Health Effects Monitoring Program
• The Health Effects Monitoring Program, is an additional study being led by the University of Ottawa, with Health Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, North Slave Métis Alliance and the City of Yellowknife.
• The results of the study demonstrated that levels of exposure to arsenic for children and adults are well below the reference level derived from the Canadian Health Measure Survey (of 21µg/L).
• Summary results were shared with the public during three community meetings in May and June 2019.
• Youth (ages 3 to 17 in 2017) will be invited to participate in a follow-up study in 2022-23, and a follow-up study for all participants is planned for 2027-28.
If pressed on the Giant Mine Cost Increases
• Our Government’s investment in the remediation of the Giant Mine site is necessary to protect the local people and environment. It will also provide significant opportunities for social-economic benefits for Northern and Indigenous peoples.

• The Giant Mine Remediation Project reached a significant milestone in July 2021, when early remediation work began. This represents years of tremendous work by the project team, community partners, rights and stakeholders, technical experts, and members of the public.

• The new total project cost, estimated at $4.38 billion, includes: historical expenditures of $710 million; updated inflation data; and, the legally binding measures of the regulatory process which incorporates the interests of Indigenous, territorial, and community partners.