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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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Whitehorse City Council rejects potential mineral exploration expansion
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-15 00:11:57.0
Tags: [Municipal, Mining, Resources, Environment, Governance, Indigenous]By a 4-to-3 vote, the Whitehorse City Council rejected a petition by Gladiator Metals to amend municipal bylaws and the official community plan to permit mineral exploration across three areas currently designated as greenspace within the Whitehorse copper belt. The defeated amendments drew divided public and council opinions concerning industrial environmental impacts versus economic reconciliation and resource development opportunities supported by the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch’än Council. Council members opposed to the changes cited a lack of sufficient scientific and environmental justification, leaving the restrictive zoning status quo in place.
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Alberta Court of Appeal says Impact Assessment Act is still unconstitutional
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-09 22:16:10.0
Tags: [Alberta, National, Environment, Energy, Resources, Governance]In a 4-1 decision, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government's Impact Assessment Act (originally passed as Bill C-69) remains unconstitutional because it still grants federal authorities the power to halt projects entirely within provincial jurisdiction based on minimal federal impacts. The legal challenge was brought by Alberta with backing from Ontario and Saskatchewan, following previous rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on the federal government to accept the ruling and avoid another appeal, while federal officials stated they are reviewing the decision. Meanwhile, the federal government is attempting to transfer energy project reviews to the Canada Energy Regulator through Bill C-39 while maintaining compliance with the Impact Assessment Act.
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Proposed framework would nearly double land available for mineral exploration in Whitehorse
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-08 00:41:19.0
Tags: [National, Municipal, Mining, Resources, Governance, Environment]City of Whitehorse staff have tabled proposed amendments to municipal policies, zoning bylaws, and the official community plan to establish a new mineral framework. The framework will nearly double the amount of land available for mineral exploration from 1,128 to approximately 2,200 hectares through the inclusion of "future planning areas," while implementing explicit regulations such as a 500-metre buffer between homes and exploration sites, a 100-metre setback from watercourses, mandatory bonding, and site reclamation standards.
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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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N.W.T. minister won't reconsider wind-down of Diavik oversight board
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-29 18:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Resources, Mining, Governance]The Northwest Territories' Environment and Climate Change Minister, Jay Macdonald, has rejected a formal request from the Environmental Monitoring and Advisory Board (EMAB) to reconsider the scheduled wind-down of the Diavik diamond mine oversight board by March. EMAB chair Charlie Catholique and advocacy groups like Alternatives North argued that terminating independent monitoring before full site remediation is complete violates the mine's original social licence and public commitments. Meanwhile, the Ekati diamond mine remains under public receivership managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, raising ongoing concerns among policy analysts and former legislators regarding the adequacy of territorial oversight, Indigenous co-management resources, and long-term environmental protection.
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Canada led a 2022 deal to protect the world's nature. Has there been progress since then?
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-29 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Climate, Resources, Infrastructure, Governance]Following the 2022 UN COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal where Canada helped broker a global agreement to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030, a new assessment reveals current commitments will likely achieve only 27 per cent of terrestrial and 12 per cent of marine protection. International biodiversity financing for developing nations currently stands at $1.1 billion US annually against the agreed $30 billion US target. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, to fast-track environmental reviews and major resource projects, drawing criticism from environmental groups such as Greenpeace Canada and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society regarding potential conflicts with domestic climate goals.
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Speed over species? What experts are saying about Ottawa's new major projects bill
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-28 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, Governance]The federal government has tabled Bill C-39, titled the Building Canada Strong Act, containing over 300 clauses designed to expedite major project decisions to one year in response to U.S. economic pressures. The legislation amends more than a dozen federal statutes, including the Species at Risk Act, the Fisheries Act, the Impact Assessment Act, and the Labour Code, while permanently removing sunset clauses from the temporary powers established under Bill C-5. Critics, including the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, World Wildlife Fund Canada, and Ecojustice Canada, warn that the bill weakens environmental safeguards by allowing preliminary construction before impact assessments are completed and granting broad ministerial exemptions for sensitive water bodies and wildlife habitats.
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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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First candidate area announced for Working Forest Landscape Model
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-15 14:45:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Resources, Environment, Indigenous, Industry, Governance]The British Columbia Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, in partnership with the Na̲nwak̲olas Council (including the Tlowitsis, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum, and K’ómoks First Nations), have identified an area north of Campbell River as the first candidate site to explore a three-zone Working Forest Landscape Model. The model divides public forests into a Working-Forest Zone for commercial timber, a Multiple-Use Zone for biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, and a Conservation and Protection Zone. This exploration phase aims to improve predictability for industry, workers, and First Nations while addressing fibre constraints, climate pressures, and biodiversity values across tenures such as Tree Farm Licence 64 and BC Timber Sales operating areas.
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Government exempts interprovincial pipelines from review by impact assessment agency
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-09 21:44:12.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Resources, Governance]The federal government published new regulations in the Canada Gazette exempting interprovincial and international pipelines, transmission lines, offshore renewable energy projects, specific oilsands extraction projects, and fossil fuel-fired power generating projects from environmental reviews by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. These projects will instead undergo environmental assessments solely through the Canada Energy Regulator to streamline regulatory approval processes. The changes follow the passage of Bill C-5 after the 2025 federal election and are designed to reduce up-front legal due diligence and regulatory costs for major energy investments.
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More Nova Scotians add their names to petition calling for return of uranium ban
Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-09-08 16:34:55.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Mining, Energy, Environment, Resources, Governance]More than 10,000 Nova Scotians have signed a public petition calling on Premier Tim Houston's government to reinstate a provincial ban on uranium mining. The petition includes over 8,000 existing signatures alongside more than 2,000 new signatures being tabled by the opposition Liberals and NDP at the Nova Scotia legislature. The ban, which previously required mining operations to cease if uranium was discovered at greater than 100 parts per million, was repealed by the Progressive Conservative government in March 2025. Petition organizers, community groups, and medical professionals such as Dr. Catherine Cervin of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argue that lifting the ban risks releasing radioactive material into air and water, while Premier Houston maintains that resource development is necessary to improve the provincial economy.
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Opening engagement on dock management in southern Gulf Islands
Source: British Columbia - Government News
Date: 2026-09-03 21:15:00.0
Tags: [British Columbia, Environment, Resources, Indigenous, Governance]The Government of British Columbia, through the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, has opened a public consultation period running from September 3, 2026, to October 18, 2026, regarding a draft Strategic Management Plan for private marine docks on Crown foreshore areas in the southern Gulf Islands and southeastern Vancouver Island. Following a pause on new private moorage applications implemented in 2021 that ended in March 2026, the proposed strategy establishes guidelines to balance environmental protection, First Nations rights, public coastline access, and clear application requirements. Existing authorized docks will not be forced to relocate or be removed, but owners will be required to transition to defined best management practices over time.
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N.W.T. regulator and Ekati mine receiver reach resolution over unauthorized waste disposal
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-03 15:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Mining, Resources, Governance]The Wek'èezhìi Land and Water Board resolved a dispute with the Ekati diamond mine's court-appointed receiver, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), following the unauthorized dumping of approximately 32,000 kilograms of blasting emulsion into the Long Lake tailings and wastewater facility. Northwest Territories Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald confirmed that while government inspectors did not authorize the discharge, PwC's post-incident response and corrective measures were comprehensive and sufficient to maintain confidence in site management. In response to the infraction, PwC implemented new corrective procedures including mandatory written authorization for all water and wastewater movements, a single on-site accountability point person, increased environmental staffing, and pre-approval requirements for out-of-plan activities.
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