• Q&A | Years in the making: Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in chief weighs in on proposed Dawson regional land use plan

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-15 01:16:47.0
  Tags: [National, Indigenous, Resources, Mining, Environment, Governance]

  Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation Hahke (chief) Darren Taylor expressed hope that a final agreement on the Dawson regional land use plan will be reached with the Yukon government in 2027. The proposed plan outlines acceptable land uses across 40,000 square kilometres in north-central Yukon, balancing environmental protection, stewardship, and historic preservation with economic development and critical mineral resource extraction. Chief Taylor emphasized that without the plan, the First Nation will withhold support for regional mining and development projects unless companies negotiate direct Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs).

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• C-37 (45-1) - First Nations Clean Water Act

  Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
  Date: 2026-10-09 13:20:48.0
  Tags: [National, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Environment, Governance]

  Bill C-37, titled the First Nations Clean Water Act and introduced by the Minister of Indigenous Services, has completed second reading and was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAN) on October 9, 2026. The legislation establishes a comprehensive federal framework regarding water, source water, drinking water, wastewater, and related infrastructure on First Nation lands. The bill builds upon previous class-action litigation settlements concerning safe drinking water in First Nations communities and is accompanied by a historic funding commitment and a departmental Charter Statement tabled on September 25, 2026.

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• Gov't consultations underway on shutdown of N.W.T.'s Ekati diamond mine watchdog

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-07 11:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Mining, Environment, Indigenous, Resources, Governance]

  The Northwest Territories and federal governments have initiated consultations on the proposed dissolution of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency (IEMA), the watchdog organization that has monitored developments at the Ekati diamond mine for nearly three decades. The mine, operated by the now-receivership Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, ended production earlier this year and is currently a public liability managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers using a $326-million reclamation security fund. Territorial and federal officials are considering whether funds allocated to IEMA should be redirected directly to site reclamation activities. Indigenous governments—including the Tłı̨chǫ Government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation, North Slave Métis Alliance, and Kitikmeot Inuit Association—alongside IEMA executive director Mark Casas, are participating in the input process regarding the future of the environmental agreement and independent oversight.

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• Clean-up almost done at abandoned mine site on First Nation settlement land in Yukon

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-22 17:54:56.0
  Tags: [National, Mining, Environment, Indigenous, Resources, Governance]

  The Yukon government spent approximately $750,000 to remediate the abandoned Discovery Creek placer mine site located on Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation settlement land west of Carmacks. Contracted through KBL Environmental, crews removed 300 cubic metres of contaminated soil and over 19,000 litres of diesel fuel hydrocarbons, alongside machinery, vehicles, and trailers, after land guardians discovered the site in 2022 following the owner's death in 2021. First Nation officials criticized the four-year gap between the site's discovery and cleanup, advocating for a formalized territorial framework and contingency fund to ensure rapid responses to environmental contamination on settlement lands.

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