The maintenance and care of the Faro mine is expected to be officially handed to the federal government today.

After negotiations among First Nations, territorial and federal governments the Star first reported on in March, the Yukon government is set to hand over the responsibility for the site’s care and maintenance to Ottawa to streamline the process.

It’s a decision welcomed by both the Ross River Dena Council and the Yukon government, said the territory’s director of abandoned mines.

“All parties agreed to break up the care and maintenance, and transfer that to Canada,” Stephen Mead said in an interview.

“What that really means is contractors doing the ongoing care and maintenance – which is all about treating water – their contracts are now held by Canada.”

The old system meant that these contractors were territorial employees.

This comes several weeks after Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Ranj Pillai told the Star the process of streamlining decisions about the mine is a significant concern for all parties.

That was echoed by Mead. He said he hopes cutting out the middleman will not only expedite the process, but possibly set a precedent for future projects.

“Whenever you have multiple governments involved and money flying between governments, you would like to have a direct line (of correspondence and negotiations),” Mead added.

Rick Massie, a Yukon regional spokesperson for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, confirmed to the Star today that this was the clearest form of action to take in order to, among other things, save money.

“This new approach clearly establishes a single line of responsibility and accountability for each government and maximized value to the taxpayer by eliminating duplication between the two governments,” the statement read.

Mead assured that the work itself will still be done in accordance with the initial plans.

“The work on (the project) hasn’t changed; the only difference is their contract is now held by Canada.”

Under the old model, a slow and bureaucratic process is what often ensued when the federal and territorial governments had to agree on decisions involving the site.

The decision to transfer the responsibility to Ottawa, which Mead pointed out paid for the site anyway, is something that not only made sense logistically, but given the timeline of the project as well.

“We’ve been engaging in discussions and negotiations with Canada for the last six years related to how the project should be governed and managed as we move forward into a new phase,” Mead said.

“That newer phase being, of course, construction,” after the initial planning and designing stages, he said.

With Ottawa’s plans to build a diversion system set for August, the project is expected to last up to 2 1/2 years.

The Ross River Dena Council has been advocating for reclamation of the Faro minesite for at least a year.

It has publicly stated that local communities should be able to share in the economic benefits of the remediation project through jobs, training programs and contracting opportunities.

The council has also said the cleanup efforts have taken far too long, with the site set to finally see construction begin this summer after it was abandoned more than 20 years ago.

Chief Jack Caesar was unable for comment this week.

The mine, located north of Faro, falls in the traditional territory of the Ross River Dena Council, Kaska Dena Council, Liard First Nation and Selkirk First Nation.

The site was abandoned after 29 years of use in 1998, when the owner declared bankruptcy.

The site was retained by the federal government before the Yukon also stepped in to provide care and maintenance.

Recognizing that a remediation plan was required, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada began drafting one.

The costs of these activities had always been taken over by Ottawa through funding from the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan.

Massie also verified that the only thing changing would be the contractors now held by the federal government.

“Parsons Corporation will remain the care and maintenance contractor at the site and report to the Government of Canada.

“Site management and work will continue interrupted,” the statement on behalf the INAC read.

Another federally-funded group called The Faro Mine Remediation Project Team submitted concerns to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB), as the project was in the designing phases.

Among the concerns they heard from public consultations in 2017 were fish and fish habitat, water quality, wildlife and recreational activities and the impact of the mine on nearby vegetation.

A webpage on the remediation project lists that a set of meetings were “held in early 2018 to review how community interest were reflected and addressed in the remediation plan and project proposal.”

Meanwhile, while Mead could not provide specifics as to a timeline or what the ongoing negotiations are addressing, he expects them to wrap up and be made public soon.

“It’s closer to the end than it is to the start.”

INAC did provide a timeline, adding that “the agreement will be announced once this process has concluded and final approvals and signatures are in place.”

The long-term plan will go through the usual phases of public consultation before being submitted to YESAB and the Yukon Water Board for review.

Though “pressing construction works” like the diversion channel at the North Fork Rose Creek are set to begin this summer, the final remediation plan, it continued, is expected by 2021, with construction set to start the following year. INAC expects the major construction phase to take 15 years.

Until then, Mead added that he hopes this sets a precedent of sorts for the significance of ongoing talks between different levels of government.

“It’s an important recognition that a project needs to continually reflect how it’s best prepared,” he said.

“The overall spirit of these discussions is really part of our government’s continued efforts to reconcile with those affected Yukon First Nations.”

The council’s request to reap the economic rewards from the Faro reclamation process is supported by the government, Mead added, saying that was the “spirit and intent behind the negotiations.”