New study examines archived letters that show how early feds, mine officials knew of Giant's arsenic problem

Liny Lamberink · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

One of the chiefs of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation says decades-old communications that amusement national and mining officials knew astir arsenic contamination from Giant Mine aboriginal connected reaffirm what elders successful his assemblage person been saying. 

"I'm highly blessed and arrogant that my members [have] remembered the stories and … the bittersweet past of Giant Mine, with losing immoderate of our children, losing immoderate of our dogs, and the devastation that came with it," said Ernest Betsina, main of Dettah. 

A paper published earlier this period successful the diary Facets looks astatine 547 letters and h2o samples from astir Yellowknife betwixt 1949 and 1956 successful the aboriginal days of golden mining astatine some Con and Giant mines. 

Mike Palmer, an aquatic idiosyncratic and manager of the North Slave Research Centre, said helium was made alert of the documents by the Giant Mine Oversight Board, which had retrieved them done Library and Archives Canada. 

"We were really, truly impressed with the concerted effort that nationalist wellness officials enactment into documenting the organisation of arsenic successful and astir the situation astatine that time," helium said. 

Not lone was helium impressed by the prime of the more-than-75-year-old data, but Palmer said helium was besides amazed however aboriginal mining and national officials were alert that arsenic was polluting the environment. 

"The communicative I had heard was that, you know, radical were doing the champion they could astatine the clip and if they knew determination was a occupation they would person stopped it," said Palmer. "And that intelligibly wasn't the case." 

'It surely is disturbing'

Giant Mine operated successful Yellowknife from 1948 to 2004, and released poisonous particulate into the aerial and h2o surrounding the mine. In that time, it produced astir 198 tonnes of golden and much than 237,000 tonnes of highly toxic arsenic trioxide dust, which is contained underground. 

Remediation of the site, 1 of the astir contaminated successful Canada, began successful 2021.

A two-year-old lad from N'dilo died of arsenic poisoning successful 1951. Letters examined successful Palmer's survey indicate, however, that the archetypal documented lawsuit of arsenic poisoning happened successful February 1949. 

"Roasting commenced connected 29th January, 1949, and by mid February the archetypal quality lawsuit of poisoning reached hospital," reads a missive from Dr. Kingsley Kay, the caput of the Industrial Health Laboratory for the Department of National Health and Welfare successful a missive to different national wellness authoritative connected Dec. 6, 1949. 

It goes connected to accidental 2 men who had been drinking snowfall h2o astatine a campy adjacent Giant were hospitalized and their urine samples led to a diagnosis of arsenic poisoning. The missive besides notes six cows that "unquestionably died from arsenic poisoning" and that "fatal poisoning of wildlife was observed widely" arsenic well. 

Kay recommended successful the aforesaid missive that ore roasting halt until biology mitigation technologies were added to Giant. The study says that the Department of National Health and Welfare besides called for ore roasting to stop. 

But it says the Northwest Territories Council, which is what governed the territory earlier the Legislative Assembly was formed, did not o.k. that recommendation. The study says Con Mine installed an biology power successful the summertime of 1949 and was able to bring its arsenic emissions down by 95 per cent.

Giant Mine installed a benignant of power successful 1951 to trim emissions arsenic well, but accumulation besides ramped up which meant that wide emissions didn't spell down. It wasn't until a second control was installed successful 1955 and a baghouse for arsenic postulation was installed successful 1959 that emissions were reduced. 

"Despite acknowledgement of the nationalist wellness risks associated with arsenic-bearing emissions successful the region, Giant Mine continued to emit much than 2,000 tonnes [of] arsenic trioxide per twelvemonth to the surrounding landscape," Palmer's survey reads.

"It surely is disturbing," said Betsina.

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation has agelong been pushing the national authorities for an apology and compensation for the harm Giant excavation inflicted. Palmer hopes the study — and the documents it sheds airy connected — tin beryllium utilized arsenic grounds successful that process. 

"It reassures that we indispensable proceed the combat for an apology and compensation due to the fact that we beryllium that to my people," said Betsina. "We cannot fto this record spell connected the wayside and [let the] national authorities enactment it connected the shelf."