Say it ain't sooooooooooooo ... (this mine is a heartbreaker)
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- Published on Thursday, 27 February 2020 07:02
- Written by editor
The Yukon is developing something of a reputation for its abandoned mines.
The Narwhal previously reported on the abandoned Faro mine, considered to be the second-worst contaminated site in all of Canada.
But there's a new bad kid on the block: the Wolverine mine.
Earlier this month The Narwhal sent contributor Lori Fox to a stuffy room in the Yukon Supreme Court to listen in on the government's argument that they're owed an outstanding $25 million to cover the costs of the now-flooded mine's maintenance and clean up.
The mine, which only operated for a paltry three years, was run by Yukon Zinc, owned by Jinduicheng Canada Resources Corp., a private Chinese company. They're in court too, but arguing they don't owe the Yukon a dime.
The Wolverine mine now joins a long list of the North's 'zombie mines' and the growing burden they represent to taxpayers.
As readers of The Narwhal know well, B.C. also has a problem with abandoned mines and their costly reclamation price tags.
Recently we (actually you, our generous readers!) sent a journalist to document the infamous Tulsequah Chief mine that has been leaching acid mine drainage into local waterways for more than half a century. We also sent a team out to the site of Vancouver Island's Mount Washington mine, which, like Wolverine, operated for only three years but left devastating impacts on a local river and its salmon population in its wake.
For such a small team, we really get around, huh?
As always, we have so much more for you this week. Please read on and be sure to forward this email to a friend or two!
Thanks for reading,
Emma Gilchrist
Editor-in-Chief
Yukon seeks $25 million in outstanding cleanup fees from owners of shuttered, contaminated Wolverine mine
By Lori FoxAfter operating for just three years, Yukon Zinc, owned by a private Chinese company, left the territory with unpaid security deposits and a flooded mine site, polluted with cadmium, selenium, copper and lead. Read more.
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Thanks to The Intercept for the shoutout to our recent investigation by Martin Lukacs and Shiri Pasternak that uncovered documents showing how industry and government sought the ‘surrender’ of Indigenous land rights in the wake of the precedent-setting Delgamuukw decision.We're big fans of The Intercept, and are happy to see our Wet'suwet'en coverage getting international attention.