A Remediation Plan for Giant Mine was developed by INAC and its Technical Advisor, after extensive consultation with the general public, other government departments and industry experts. The Remediation Plan was subsequently vetted by an Independent Peer Review Panel. In 2007, the Remediation Plan for Giant Mine was submitted to the regulatory process in support of a water license application.

The Remediation Plan is the blueprint for cleaning-up the Giant Mine site to ensure that human health and safety and the environment are protected for the future.

The current state of Giant Mine is unacceptable. The site has been impacted by more than 50 years of gold mining and ore processing. Arsenic trioxide stored underground must be effectively managed to protect human health and safety, and the environment. The Remediation Plan explains how this will be done, and also describes general site clean-up activities on the surface.

The Remediation Plan covers the clean-up of the entire mine site, including the management of the 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust currently stored underground, remediation of tailings ponds, and the demolition of buildings and other surface structures. More details are available on our website: www.giant.gc.ca

The Remediation Plan was thoroughly reviewed by technical advisors and subject matter experts to ensure it addressed all the issues associated with cleaning up the mine site. It covers all surface and underground aspects of the clean-up of Giant Mine. It does not address future uses of the site after the remediation is completed.

INAC needs to apply for a water license as part of the regulatory process first, and get approval for the Remediation Plan before the clean-up work can begin.

The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board (MVLWB) issues water licenses throughout the Mackenzie Valley under the Northwest Territories Waters Act. The MVLWB will provide an initial screening of the water license application – including the Remediation Plan – and decide whether to proceed with licencing, send the application back to INAC for further studies or review, deny the application, or refer it to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) for environmental assessment.

We expect that the surface remediation may take five years to complete, while the complete freezing of the underground arsenic trioxide chambers and surrounding areas may take approximately 10 years to complete.

Most of the arsenic trioxide will stay safely sealed in the underground chambers behind concrete bulkheads and will be frozen. Any soils on the surface that are contaminated will be excavated and disposed of safely at the mine site.

Yes. The Remediation Plan includes clean-up methods that have been successfully used at other contaminated sites across North America. Safety measures that were developed for other clean-up projects in North America have also been adopted for the remediation of Giant Mine.

The Remediation Plan – along with all supporting documentation – is available through our public registry located on the 1st floor of the Waldron Building in Yellowknife. An Executive Summary of the Remediation Plan is also available through our website: www.giant.gc.ca

The Remediation Plan is a comprehensive plan with more than 40 supporting documents, including diagrams, tables, projections and illustrations. It forms a stack of binders nearly two feet high!

Giant Mine Remediation Joint Project Office

2^nd Floor, Waldron Building, 5103 - 48th St.,
Yellowknife, NT X1A 1N5
Tel.: (867) 669-2426
Fax: (867) 669-2439
Email: giantmine@ainc-inac.gc.ca
www.giant.gc.ca
QS-Y289-004-EE-A1 Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre:
Plan d'assainissement 101