Northern Contaminated Sites Program
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) manages a portfolio of contaminated sites across the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The contamination of these properties is the result of private sector mining, oil and gas activities, and government military activity that occurred more than 50 years ago – at a time when environmental impacts were not well understood.
Under the Yukon devolution and Northwest Territories devolution agreements, which transferred administration and control of most public lands to the territorial governments, the Government of Canada accepted responsibility for historical contamination that pre-dates implementation of the agreements, and continues to be legally obligated to fund and oversee remediation of the sites.
About the program
The objective of the Northern Contaminated Sites Program is to address and sustainably manage contaminated sites in the North under CIRNAC's responsibility, while advancing partnerships and socio-economic opportunities for Northerners and Indigenous Peoples. The program aims to reduce or eliminate, where possible, risks to human and environmental health, and to decrease the federal environmental liability associated with these sites.
The 8 largest abandoned mine projects in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories are administered through the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program.
CIRNAC's remaining sites in the North are managed under the Northern Contaminated Sites Program with funding provided through Environment and Climate Change Canada's Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan.
Each project has a team responsible for advancing remediation, working in collaboration with territorial and Indigenous governments and other partners throughout the process.
Policies associated with the Northern Contaminated Sites Program: