There's still plenty of work to do at Giant Mine and in a presentation to city councillors on March 17, a spokesperson for the mine cleanup team detailed what's left on the list of chores.
"The big item on site right now is the water treatment plant," said Natalie Plato, deputy director of the remediation project.
She added that the plant will be in use in 2026 and will run daily for as long as needed.
So far, the remediation project has spent almost $200 million on sub-contracts, with about half of that money going to Northern businesses, according to an economic development manager with the remediation project, Andrei Torianski.
Another remaining task is demolishing structurally-compromised buildings. The most complicated structure to take down, said Plato, is likely a mill at the site. That whole process will continue into 2026, she said.
"Another milestone for the project was we shut the underground this year," Plato added. "We were able to actually seal off all the entrances."
In total, 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust SA国际影视传媒� a byproduct of roasting gold ore SA国际影视传媒� is stored in underground chambers at Giant Mine.
The mine also still needs to grow vegetation. To help do that, test plots have been established to monitor growth and treatments for future site-wide revegetation. That's going to take five years to monitor, with examinations happening twice annually, according to Plato.
Then there's the boat launch. Plato said a new public boat launch will be built in the area of the Great Slave Sailing Club between 2030-2038. The boat launch, which will be for public use, will be similar to the existing one and the mine will factor parking accommodations into its design.
"I know that you probably get some questions from boaters," Plato said to city council. "Like, how are we going to be accommodated?' That is the responsibility of the GNWT and I'm working closely with our land [administration] folks to make sure that we can plan accordingly and make it less hectic than it needs to be."
New water intake wells have been installed at the site.
Remediation on the mine started in 2021 and will last until 2038, at least, according to Plato.
