I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Braden of March 30, 2004, regarding the reclamation standards required under the Con Mine leases.
The leases currently held b Miramar Con Mine required that the land be restored to an environmentally safe and reusable condition, to the satisfaction of the deputy minister of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
The Government of the Northwest Territories' position regarding the reclamation standard for the Con Mine property, including the Con and Rycon trailer courts, is to require MCM to remediate the land to an industrial standard for arsenic, and any other contaminants that may be present on the site. In determining what an environmentally safe and reusable condition is, the deputy minister will refer to existing industrial standards sand guidelines under territorial and federal legislation.
The GNWT's position requiring the reclamation of the Con Mine site, including the Con and Rycon trailer courts, is based on the following factors:
- The primary use of the land has been to conduct an industrial mining operation, and the land has been used for that purpose since the late 1930s. There is evidence to suggest that the trailer court lands were actively worked as part of the overall mining operation prior to the development of the trailer courts. Historical aerial photographs suggest that exploration activities were conducted on the trailer court lands, and that they were used for the storage of waste mine materials, in support of the industrial mining activity.
- The trailer court development was only envisioned as a temporary measure to house mine employees, in response to a critical housing shortage in the city of Yellowknife in the early 2970s. The trailer courts were never intended to become a permanent residential area. The trailer courts were developed
- with the sole objective of housing mine employees. MCM's employees are an essential component of the ability of the mine to carry out its mining operation, and are, therefore, an integral part of the overall industrial activity that has historically been undertaken on the property.
- The request for the transfer of the trailer court lands is based on use of the land for residential purposes. The GNWT's position is that the responsibility to remediate the land to the appropriate standard for the proposed land use is to be borne by the party that is interested in acquiring the land, if that land use changes with the transfer of ownership.
MACA has communicated the GNWT's position respecting the industrial standard to the City of Yellowknife. The department will continue to consult with the City of Yellowknife on the industrial standard, through the joint working group established by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, to review MCM's draft abandonment and restoration plan, and through other forums that the City of Yellowknife may deem appropriate.