Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the liability at Giant Mine is largely federal. The federal government, we believe, will assume liability for the $250 million estimated amount of liability with Giant Mine in the event that the owner is unable to cover that liability. The Government of the Northwest Territories is responsible for the surface reclamation and remedial work that would be required, estimated in the neighbourhood of perhaps under $10 million. It is true that we are working to find ways to keep Giant Mine operating, at least in the short term. We know that the huge environmental liability, much of which has happened under previous governments from a time when environmental laws were not so stringent, and environmental knowledge was not yet of the state that it is in today. We are working on the Giant Mine issue, primarily to keep it going so that, while it is still possible to be productive and marginally profitable, we should continue that operation to protect the jobs that are at stake there. In the meantime, we are also working to pressure the private sector or the federal government to address the environmental liability, that is the massive amounts of arsenic that are stored underground, to see if we can start to address some work and some resources towards perhaps starting a cleanup program of that. Thank you.
Stephen Kakfwi on Question 181-13(7): Environmental Impact Of Mining Developments
In the Legislative Assembly on May 11th, 1999. See this statement in context.
Further Return To Question 181-13(7): Environmental Impact Of Mining Developments
Question 181-13(7): Environmental Impact Of Mining Developments
Item 6: Oral Questions
May 10th, 1999
Page 526
See context to find out what was said next.