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Oil leaking from old equipment and barrels at Nanisivk mine, Nunavut government assessing

The Nunavut government says it's working on a clean-up plan after reports of an oil spill near Arctic Bay. 

Government says it will assess site starting next week

Emma Tranter · CBC News ·
Oil on the ground on a flat, rocky area
What appears to be oil on the ground near Arctic Bay at the old Nanisivik mine site on Wednesday. (Submitted by Niore Iqalukjuak )

The Nunavut government says it's working on a clean-up plan after reports of an oil spill near Arctic Bay. 

Photos posted to Facebook show oil on the ground near old barrels and equipment from the Nanisivik lead and zinc mine, which operated about 20 kilometres outside the community from 1976 to 2002. 

In a statement to CBC News, Nunavut's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said it's "working on determining the extent of the contamination at Nanisivik."

Old, rusted oil barrels sit on the ground outside
Old barrels sit a the mine site outside of Arctic Bay. (Submitted by Niore Iqalukjuak )

After those initial assessments the Department of Environment will also assess the site from July 14 to 26. 

Once that's done, Transportation and Infrastructure will develop a plan to remediate the site, the statement said. 

The government said it won't know how long remediation will take until those assessments are complete.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emma Tranter

Reporter/Editor

Emma Tranter is a reporter with CBC North in Yellowknife, mostly covering Nunavut's Kitikmeot region. She worked in journalism in Nunavut for five years, where she reported in Iqaluit for CBC, The Canadian Press and Nunatsiaq News. She can be reached at emma.tranter@cbc.ca.

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