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Written by Malkolm Boothroyd | August 6, 2023
Photo from Google Earth, Minto Mine and Yukon River.
Read the full editorial as published in the Yukon News on August 6th, 2023.
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This spring the Minto Mine shuttered, leaving dozens out of work and tens of millions in unpaid bills and royalties.
The Yukon public is on the hook for much of the clean up costs. Many explanations have been offered up for the financial struggles that ultimately sunk Minto.
People have blamed volatile copper prices, the pandemic and spring snowmelt straining the mine’s capacity to treat water. One contractor suggested investors were scared off when the Yukon government requested a higher security bond from Minto. Minto may have been the victim of volatile circumstances, but mining is a volatile business. One study found that around the world, as many as three quarters of mines close unexpectedly or prematurely.
There is a simple explanation for what went wrong at Minto. The company that bought Minto had no business owning a major mining operation and the territory’s outdated mining laws could do little to safeguard the Yukon against the inevitable collapse.
The Minto mine got a new owner in 2019. At the time of the sale, Minto had been operating for over a decade and was nearing the end of its life. Still, the mine was in reasonably safe hands, as far as covering environmental costs went. Back then, Minto was owned by Capstone Mining Corp. Today, Capstone is valued at nearly $4.5 billion, putting it among the world’s 100 wealthiest mining companies. Capstone certainly had the financial resources to care for Minto. It could have implemented the mine’s clean up and closure plan, and the Yukon public wouldn’t have had to foot the bill. Instead, the company chose to sell Minto. As Capstone wrote in annual reports, it sought “value maximizing alternatives” for Minto, and for the company to have “no further obligation with respect to the closure” of the mine.
Capstone found a buyer in UK-based Pembridge Resources. The two companies could not have been more dissimilar. At the time of the sale, Capstone was a fully fledged mining company that also operated mines in the US, Mexico and Chile. Pembridge had never operated a mine before.
Pembridge got off to a rough start. The company’s initial attempt to purchase Minto collapsed after the company failed to raise enough capital. Pembridge was eventually forced to take millions of loans from American hedge funds, in return giving up ownership of nearly 90 per cent of Minto. A Pembridge subsidiary, Minto Metals Corp subsequently took control of the mine.
Minto restarted production in 2019, but without functional water treatment facilities. Contaminated water steadily accumulated, while the mine’s water storage capacity shrunk, eventually falling below the minimum levels required by its water license. In 2022, due in large part to water treatment issues, the Yukon government requested an additional $18 million in financial security, which Minto failed to pay. That same year, Minto announced it would invest $8 million in water treatment, but was unable to resolve its water crisis. This spring Minto Metals’ Board of Directors resigned and the company abandoned Minto.
Still, not everyone lost out as a result of this mess. Pembridge’s CEO earned the equivalent of $1.5 million Canadian dollars the year of the Minto sale. Capstone sold Minto for $20 million US and got to walk away from the mine.
Just six years after Yukon Zinc walked away from the Wolverine Mine, the Yukon has been saddled with another abandoned mine to care for. There are parallels between Minto and Wolverine — both allowed too much contaminated water to pile up, both were plagued by financial hardships and both failed to pay tens of millions in financial security to the Yukon government. A report by the accounting giant PWC detailed what went wrong at Wolverine, parts of which could be cut and pasted into a report about Minto. For example, PWC wrote that Yukon Zinc was a small, risky company, whose profits were vulnerable to changes in metal prices. Yukon Zinc “allowed liabilities to increase at the site, a decision that was influenced by their financial difficulties.” According to PWC, the Yukon government was unaware of many of the financial troubles at Yukon Zinc. The firm wrote that the Yukon should be conducting comprehensive risk assessments of mining companies before granting them licenses.
The Yukon government wanted to see Minto’s life extended, even if it meant a more fragile company taking control of the mine. After Pembridge’s first attempt to purchase Minto fell through, the then premier told the legislative assembly that his government was “hoping that [Capstone] can strike a deal with Pembridge.”
Five years later, the public is responsible for cleaning up Minto. Many red flags might have appeared had there been a risk assessment on Pembridge Resources prior to the sale of Minto. Unfortunately, as currently written, the Yukon’s mining laws don’t require checking to see if a company is a financial disaster waiting to happen.
