• 'Let's do it right': N.W.T. downstream leaders and advocates on Alta. oilsands tailings release

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-22 17:08:09.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, Environment, Energy, Resources, Indigenous]

  Indigenous communities, advocacy groups like Alternatives North, and downstream leaders in the Northwest Territories are calling on federal and territorial governments to review Suncor's proposed oilsands tailings release into the Athabasca River system. Critics cite major scientific data gaps, potential health risks to communities dependent on municipal supplies from Lake Athabasca and Great Slave Lake, and the inadequacy of the 2015 N.W.T.-Alberta Bilateral Water Management Agreement. N.W.T. Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald stated that the territory opposes the treat-and-release plan until scientific uncertainties are resolved, though primary regulatory authority rests with the federal government and the Alberta Energy Regulator.

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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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• Dehcho grand chief says heritage designation could help them better protect the Mackenzie River

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-13 15:18:52.0
  Tags: [National, Environment, Indigenous, Resources]

  The federal and territorial governments have nominated the 1,800-kilometre Mackenzie River to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System to recognize its historical and ecological significance. Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian supports the designation, viewing it as an opportunity to secure stronger water monitoring and address downstream pollution originating from Alberta's oilsands development. To achieve full designation, the Northwest Territories government must develop a collaborative stewardship plan alongside local Indigenous communities in the Dehcho, Sahtu, Gwich’in, and Inuvialuit regions within a three-year window for independent board approval.

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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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• Survey shows broad support for mining activity in Whitehorse greenspace

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-06 21:29:47.0
  Tags: [National, Municipal, Mining, Resources, Environment, Indigenous]

  Gladiator Metals is petitioning the City of Whitehorse to amend its top land-use policy by rezoning copper belt parcels designated as greenspace to allow expanded mineral exploration drilling. A city staff report released following nearly 1,000 written public submissions and a public hearing indicates that 64 per cent of respondents support the proposed amendment, while approximately one-third express opposition or concerns regarding environmental impacts, wildlife disruption, and potential mine failures. Local First Nations, specifically the Kwanlin Dün First Nation led by Chief Sean Smith and the Ta'an Kwäch’än Council, have expressed support for the exploration project to improve understanding of local mineral potential, while city councillors debate the residency and validity of survey respondents under the Municipal Act alongside the city's parallel development of a proposed mineral framework.

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• Nearly 2 years later, tailings leak at Yukon’s abandoned Wolverine mine continues

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-29 11:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Mining, Environment, Resources, Indigenous]

  Nearly two years after a tailings leak was first identified at the abandoned Wolverine zinc mine in the Yukon, the Yukon government has been unable to locate or fix the liner issue beneath the facility due to technical water-level challenges and high precipitation. The mine, abandoned by Yukon Zinc Corporation in 2015 after financial difficulties, left the territory with a costly environmental legacy that included a failed attempt to increase financial security from $10.6 million to $35.5 million in 2018 and $42 million in government spending by 2024. While the Yukon government maintains that current water effluent being discharged into the creek meets the terms of its water licence, groundwater monitoring updates from May 2026 show ongoing metal and inorganic exceedances above Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guidelines. Ross River Dena Council Chief Dylan Loblaw has expressed serious concerns regarding watershed safety, fish habitat impacts, and a lack of meaningful First Nations consultation in the site's closure and remediation plans.

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• The ins and outs of the Yukon's biggest proposed mine

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-23 12:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Mining, Resources, Environment, Indigenous, Economy]

  Western Copper and Gold and the Casino Mining Corporation are proposing the Casino mine project in the Yukon, located between Carmacks and Dawson City, with an estimated 27-year lifespan to extract approximately 4.27 billion pounds of copper, 346 million pounds of molybdenum, alongside gold and silver deposits. The project is projected to create up to 1,400 construction jobs, 700 operational jobs, and contribute roughly $1.3 billion annually to the Yukon economy while generating 25 of the 34 critical minerals designated by Ottawa. However, the project faces major regulatory scrutiny, undergoing its first-ever panel review by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB) due to concerns from First Nations and conservation groups over impacts on the Klaza caribou herd, fish, wildlife habitats across five First Nation territories, and risks associated with tailings dams and heap leaching.

