Nunavut review board keeps close watch on derelict mine

The open pit at the abandoned Jericho diamond mine in western Nunavut, where Tahera Diamond Corp. once extracted diamond-bearing kimberlite. The Nunavut Impact Review Board estimates that after diverting some water flows, the pit will be completely filled with water in 11 to 15 years and eventually, resemble a lake. (NIRB IMAGE)

At the same time staff from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada kept an eye on the abandoned Jericho diamond mine this past year, staff from the Nunavut Impact Review Board kept an eye on INAC, the review board said Monday in a monitoring report that looks at cleanup work done this year at the derelict property.

The mine’s last private owner, Shear Minerals, went belly-up and fled from the site in September 2012, leaving multiple unpaid workers and suppliers.

By January 2014, the federal government had declared the mine “abandoned’ and had assumed control and ownership. By 2016, INAC produced a plan, which they began to carry out this past summer to stabilize and remediate the derelict mine.

That also means INAC must pay attention to terms and conditions contained in the Jericho Mine’s original project certificate, given in 2004 to Tahera Diamond Corp., another former owner that also went bankrupt.

In a report released yesterday, the review board said workers contracted by INAC have started that work, which, after it’s completed, will include:

• Collection of contaminated soil for storage onsite or to be transported off-site for disposal.

• Collection and disposal of hazardous wastes for disposal off-site.

• Cleaning and storage of above-ground fuel storage tanks.

• Work aimed at stabilizing a dam, a dyke, various berms and pads, as well work aimed at water-flow management.

As part of their monitoring responsibilities, staff from the review board visited the site on Aug. 22, 2017, along with staff from the Nunavut Water Board, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and three federal departments, including INAC.

By then, INAC’s contractor had already started remediation work and NIRB’s monitoring officer, Davin St. Pierre, noticed that some problems were being fixed.

“As the contractor on-site was actively managing areas of fuel and/or chemical contamination through removal and storage, several areas of concern identified in the past appeared to be undergoing remediation and stabilization,” the report said.

They also saw that the contractor had cleaned out some bulk fuel tanks to make room for the storage of contaminated soils.

The contractor will eventually collect those contaminated soils, cover them with a liner within a berm and cap everything with a pile of processed ore.

As part of their water management work, the contractor breached a dyke and some berms to prevent water from collecting in some areas, and also pumped 58,000 cubic metres of water into the open pit from which Tahera once extracted.

They diverted some water flows into the open pit. They estimate that the pit will be completely filled with water in 11 to 15 years and, eventually, will resemble a lake.

In one of its recommendations, the review board wants INAC to make sure that fencing and other deterrents be put in to keep wildlife away from the site, and to provide a response to that request within 90 days of receiving the monitoring report.

And at their November 2017 board meeting, the review board passed a motion to request that INAC provide them with a detailed report on their stabilization work at Jericho by Dec. 31 each year.

The review board continues to ask Shear Diamonds (Nunavut) to supply annual reports for the period between 2010 and 2015 as well as quarterly reports and wildlife data for the period between 2010 and 2016.

But the moribund company, if it still exists, has displayed no signs of life.

“As of the date of this report, the NIRB has not received acknowledgement of, or responses to, the above noted recommendations from Shear,” states the review board’s site report.