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Yukon, Canada ask court to toss First Nation's lawsuit over mining
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-27 21:18:35.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Mining, Resources, Justice]The Attorney General of Canada and the Yukon government filed statements of defence in Yukon Supreme Court asking the court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun. Filed in December 2025 following the Eagle Gold mine cyanide heap leach pile disaster, the lawsuit alleges breaches of treaty obligations, failures to manage placer mining impacts, and inadequate land-use planning. Both federal and territorial governments denied all wrongdoing, claiming they fulfilled consultation duties and adhered to final agreements, while the First Nation is seeking undefined monetary damages, $150 million in aggravated damages from the Yukon, and permanent injunctions halting unsustainable developments and staking activities.
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Akaitcho First Nations assembly kicks off in Dettah
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-27 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Energy, Governance, Resources]The Akaitcho Territory Government held its annual general assembly in Dettah, N.W.T., bringing together leadership from the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation, Salt River First Nation, Tthebatthie Denesųłiné Nation, and Yellowknives Dene First Nation to discuss shared priorities. The assembly addresses major regional infrastructure projects referred to the federal government's Major Projects Office, including the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor and the Taltson Hydro Expansion, which have faced wavering support and criticism over inadequate consultations from nations like Deninu Kųę́ and Łutsel K'e. Additionally, the assembly follows up on a 2025 initiative by a committee of elders to rename the Great Slave Lake to remove its derogatory historical connotations. Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and Justice and Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald are scheduled to attend.
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A ‘reset’ or ‘one and done’? First Nations and first ministers set to hold historic meeting
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-25 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Governance, Infrastructure, Resources, Mining]The Assembly of First Nations, led by National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, and Canadian first ministers are holding a historic, closed-door First Ministers' Meeting in Ottawa to redefine relations, discuss infrastructure, healthcare, and economic development, and address major project involvement. Notable absences include the premiers of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec, while several Indigenous leaders have expressed skepticism over meeting formats, speech restrictions, and stalled federal Indigenous legislation under Prime Minister Mark Carney. The federal government, through the Privy Council Office and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, plans to announce new community supports during the one-day conference.
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Yukon government asks court to toss Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in lawsuit over mining regulation changes
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-23 18:41:15.0
Tags: [National, Indigenous, Mining, Resources, Justice, Governance]The Yukon government filed a statement of defence in the Yukon Supreme Court asking to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation regarding temporary amendments made in May 2025 to placer-mining, quartz-mining, and water-use regulations. The amendments, set to remain in effect until December 31, 2028, allow the territorial government to extend soon-to-expire permits and licences for eligible operators to mitigate a major permitting backlog. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in's January lawsuit alleges that the territory failed to consult the First Nation in violation of its final agreement and seeks financial compensation, whereas the government argues it had no duty to consult during the legislative process and that the First Nation delayed legal action.
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'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 | Nunavut’s devolution is 6 months away. Here’s what the premier says to expect
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-19 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Governance, Resources, Mining, Indigenous]Nunavut Premier John Main outlined preparations for the territory's April 1 devolution date, which will transfer responsibilities for Crown land and natural resources from the federal government to the Government of Nunavut. The transition involves establishing a new department responsible for lands and resources, transferring nearly 100 federal workers, and maintaining an 85 percent Inuit employment target within the new department. Initially, the Nunavut government will mirror existing federal regulations and mineral tenure rules before undertaking future legislative reviews to align policies with territorial priorities. Additionally, Premier Main addressed the financial restructuring of major regional employer Baffinland, owner of the Mary River Mine in the Qikiqtani region, emphasizing the importance of corporate viability for local employment and royalties.
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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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Alberta Métis leaders oppose exclusion, not Pacific Link, as Cold Lake takes Ottawa to court
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-14 14:05:34.0
Tags: [Alberta, National, Energy, Infrastructure, Indigenous, Resources]Six Métis nations in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, along with the Cold Lake First Nations (which filed a Federal Court application), are challenging federal and provincial authorities over their exclusion from consultations regarding the proposed Pacific Link pipeline. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the pipeline as a project of national interest on October 1, 2026, to carry Alberta oil to the British Columbia coast with a groundbreaking targeted for September 1, 2027. Indigenous leaders criticize the lack of consultation, noting that equity ownership stakes and co-development terms were offered without proper engagement with Métis communities, violating Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 and the Crown's duty to consult.
