Remediation Economy Engagement Paper.pdf

The NWT has approximately 500 sites that are anticipated to require assessment, remediation and/or long-term monitoring activities. These include sites belonging to the Government of Canada, the GNWT, as well as private companies. The next 10 years will bring additional projects that require remediation, such as oil operations in Norman Wells, individual clean ups of abandoned oil wells or sumps, and diamond mine closures, which can be considered in parallel with current needs for remediation (for example, the Giant Mine Remediation Project - GMRP). Successful closure of mine sites and remediation of contaminated and abandoned sites is an opportunity to establish critical and transferrable skills that will be beneficial to the long-term natural resource sector in the NWT.

It should be noted that remediation is not just about mining, oil and gas. The largest remediation projects in the NWT at this time focus on resource extraction, but there are many other types of remediation, such as projects within communities, government projects and private enterprises.

The GNWT is partnering with the federal government to develop an Action Plan that would position NWT businesses (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to participate and benefit from opportunities in the remediation economy. The Action Plan will be based on a variety of information sources and engagement with NWT residents and businesses hoping to pursue economic opportunities created by remediation activity in the NWT.