Mine

Proud of our legacy to the North
Health, safety, and environment
Traditional knowledge panel update
The traditional knowledge panel was established to facilitate
appropriate and meaningful accommodation of traditional
knowledge in environmental management and monitoring,
most notably as it relates to mine closure planning.
The eighth session brought together elders and youth,
selected by their community organizations, to focus on
Diavik’s closure plans in relation to water monitoring and the
dike, which included reef construction and shoreline design
options.
• With slight modifications, the current aquatic effects
monitoring program traditional knowledge study is
strongly supported and should continue (and be held at
the same location until at least 2018).
• Fish need to be respected and have different habitat
considerations for different life stages.
• Youth need to be involved, both now and in the future.
• Diavik and the panel is a model for collaboration between
western science and traditional knowledge.
• The future is uncertain and efforts to increase energy
efficiency and monitor for climate change are important.
The panel applied their knowledge of fish and water, as
well as observations made during previous site visits and
the 2015 aquatic effects camp, to identify concepts, values,
understandings, and complexities to be considered for these
areas during the closure planning process.
The panel noted 33 specific recommendations relating to
reefs and water monitoring at closure, and identified the
following themes:
• It is important to continually monitor water quality and
quantity after closure, using both traditional knowledge
and western science.
This session’s report, titled Focus on Reefs and Monitoring
Water, summarizes the discussion held and considerations
identified by panel members for each theme.
To date, the panel has provided a total of 130 detailed
recommendations for consideration by Diavik and other
parties. Each panel report and a tracking table that captures
all recommendations, as well as Diavik’s response to each,
are submitted to the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board as
part of Diavik’s annual closure and reclamation plan updates.
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