Hopefully the Yukon government’s lawyers are figuring out if Capstone, or any of the American hedge funds that bankrolled the Minto purchase, can be held accountable for some of the clean up costs. At the same time, the Yukon should make sure that this can’t happen again. The Yukon is in the midst of rewriting its archaic mining laws and new legislation should prevent risky companies from undertaking massive environmental liabilities. Before issuing permits, the Yukon government should assess the financial stability of the companies responsible. Mining companies with moderate financial risk should be required to post higher security in advance. Corporations with high financial risk should not get permits unless they can find more robust companies to guarantee their projects.
Money, of course, is only one dimension of mining. It’s impossible to put a price on salmon runs, healthy caribou herds or the connections that people hold with the land and water. Minto’s financial story is easier to work out, but we have to learn the right lessons from it. Some will try to paint Minto’s downfall as the result of exceptional circumstances. The truth is mines fail all the time. Companies like Pembridge shouldn’t be trusted to oversee massive environmental risks if they can’t withstand a couple of rough years. It’s time to update our mining laws to help ensure that more mines don’t end up in the hands of volatile companies.
Written by Aiden Duncan, Conservation Intern
July 31, 2023
Tansi! As a Cree/Metis 2spirit man originally from Manitoba my culture is very important to me, so I have always had a passion for protecting the environment. My grandmother attended Indian day school so my family suffered a loss of culture, but as I have gotten older I have started learning about my peoples traditional views on conservation and how that ties into modern day science, and my love for the environment. Over the years I have done everything I can to reconnect with my culture. Whether it be through art, ceremony, teachings, nature or other evolving practices.
This summer I want to gather people from all different walks of life and cultures, and to celebrate our individuality, spirit, and passion for what unites us. There are so many different interests, hobbies, and beliefs that can all be connected to conservation and protecting the environment. For me that is my culture, art, and the land that we share with all the other beings that walk among us.
As part of my internship with CPAWS Yukon, I will be carving a traditional Indigenous transformation mask and sharing my journey with you. For centuries Indigenous people have shared knowledge in a way that today can sometimes get lost. Teachings were not kept on paper, but passed on through music, dance, and art.
Draft mask design by Aiden Duncan.
It is a common misconception that Indigenous people want to return to living completely off the land in teepees. That kind of lifestyle isn’t a reality anymore due to climate change, environmental issues, and how society runs today. We want to keep our culture alive and remind people that it’s important to look at traditional ways of living when talking about conservation in today’s world. Sometimes “conservation” can be difficult to grasp, but approaching big daunting ideas through traditional teachings and community is key to understanding.
The mask will be accompanied by a series of powwow dances that tell the story of the Porcupine caribou and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, located just across the Yukon-Alaska border. Often referred to as “America’s Serengeti,” the Arctic Refuge is an essential space for over 200 different species from the mighty Ice bear to the smallest baby loon. The area is home to many animals, and a sacred and safe space for many who may just need a temporary home, like the Porcupine caribou.
Photo by Peter Mather.
The refuge provides protection and stability for the Porcupine caribou. It is an important stop along their journey of 2400 kilometers, the longest land migration in the world, through Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Here they give birth to their calves, and the amazing wild space provides nutrients for the calves and moms to stay strong and grow.
Not only does the Arctic Refuge keep the caribou alive, it is also a lifeline for Indigenous people like the Gwich’in who depend on them. These animals nourish communities in need and help them keep their culture alive. The Porcupine caribou herd is one of the healthiest in the world thanks to the Gwich’in peoples efforts to protect these beautiful animals and their wild spaces, all while treating them with respect and honour.
Back home in Manitoba, boreal caribou are listed as a threatened species provincially and federally. Their population is decreasing, and the caribou aren’t traveling as far south as they used to because of urban development. When I visit museums and see beautiful historical creations using caribou hide, I feel disconnected from my ancestors. One of the most important reasons to protect these animals is to preserve the traditional teachings in northern communities. It can be hard to grasp just how much that could affect a person, but I know. I live in a place where those teachings have been lost over time, although many people are trying to revitalize and preserve them.
The population of Porcupine caribou is increasing by 3.7% per year, so sometimes it is easy for us to push loss out of our minds. Unfortunately, that can change quickly and drastically. As barren-ground caribou, their species is considered threatened across Canada. While there isn’t any active drilling in the Arctic Refuge right now, oil and gas development has long threatened the refuge. The herd is very vulnerable.
My project will share the story of the Porcupine caribou. I hope it draws people in and peaks their curiosity. The mask will represent the circle of life, and the dances will share the migration, strength, and beauty of the caribou, along with the struggles they face. I believe when people learn a meaningful story or even make a small change to live a more eco-friendly life, it can deepen other connections to the land and the wildlife that live among us. Nature is something that connects all of us together, and it isn’t too late to protect the Arctic Refuge. We need to take steps towards a better tomorrow for ourselves and for our future generations.