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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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Baffinland asks judge to allow sale of assets to avoid mine closure
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-05 20:07:08.0
Tags: [National, Mining, Economy, Resources, Labour, Indigenous]Debt-stricken Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. has asked the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to approve the sale of its shares, assets, or the Mary River Mine on northern Baffin Island to prevent liquidation and mine closure. As of May 14, the company owed $2.6 billion to 231 creditors—including a dozen northern businesses and organizations—following creditor protection granted in May and a subsequent $660-million loan from federal Export Development Canada. The company's financial crisis was partly driven by spending more than $1.5 billion on its failed Phase 2 railway expansion proposal, which was rejected by the federal government after opposition from north Baffin communities. The potential liquidation threatens the loss of over 1,200 jobs at one of Nunavut's largest private sector employers, with a court appearance scheduled before an Ontario judge.
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Indigenous groups given just 2 months to consult on Pacific Link pipeline designation
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-01 22:48:12.0
Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Resources, Indigenous]The federal government has designated the Alberta-to-West Coast oil pipeline, now called Pacific Link, as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act to fast-track its approvals. Indigenous communities along the 130-plus-community route were given an extended two-month consultation window ending September 18, 2026, though groups like the Assembly of First Nations and Cold Lake First Nations criticized the timeline and lack of detailed engineering and routing information. Prime Minister Mark Carney aims to begin construction by September 2027 to transport an additional one million barrels per day from the oil sands, while securing environmental safeguards, financing, and equity partnerships with groups such as Fort McKay First Nation.
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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 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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Nunavut pitches major infrastructure projects at Canada’s Investment Summit
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-16 17:29:31.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Energy, Transportation, Resources, Indigenous]Nunavut Premier John Main and Inuit leaders, including representatives from Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, attended Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit in Toronto to pitch four major territorial infrastructure projects. The proposed projects include the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project, the Grays Bay Road and Port, and the Qikiqtarjuaq Deep-Sea Port. Notably, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project and the Grays Bay Road and Port have been designated as projects of national interest and placed on the federal government's Major Projects Office fast-track list. Territorial leaders emphasized the necessity of early Inuit involvement and regulatory compliance to address Nunavut's significant infrastructure gap in energy and transportation.
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N.W.T.’s ice road to 3 diamond mines unlikely to open for 2027 season
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-14 23:13:23.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Transportation, Mining, Resources, Indigenous]The Northwest Territories’ Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is unlikely to open for the 2027 operational season, marking the first closure since the ice road opened in 1982. Operated annually from February to March, the road services three diamond mines northeast of Yellowknife: the Rio Tinto-owned Diavik mine, the Ekati mine overseen by PricewaterhouseCoopers under creditor protection, and De Beers' Gahcho Kué mine. The suspension is driven by the end of commercial production and active remediation at Diavik and Ekati, alongside financial difficulties at Gahcho Kué that accelerated its closure timeline to 2028. Indigenous corporations and contractors such as Det'on Cho Logistics, owned by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, face significant economic impacts from the loss of infrastructure maintenance and lodge operations, though winter road service is expected to tentatively return in 2028 to support ongoing cleanup efforts.
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N.W.T.’s ice road to 3 diamond mines unlikely to open for 2027 season
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-14 23:13:23.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Transportation, Mining, Resources, Indigenous]The Northwest Territories' Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is unlikely to open for the 2027 operating season for the first time since opening in 1982, due to the end of commercial production and financial restructuring at three major diamond mines: Rio Tinto-owned Diavik, Ekati (overseen by PricewaterhouseCoopers under creditor protection), and De Beers' Gahcho Kué. Management committee director Howard Nowell stated that the closure decision provides early clarity for contractors, service providers, and support communities, though operations are expected to resume in 2028 to support ongoing site remediation and clean-up efforts. Marc Whitford, president of the North Slave Métis Alliance, noted the suspension will negatively impact Indigenous-owned corporations and contractors such as Det'on Cho Logistics, which rely on the winter infrastructure for seasonal employment and transport.
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