Contaminants

INAC is focused on accelerating the remediation of contaminated sites in the North to protect the health and safety of Aboriginal people, Northerners, and the integrity of the environment.

What is INAC doing to minimize the impact of contaminants on northern people and the environment in the Northwest Territories?

INAC NT Region is working to reduce localized contamination at former mine, military and exploration sites, and to monitor wider-spread contamination in traditionally harvested foods.

Highlights

In 2005, the Government of Canada introduced the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP)—a $3.5 billion cost-shared program that supports federal departments (including INAC), agencies and consolidated Crown corporations in addressing contaminated sites for which they are responsible. The primary objective of this program is to address the risks that these sites pose to human health and the environment, and to reduce the associated financial liability.

Currently, there are over 25 sites in various stages of remediation in the NWT.

What information is available?

In this section, you will find information related to contaminated sites in the Northwest Territories, and projects underway by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and their partners to remediate these sites.

You'll find information about the remediation process for contaminated sites, and descriptions of some contaminants and hazards commonly found there.

There are also summaries of current remediation activities, as well as information about the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan  and doing business in the NWT for contaminated sites remediation.

You'll also find information on the Northern Contaminants Program, a pan-northern program to monitor and reduce contamination in traditionally harvested foods.

You may also be interested in:

• Giant Mine Remediation Project 
• Northwest Territories Environmental Contaminants Committee 
• Publications