On March 17, 2025, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Board (YESAB) issued what’s called a Decision Document under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act for our proposed land treatment facility (LTF) near Haines Junction, following a decision by the Government of Yukon. That document gives us the green light to proceed with permitting and obtaining a lease, while adding four terms and conditions addressing concerns raised by some local residents during the YESAB review process.
Please see attached Decision Document:
We made a number of modifications to our plan during the review last year based on input from neighbours – moving the proposed site across the quarry property so it is almost a kilometer away from the nearest homes, adding an additional groundwater monitoring well, doubling the liner in the sumps and adding berms and windbreaks, for example.
The Government of Yukon is also requiring we:
· Keep piles of contaminated soil being treated at heights below that of their wind-breaking berms;
· Maintain the existing buffer of trees and other natural growth – also a windbreak;
· Communicate information such as groundwater testing results and material being treated with local landowners via twice-annual information bulletins, and;
· Set up a ‘communication and complaints management system’ with signage on-site outlining how to contact us.
We’re committed to moving ahead with this important project and being good neighbours while we do it, so we’ll make these additional modifications happen. We do not have a construction schedule yet, but anticipate we’ll get work on the ground underway this spring and the site will be operational by fall. We will share more detail on that once we have it.
Good communication and factual information emerged as a key point during consultations, and upon reflection we could have been more proactive in sharing important information from the start. We did not anticipate how much the community would like to give their input on the LTF project, as there are many benefits including environmental protection, improved public health, contribution to sustainable waste management, and many more. Once concerns were raised, however, we quickly organized a public meeting and published transparent project details on our website. Our goal is to increase our communications with the community and share more information moving forward.
Unfortunately, the misinformation and inaccurate claims about this important project raised last year created misunderstandings that affected us all.
In the spirit of ensuring we all have the same facts, we’d like to again share some key project details.
Once operational, the LTF will take in soil, gravel, and other material contaminated with hydrocarbons like oil & gasoline and clean it using a natural process called bioremediation. When such hydrocarbons are exposed to air, natural bacteria break it down over 2-18 months – the length of time depending on the amount and type of contamination. We’ll keep the material contained in piles, aerating them from time-to-time with an excavator to keep that process going. We’ll prevent those piles from contacting the ground using synthetic liners, and keep those piles damp, both to speed up this process and prevent the wind from blowing the material around. We’ll install berms and windbreaks. We’ll install sumps to catch run-off water.
We will not use any chemicals in this process.
There are numerous known contaminated sites in the Haines Junction area, including one at the nearby subdivision, that need treatment. Typically, these are historic sites – properties that used to be home to a gas station with in-ground tanks that leaked, or a structure with an old-fashioned oil furnace with leaky in-ground tanks. Currently, that oil and gas is sitting in the ground at these sites, un-seen but still there, and at risk of leaching into neighbouring properties or groundwater. We will treat material from those sites at the LTF.
We’ll also treat new sites – for example, the gravel from a roadway after a vehicle accident where gas and oil spills.
The LTF will not treat other contamination – the terms of our license will require us to test all material before it is placed in a treatment cell and reject any that contains heavy metals or other contaminants.
Land treatment facilities have been widely used and proven effective since the 1970s. We have a strong history of operating them responsibly and effectively, including running a similar facility in Whitehorse for the past decade. Currently there are no LTFs in Haines Junction area and shipping contaminated soil to Whitehorse for treatment is not environmentally or economically sustainable.
The site selected for the LTF is already an industrial area, currently housing a long-established quarry. The facility will be situated farther from residential areas than the quarry and will have a significantly smaller footprint.
We’re here to listen and engage with the community, so if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be glad to share more information and ensure everyone is well-informed.