Indigenous groups weigh in on closure plans for N.W.T.'s Diavik mine, urge more use of traditional knowledge

Nadeer Hashmi · CBC News

· Posted: May 26, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 26

Some Indigenous groups successful the N.W.T. are weighing successful connected Diavik Diamond Mine's closure plans, and saying Indigenous accepted cognition should play a bigger relation successful those plans.

The closure represents "the astir important clip successful the mine's life," according to the Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation (LKDFN), successful a written submission to the Wek'èezhìi Land and Water Board ahead of Diavik's h2o licence renewal. The First Nation says the mine's closure will determine however steadfast the onshore and h2o volition beryllium aft the cognition is gone.

Diavik is acceptable to adjacent aboriginal 2026, and its h2o licence, which authorizes h2o usage and discarded discharge, expires astatine the extremity of this year. A nationalist proceeding connected the h2o licence renewal exertion volition beryllium held successful Behchoko from June 10 to 12.

In its letter to the onshore and h2o board, LKDFN urges that a information to beryllium added requiring Diavik to question support from a panel of accepted cognition holders for all tract closure objectives. The First Nation says that should beryllium successful summation to the scientific monitoring that Diavik has recommended.

"Science unsocial volition not instill assurance successful the assemblage that h2o is harmless to drink, food are harmless to eat, that particulate levels, revegetation, and scenery features are acceptable," LKDFN's submission reads.

The First Nation says that lone erstwhile scientists and accepted cognition holders agree connected these issues volition the excavation closure beryllium deemed successful. 

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) raised akin concerns successful its letter to the onshore and h2o board. 

Matthew Spence, CEO of the First Nation, wrote successful the letter that arsenic things basal now, YKDFN is "deeply acrophobic that the outcomes of closure volition spot continued impacts connected the environment, harming the instrumentality of our people." 

"For the YKDFN, harmless is much than lack of harm. Safe means that our members and their families tin spell to Ek'a Ti and cognize that not lone volition it [not] harm them, but that they tin unrecorded and prosper," Spence said.

YKDFN's missive besides points to conflicting perspectives erstwhile it comes to h2o prime astir the site, saying Diavik's science-based attack to sampling suggests the h2o prime is acceptable while traditional cognition studies suggest otherwise.

The First Nation says its astir caller results from a monitoring campy successful 2024 recovered lone 2 of 15 food caught astatine the camp were deemed steadfast capable for further sampling and consumption.

"At this point, YKDFN are acrophobic that the strategy places the overwhelming reliance connected the sampling programs based connected Western science, with a nonaccomplishment to supply for meaningful incorporation of the concerns founded successful TK [traditional knowledge] observations," the missive reads.

Other closed mines near 'negative perspectives astir mining'

Another Indigenous authorities is more optimistic astir Diavik's closure plans.

The Tłı̨chǫ authorities says it hopes the Diavik closure leaves a affirmative legacy, and doesn't repetition the biology harm seen astatine older sites successful the territory similar Giant Mine, oregon the Rayrock uranium mine.

Brett Wheler, a elder advisor with Tłı̨chǫ Government's section of civilization and lands protection, says they privation to spot much h2o investigating done earlier Diavik closes.

Wheler said different mines that near without a due clean-up had long-standing impacts.

"That's caused harm to the situation and to radical and it's fixed benignant of a antagonistic narration oregon antagonistic perspectives astir mining," Wheler said.

He said the large areas of the Diavik tract person already been cleaned up adjacent earlier the mining is finished, which is simply a bully sign. 

"From a method position and from the elders' accepted and taste perspective, erstwhile we spell connected site, we spot that that clean-up enactment that's already been completed arsenic truly positive," Wheler said.

Wheler described however Diavik is readying to marque definite the h2o stays cleanable by putting a heavy furniture of cleanable rock on apical of each discarded stone piles. That means erstwhile determination is rainfall oregon snow, the h2o volition not come into interaction with the discarded stone earlier moving disconnected into natural streams and down to adjacent Lac de Gras.

"That's the archetypal benignant of big, large measurement to effort to support the h2o clean. So astir of that has been done already," Wheler said.

Still, the Tłı̨chǫ authorities is recommending cautious h2o testing to guarantee it's harmless and steadfast for Tłıcho citizens using the h2o and onshore astir that area.

"We privation to marque definite that if determination are immoderate tiny effects that are going to beryllium longer-term aft the excavation is closed, that those are truly arsenic tiny arsenic imaginable and that they don't person immoderate information oregon wellness risks," Wheler said. 

The Diavik excavation is expected to beryllium the archetypal of the N.W.T.'s 3 diamond mines to adjacent successful the coming years, with Ekati expected to run until 2029 and Gahcho Kué expected to run until about 2030.