Nanisivik clean-up plan recommends demolishing site

DENISE RIDEOUT

When the Nanisivik mine shuts down this fall, the company that owns it plans to burn the mine bunkhouse, dismantle the dome and ice rink and either burn them or bury them underground, and tear down a small church — unless the government of Nunavut and the hamlet of Arctic Bay come up with an alternative use for the buildings.

The Nanisivik mine, located 25 kilometres east of Arctic Bay, is scheduled to close after 26 years of operation because its ore reserves have run out. Its owner, CanZinco Ltd., a division of Breakwater Resources Ltd. of Toronto, will officially close the lead and zinc mine on Sept. 30.

As part of the closure, the mining company is legally required by the Nunavut Water Board to put together a detailed plan of the steps it will take to remove hazardous waste from the mine site, ensure the surrounding environment isn’t contaminated, and make sure the land can be used again by local residents.

The Nunavut Water Board recently released CanZinco’s plan, called “Nanisivik Mine Closure and Reclamation Plan.”

According to the plan, the mine clean-up will see many of the buildings in the Nanisivik town site — including the church, ice rink and bunkhouse — demolished.

But CanZinco goes to great pains to point out the demolition plan isn’t set in stone. The company says it is open to the idea of keeping the site intact for the community to use.

However, the clean-up plans have to go ahead “until formal agreements are in place to the contrary,” the report says.

Residents of Arctic Bay and Nanisivik have been campaigning to keep the town site intact since November, when the company announced it was shutting down the mine four years earlier than expected.

At a public meeting in January, community members urged the mine’s owners not to demolish the carpentery shop, emergency power plant, dome, ice rink, church and bunkhouse.

In its closure plan, CanZinco highlights the community’s lobbying efforts. “The GN and the hamlet of Arctic Bay have publicly expressed a strong interest in identifying and implementing plans for the continued use of the town and some of the industrial buildings,” the report says.

“Nanisivik Mine shares this interest in identifying alternatives for continued use and has committed to contributing to these projects.”

The report notes the January community meeting where residents batted around ideas for future uses of the site, including turning it into a trades training centre.

“Nanisivik Mine believes the on-going use of Nanisivik mine facilities would provide benefits to northern residents and is committed to working collaboratively with organizations and individuals who are interested in developing concepts,” the company writes in the report.

Clean-up plans

CanZinco has a detailed process for cleaning up the mine site. Once the mining stops, the company plans to either ship out all its underground equipment or bury it in the mine.

The tailings that are generated from the milling operations will be contained. The tailings that are underwater at the West Twin lake will be kept underwater, while tailings above water will be covered with a thick layer of shale.

As for contaminated soil, the mining company will conduct environmental studies this summer to identify areas that are contaminated, and determine what degree of clean-up is required.

They’re proposing to put all contaminated soil underground, where the permafrost will isolate it from the rest of the land.

The landfill will continue to be used during the clean-up stage and will then be covered. The old broken down equipment that is stored at the “bone yard” will be decontaminated and buried.

As for the town site, which grew up around the mine, the company’s plans are to demolish most of the buildings. “The dome and the ice rink are prefabricated structures. They will be dismantled, burnt and/or disposed of underground. The church is a small wood building which will be dismantled and removed,” the plan says.

Other buildings, including the school, nursing station, RCMP office, fire hall, gym, pool and the dock are owned by the GN and the federal government and it’s their responsibility — not CanZinco’s — to decide what happens to them once the mine shuts down.

Officials with the Nunavut Water Board were scheduled to meet with residents of Arctic Bay and Nanisivik on June 6 to review the closure and clean-up plan.

“We hope to have a couple of community workshops where we’ll explain in plain English what Nanisivik Mine plans to do,” said Philippe Di Pizzo, executive director of the water board.

Then, on July 10, the water board will be back in Arctic Bay to hold hearings to get input and reaction to CanZinco’s clean-up plans. At the hearing, members of the public, as well as groups such as the GN and the hamlet can make presentations.

The mine owners say they’ll incorporate feedback from the hearing into any revisions to the closure and clean-up plan.