Photo by Malkolm Boothroyd.
Written by Joti Overduin, Outreach Manager
June 29, 2023
I feel so grateful for the opportunity to witness, fully listen, and learn at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in the unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka, Montréal. I witnessed so many inspiring people generously share their stories. All of them working so hard for what they believe in – for many things that align with my beliefs and that I want to support.
My first morning at COP15 I walked in disoriented and ungrounded from the jet-lag, exhausted from the unrelenting months prior, and with a heart broken from the tragic and unfair death of a beautiful First Nation woman that I care about very much.
I need to start with this because I’ve learned that it’s important to situate oneself, on multiple levels. How I came into those rooms in Montréal matters. How each of us enter into all spaces matters.
Everything we hear and work to understand is filtered through our life experiences. Throughout COP15 I was trying to understand the role of CPAWS Yukon, and my role personally in our collective work addressing the twin crises of our time, climate change and biodiversity loss (aka massive losses of life across the globe). My mind and heart were also working to process and make sense of the loss of a dear friend, and trying to find some healing from the sufferingthat her death highlighted. She is one of too many beautiful young people that have been lost here in the North, and the pain and grief is reverberating throughout so many families and communities. I don’t see these crises as separate to this.
This is why I am so grateful for what I encountered on my first day after stumbling my way into COP15 and navigating through police-armed entrances with airport-style security screening. In the brightly lit and spacious Nature Positive Pavilion, I was relieved to find an empty seat beside friend and colleague Katie Morrison (one of those strong, talented and very quiet, humble leaders), from the CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter.
Soon after sitting down, Patti Saulis, member of the Maliseet tribe of Indigenous people, was introduced to open the event. Patti wore a long skirt with a very large and beautiful salmon sewn onto the front. She later explained that this was very much intentional, as she and her people are working very hard to bring their salmon back from the brink of extinction, and having that salmon with her gives her strength.
Patti first explained to everyone that what she was doing with us was more accurately described as an invocation. An invocation goes beyond an opening ceremony and accesses our intuition. We were all about to have important stories, perspectives, and experiences shared with us, she said, something that requires and deserves us to listen with more than our ears. This immediately brought me back to my first week in the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas Program with Iisaak Olam and Victoria Island University where we were welcomed into Tla-O-Qui-Aht Lands by Gisele Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks Guardian and educator, outdoor guide, public speaker, land vision coordinator, and artist. Gisele welcomed us in her Nuu-chah-nulth language, and explained that part of what she said was a request for us to listen, not just with our ears but with our whole body, mind, spirit, heart, and intuition. This is what allows for real understanding.
Speakers at the CPAWS Panel included Patti Saulis, Matthew Munson, Stephanie Thorassie, and Wanli Ou.
Patti’s invocation was a song, she referred to it as the River Song, one that connects us to our own waters, and brings our grandmothers and grandfathers here with us and all of their wisdom as we talk about the future. As Patti so generously sang and shared this invocation with us, I was brought out of my head and back into my soul. I felt grounded into my whole being, allowing me to fully listen and see and understand what was about to be shared with me over the course of my next five days at the conference. I felt the presence of my ancestors, none who had roots in Canada but nonetheless rooted to waters in other parts of the globe, and my own deep connection to water throughout my life. I thought about people who lived, traveled, and have such deep knowledge and connection to the clear, beautiful and powerful mountain rivers throughout the North. Tears flowed down my cheeks silently and steadily, not unlike a river. The first of multiple times throughout the conference.
This was not what I had expected coming into a UN Convention. But why not? Why shouldn’t we all expect this – to open in a good way? To invoke all of our intuitions collectively so that we can be fully present as we work together on some of the most important issues of our time?
It was clear from the first moment of my first day that the world has an opportunity to learn a great deal from Indigenous neighbours and friends. I felt, and continue to feel, hopeful after witnessing this inside of such a large and seemingly impenetrable and political conference.
Many things that seem separate or have separate titles, policies, working groups, and government departments are so much more clearly interconnected. Reconciliation, inclusion, respect, solving the crises of our time, and healing ourselves – these are not separate things. There is no small number of people impacted by these things, and no small number who care. Finding more ways to work together and support each other has already proven how much can be done, and I am excited to find more ways of doing this in my own life.
