First Nation, chamber of mines blast Yukon gov't's efforts to develop new mining laws

The Yukon government's efforts to develop new mining legislation are coming under fire, from both a First Nation and the territory's chamber of mines.

In a statement on Wednesday, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, based in Mayo, Yukon, said it "rejects" the government's framework for new legislation, because it's ignored the First Nation's concerns and doesn't go far enough to fix how mining is done in the territory.   

"It is at best a modest improvement on the status quo," said Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Chief Dawna Hope in a statement.

"The time for modest improvements is over. Yukon government has allowed unsustainable mining to continue for generations."

In a separate statement on Thursday, the Yukon Chamber of Mines also slammed the government's developed framework but for different reasons. The chamber's executive director Jonas Smith says it would "introduce sweeping changes which disregard established conventions and would threaten the Yukon's ability to remain viable and competitive in a global investment market." 

Smith also complains of "proposals that were clearly conceived in a vacuum absent of industry perspective," but did not provide more detail.

He also said the chamber hasn't been given enough time to review the framework and consult with its membership.

"For these reasons we are not in a position to support it at this time," he wrote.   

The territorial government has been working for years to develop new legislation that will replace the Quartz Mining Act and Placer Mining Act. Some of the territory's laws and regulations around mining have not changed in a century. The government says it has been working closely with First Nations to determine how to best update the legislation.

In a statement to CBC News, Yukon government cabinet spokesperson Laura Seeley said a draft framework was developed with a steering committee, "led by a small group that included several First Nation legal representatives." That included the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND), she wrote.  

"If we collectively agree on a framework it will act as a commitment to key elements of new minerals legislation. After that, it will be up to each First Nation to decide whether they want to sign on."

After that, she said, "we'll figure out how we'll be able to proceed with this legislation." 

Na-Cho Nyäk Dun says it has been working with the territory and other First Nations for four years, trying in good faith to develop new legislation "that works for all parties."

However, the First Nation says its interests always seemed to take a backseat.

"At every turn, our rights were ignored and our voice was unheard. Our interests were discarded. The outcomes we sought were unilaterally rejected by Yukon government representatives time and again," Hope said, in her statement.

She also criticized the territory for not providing enough money for her First Nation to fully participate in the years-long process. She said the First Nation had to use some of its own money, "taking dollars away from FNNND-driven initiatives around land use planning, health and well-being, housing, and other critical priorities."

The First Nation has been outspoken in its criticism of Yukon's mining regime, particularly since the failure of the Eagle mine on its traditional territory a year ago. That has created an environmental disaster, contaminating the ground and local waterways, and it will take years to clean up.  

"Yukon government ... sat back and allowed an unsafe mine to continue operating on our territory, and our people will be paying the price of the Eagle gold mine catastrophe for generations," Hope said.

"Moving forward, mining in FNNND's territory will be governed by our own mining policy, as directed by our citizens."