A few Indigenous governments are advocating for additional criteria to be included in the terms of Diavik diamond mine’s new water license to ensure the water remains suitable for cultural purposes.
The Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board (WLWB) is conducting a public hearing at the cultural center in Behchokǫ, N.W.T., regarding the company’s request for a 10-year water license renewal.
Representatives from the Tłı̨chǫ government, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Łutsel K’e Dene First Nation, and the Deninu Kųę́ First Nation, as well as officials from the federal and territorial governments and an environmental monitoring board, are participating in the hearing.
During the presentation on behalf of the Tłı̨chǫ government, Violet Camsell-Blondin emphasized the importance of utilizing both Western science and Indigenous traditional knowledge to evaluate the water quality of Lac de Gras, the tundra lake where Diavik is located.
The Indigenous groups are pushing for cultural use criteria to carry equal weight as scientific monitoring and be linked to the return of security deposits, a requirement that the WLWB has already imposed on Diavik.
Cultural use criteria involve assessing factors such as water clarity, temperature, color, smell, taste, and the presence of any unnatural substances. These criteria were established through workshops conducted by Diavik with Indigenous partners.
Indigenous communities believe that cultural use criteria are essential for determining the suitability of water for consumption and for the ecosystem around Lac de Gras post-Diavik’s closure.
Diavik, however, prefers maintaining flexibility in discussing cultural use criteria through the closure plan rather than embedding them as fixed conditions in the license, as it could potentially limit the development of the traditional knowledge monitoring program.
The company is working on a traditional knowledge monitoring program with Indigenous partners for submission to the land and water board for approval.
Diavik aims to distinguish itself from the legacy of abandoned mines in the region by ensuring responsible closure practices. The current water license will expire at the end of the year, and a new license is required to conclude production by March 2026, execute closure activities, and commence initial post-closure monitoring until 2035.
The public hearing in Behchokǫ̀ is set to conclude on Thursday, with the WLWB expected to announce its decision on the water license renewal in September.