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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 Nations Chief threatens legal action against province if tailings water is released

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-21 15:59:11.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Indigenous, Energy, Environment, Resources, Mining]

  Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam has threatened a 20-year legal battle against the Alberta government if provincial or federal regulators approve plans to treat and release oilsands mining wastewater from companies like Suncor Energy Inc. into the Athabasca watershed. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation strongly oppose the "treat and release" approach for the 1.4 billion cubic meters of fluid tailings, citing severe local health concerns and threats to Treaty rights along the 1,230-kilometer river. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated that wastewater release is governed under federal jurisdiction and oilsands leases, while Environment Minister Grant Hunter maintains that treated mine water release is necessary to achieve site reclamation and return land to a self-sustaining boreal forest.

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• First Nation opens work camp at Faro mine cleanup project in Yukon

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-18 20:54:45.0
  Tags: [National, Mining, Environment, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Resources]

  The Dena Nezziddi Development Corporation, owned by the Ross River Dena Council, has opened the Tsē Zūl work camp at the abandoned Faro mine site in central Yukon to house workers for a massive federal remediation project. Located 200 kilometres northeast of Whitehorse, the facility is designed to accommodate nearly 300 workers and provide long-term revenue and employment opportunities for the First Nation. The Faro mine complex, which operated for nearly 30 years as a lead-zinc mine before its bankruptcy and abandonment in 1998, represents one of Canada's most complex industrial cleanup sites, expected to take decades to complete.

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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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• Community forests expanding in McLeod Lake/Mackenzie, north Island

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-14 19:00:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Resources, Environment, Indigenous, Industry, Municipal]

  The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, led by Minister Ravi Parmar, announced the expansion of two community forests to enhance local forest management, support wildfire resilience, and secure sustainable fibre supply. The McLeod Lake Mackenzie Community Forest, established in 2009 and partnered with the McLeod Lake Indian Band, is being expanded by nearly 10,400 hectares with an annual wood fibre allocation of 20,000 cubic metres. Meanwhile, the North Island Community Forest LP, established in 2011, is advancing an expansion that includes more than 8,100 cubic metres of wood fibre annually. These area-based forest licenses are managed collaboratively by local governments, community groups, and First Nations to generate regional economic benefits and well-paying jobs.

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• Setting new harvest level in Omineca region

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-04 16:45:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Resources, Environment, Indigenous, Industry, Economy]

  British Columbia's deputy chief forester has reduced the allowable annual cut (AAC) for Tree Farm Licence 30 in the Omineca region by 17.6% to 340,000 cubic metres, effective September 4, 2026. The independent regulatory decision under the Forest Act accounts for changing economic availability, climate change considerations, and the protection of archeological sites, rare ecosystems, streams, fish habitat, and wildlife such as moose. The approximately 180,000-hectare licence area, located northeast of Prince George in the Prince George Natural Resource District, overlaps the traditional territories of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, West Moberly First Nations, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation, whose consultations and stewardship input informed the final determination.

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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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• Tree planting project creating positive opportunities in Wekweètì, says chief

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-02 15:36:49.0
  Tags: [National, Environment, Climate, Resources, Indigenous, Labour]

  The Tłįchǫ Government is advancing a regional reforestation initiative to plant 13 million black and white spruce trees across the Tłįchǫ region by 2030, backed by federal funding and implemented with the help of the contractor Let's Plant Trees. In Wekweètì, Northwest Territories, a crew of approximately 45 people flew in to plant 425,000 seedlings over a two-week period following wildfire damage. The project is injecting between $100,000 and $150,000 directly into the local economy through community culture camp rentals, boat transport, and bear guarding services, while providing daily piece-rate wages ranging from $250 to $700 for local workers.

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• Taking the next step to modernize B.C. forest management

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-08-27 15:00:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Resources, Environment, Industry, Indigenous]

  The Government of British Columbia, co-led by the Ministry of Forests under Minister Ravi Parmar and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship under Minister Randene Neill, is introducing a Working Forest Landscape Model featuring a three-zone framework. The proposed model divides public forests into a Working-Forest Zone for commercial timber production aiming to stabilize an annual harvest of 45 million cubic metres, a Multiple-Use Zone focused on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, and a Conservation and Protection Zone to support the provincial commitment to protect 30% of B.C.'s land base by 2030. In fall 2026, the Province will announce select candidate areas identified through engagement with First Nations, industry, local governments, and environmental groups to begin testing the zonation approach.

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