A California-based company will be in charge of some of the immediate projects involved in the remediation process of the long-abandoned Faro mine site – at least for the next two years, the Star learned Tuesday afternoon.

The Star began trying to contact Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) spokespersons last Friday to inquire why no announcement had been made about the contract – despite rumours of the bid being awarded.

A press release was sent out Tuesday afternoon.

As the federal government inches forward on its plans, a spokesperson confirmed to the Star Tuesday afternoon that INAC had awarded the construction work to American company Parsons Inc., which has Canadian offices in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, among others places.

That was about an hour before the federal government circulated a notice to Yukon media announcing the contract – and four days after the Star had asked for an update.

The contract, set at an estimated $80.1 million, is to last until March 2020.

It could allow for two one-year extensions, and will see Parsons take over the construction of immediate projects, according to the release.

One of those projects will include the North Fork Rose Creek diversion, which, among other things, has seen high levels of zinc in its water. The diversion is to redirect the creek away from contamination on the site.

That’s according to a technical briefing provided to reporters in June in Whitehorse by government officials.

At that time, representatives of INAC explained that the site – which spans the traditional territories of the Kaska Dena Council, Ross River Dena Council (RRDC), Selkirk First Nation and Liard First Nation – would undergo three key phases: the ongoing care and maintenance, the “urgent works that cannot wait until closure,” and the completion of the closure plan itself.

That was mentioned by Lou Spagnuolo, the director of the Faro Mine Remediation Project with INAC.

He added then that the closure plan was expected to be submitted to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) by this fall.

INAC spokespeople were unable to confirm whether this was still applicable before press time this afternoon.

The territorial government was previously in charge of caring for and maintaining the site, before a May switchover that saw it move to the hands of Ottawa to better streamline the process.

A spokesperson for the territory’s Department of Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) noted in early June that while the Yukon government wouldn’t be involved in the operations or delivery, it would “ensure that the project is meeting the objectives in a way that represents and reflects the needs and interests of Yukoners.”

Brigitte Parker, a communications analyst with EMR, continued that YG “participated in discussions” with Ottawa “when the timelines were established,” and will continue to be consulted as it moves through the process. She confirmed today that this was still the case.

Meanwhile, EMR Minister Ranj Pillai said he was “pleased that a construction manager will be on site shortly to implement the important and urgent construction works.”

Pillai continued in the release that the government is “looking forward to seeing business and employment opportunities related to implementing these projects for both Yukon First Nations and local residents.”

The RRDC in particular had advocated to reap the economic benefits of the process by encouraging the hiring from local communities.

A Tuesday release noted that the chief of RRDC, Jack Caesar, was pleased with the announcement.

“Finally, we are coming to a place where we can put the shovel in the ground and start the important remediation process,” Caesar said in the release.

Information provided Tuesday by INAC spokesperson Rick Massie acknowledged this would be an important consideration going forward.

Parsons, he wrote, would “be managing subcontracts and procurement using an approach that prioritizes Yukon and First Nation businesses and hires.”

He continued that the interim construction manager role being awarded was helpful in getting the ball rolling on a multi-year project.

The venture “will protect the health and safety of local residents and the environment while working to maximize the socio-economic benefits for Yukon.”

The site spans more than 20 square kilometres in size and rests about 22 km north of the Town of Faro and 360 km northwest of Whitehorse, according to a federal government webpage.

It continues that the contractor is to submit plans and reviews for all designs, award subcontracts and is in charge of environmental performance.

The Faro project is one of the biggest remediation projects in Canada, as Spagnuolo estimated that it falls into one of the top five.

A construction manager being hired, he explained last month, meant that activities could be subcontracted out to smaller companies and local businesses which could then bid on small work packages.

However, the federal government did not set specific targets with First Nations about hiring a number of Indigenous workers.

Spagnuolo said there were “a number of measures that we’ve incorporated into the contract” that would encourage their participation.

INAC spokesperson Melissa Madden was unable to say today whether this has changed.

As of that June 5 technical briefing, applications for a manager were already being reviewed.

A federal government webpage listed other interested contractors as Kamburt Civil Consulting, Aecon, and Arrowsmith Project Management Limited. It shows the date for the tender of the construction contract as having closed on May 28.

The media were told that an update would be provided sometime in July when the bid for the construction manager would be awarded. That update came Tuesday.

After being abandoned in February 1998 by Anvil Range Mining Corp., the lead-zinc mine will now undergo a process expected to take about 15 years to finish.

The release notes that major construction will begin in 2022, after a final remediation plan with full regulatory approval expected for 2021.

A federal government webpage lists that regulatory process to consist of going through YESAB and the Yukon Water Board, but notes that “higher risks” like the high levels of of zinc in the North Fork of Rose Creek “will be addressed even before the full remediation plan is completed.”

This means that the full remediation process itself will begin four years from now, with 2013 government documents pegging the total cost to clean up the site to be at about $590 million.

In the shorter term, Spagnuolo said, construction on the North Fork diversion was set to begin later this year.

INAC spokespeople were unable to confirm this in time for today’s publication.