Project History

In 1999, Mount Nansen mine was declared abandoned and the Government of Canada took charge of the site. In 2003, the Yukon Government, the Canadian Government as well as Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, were involved in the planning and development of a remediation plan. The three governments conducted an evaluation process in 2011 to determine the remediation option that best meets the objectives.

By 2012, a preferred remediation plan was agreed upon by all three governments, which includes:

  • Backfill the pit with tailings and contaminated material;
  • Demolish the mill and other abandoned buildings;
  • Install a cover pit;
  • Remove the tailings dam; and,
  • Restore the Dome Creek valley

The conceptual remediation plan was completed and accepted by all three governments in 2014.

In 2019, Mount Nansen Remediation Limited Partnership signed agreements with the Government of Canada and Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation to undertake the remediation and environmental monitoring of the Mount Nansen site.

Our Objective

What are our remediation objectives for the abandoned Mount Nansen mine site?

Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, Government of Canada and Yukon Government have agreed on five objectives for the remediation of the site:

  • Protect human health and safety;
  • Protect and restore the environment including land, air, water, as well as fish and wildlife and their habitat;
  • Return the mine site to an acceptable state that reflects original, traditional and pre-mining land use;
  • Maximize local and Yukon and First Nation benefits; and,
  • Manage risk in a cost-effective manner.

Project Timeline