The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine: A Case Study in Intergovernmental Environmental Management

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22584/nr51.2021.008

Keywords:

Intergovernmental environmental management, Northwest Territories, water legislation, Fisheries Act, Waters Act, Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, diamond mining

Abstract

The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is an operating mine in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Due to requirements defined in law, the mine required several authorizations for construction and operation, including both federal and territorial authorizations. Throughout the construction and operation of the diamond mine, instances occurred when the proponent, De Beers Canada Inc., raised objections about applying conditions in the water licence to areas that were authorized by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. As well, there have been ongoing discussions between various parties, including those with regulatory mandates, regarding requirements and jurisdiction related to site closure planning. This article outlines the discussions that have occurred to date, detailing the areas of ambiguity regarding projects that are authorized under multiple pieces of legislation. Lessons learned, as well as recommendations to address some of these issues, are provided.

Author Biography

Rick Walbourne, Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Environment & Natural Resources

Manager, Water Regulatory & Assessment

Northern Review 51 Cover Yukon Ecoregions by Amber Church

Downloads

Published

07/06/2021

Issue

No. 51 (2021)

Section

General Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

c. The journal has the right to authorize third-party publishers & aggregators to include the Article in databases or other services (EBSCO, Proquest).

d. The journal has the right to share the Article on the Internet, through social media and other means.