The federal department responsible for lands in Ndilo has yet to begin cleaning up arsenic-laden soil next to the community's K'alemi Dene School, and is not putting up arsenic warning signs in the meantime.

In an email on Monday, Kimberly Walker, spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), said the department is working with the Det'on Cho Corporation, the development arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, to determine SA国际影视传媒渢he most effective solution to remediate the area of elevated arsenic levels in close proximity to the school.SA国际影视传媒�

Walker added that SA国际影视传媒淐IRNAC does not have plans to install warning signs in Ndilo.SA国际影视传媒�

Ernest Betsina, chief of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation in Ndilo, said he and the Yellowknives Dene council will soon meet with CIRNAC to discuss next steps.

SA国际影视传媒淚 would like things to go a little quicker,SA国际影视传媒� Betsina said on Tuesday.

SA国际影视传媒淏ut just to reassure the community, we're trying to work within the system to try to get (the soil issue) resolved as soon as we can.SA国际影视传媒�

In May, Betsina called on the federal and territorial governments to set aside any jurisdictional disputes and put up warning signs in Ndilo at arsenic SA国际影视传媒渉otspotsSA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒� areas of soil with elevated levels of arsenic as a result of past mining activities at Giant Mine.

The hotspots generally have arsenic concentrations greater than 900 milligrams per kilogram of soil (mg/kg).

Health Canada states that average levels of arsenic in soil in Canada range from 4.8 to 13.6 mg/kg.

Betsina's appeal was reinforced by the Giant Mine Oversight Board, the independent body overseeing the remediation of Giant Mine.

The board urged the federal and territorial governments in May to cooperate in putting up warning signs at the hotspots SA国际影视传媒渁s soon as possible,SA国际影视传媒� and to create a plan to remediate the contaminated soils.

Matthew Spence, regional director general of CIRNAC, told Yellowknifer on June 4 that the department was SA国际影视传媒済oing to deal with the problem and therefore we wonSA国际影视传媒檛 need signs, because we will have remediated that area of high concentration.SA国际影视传媒�

After meeting with CIRNAC officials on June 19, Betsina said he was informed that work to clean up the hotspots would begin within the next month.

But nearly three months after that meeting, and about four years after the hotspots were first identified, if and when the contaminated soils will be cleaned up remains unclear.

Det'on Cho recently took fresh soil samples from areas near the school and, on Friday, submitted a report with an analysis and recommendations to CIRNAC.

John Henderson, the corporation's chief operating officer, said he couldn't speak about the contents of the report because neither the community nor CIRNAC had seen it yet.

He said there will soon be a meeting between CIRNAC and the community to discuss the report and what, if any, actions should be taken.