The Yukon government has shared the feedback it received on a proposed Contaminants Regulation that would repeal and replace the existing Contaminated Sites Regulation and the Spills Regulation.
Yukon invited 172 representatives from over 80 organizations to provide feedback on the proposed Contaminants Regulation, which would apply to the some 207 sites currently designated as contaminated within the territory.
Legislators said the majority of respondents preferred to adopt British Columbia’s contaminated sites regulation as opposed to standards from the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
While the feedback was largely positive, stakeholders noted the need to ensure that the transfer of responsibility for contaminated sites is open and transparent.
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The vast majority of respondents (95%) supported updating and adding new reportable spills thresholds in order to align with national standards, legislation and associated risk levels.
Additionally, stakeholders expressed a desire to have flexibility in standardized permits for site-specific remediation, as well as provide opportunities for affected First Nations to be involved in managing contaminated sites.
Stakeholders also told Yukon officials that they want to keep site investigations and assessments flexible and straightforward to avoid delaying remediation.
Lastly, respondents noted that they want to ensure remediation facilities are built to protect human health, the environment and Indigenous rights.
“Some respondents were concerned that including more prescriptive standards for site assessment and site investigations in the new regulation could potentially prevent industry professionals from using new technologies and methodologies as regulations are not updated regularly,” Yukon officials heard from one stakeholder.
The Yukon government previously engaged with the wider public, Yukon First Nations and industry on the proposed new Contaminants Regulation in 2018. The government re-engaged Yukon First Nations and key industry stakeholders who work with contaminated sites and spills due to the time that has elapsed since 2018.
Once finalized, the regulation will take one year to come into effect to support the transition to the new regulatory regime.
In 2024, a federal audit highlighted a sharp increase in costs for remediating northern Canada’s eight largest abandoned mines, including Faro Mine in the Yukon. In response to the audit’s findings, measures are being taken to enhance project planning precision and cost estimation for northern projects.
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