Operating Mines
The Yukon has three permitted operating quartz mines (as of January 2021) and many more smaller placer mines. YCS ‘watchdog’s these operations to ensure they are meeting the conditions of their mining licenses.
Victoria Gold Mine
Victoria Gold operates a cyanide heap-leach gold mine, located between Mayo and Keno.
Minto Mine
The Minto Mine is a copper mine in the central Yukon.
Keno (Alexco) Adits
The Keno site has a few permitted adits producing galena (a lead-silver oxide). More information is available on the company website.
(Various) Placer Operations
There are many placer operations throughout the Yukon. YCS comments where appropriate during their permitting stage and monitors some of them for environmental impacts.
Take a Closer Look.
Victoria Gold Mine
Key Documents
[Media] Yukon hikes Victoria Gold’s reclamation bond by $3.5 million
The Narwhal, August 28 2020
[Media] Victoria Gold reports small water spill at Eagle Gold mine
The Yukon News, July 15 2020
[Media] Yukon gold mine forced to release 43 million litres of wastewater amid spring runoff
The Narwhal, June 1 2020
Victoria Gold operates a cyanide heap-leach gold mine, located between Mayo and Keno. It is sometimes referred to as the Dublin Gulch project or as Eagle Gold. It has undergone an environmental assessment through the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board. It has also received a water license from the Yukon Water Board (license QZ14-041).
Minto Mine
Key Documents
[Link] Capstone Mining (the owner/operator of the mine)
[Link] Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (click on "Just Browsing", then click on "Advanced Search", then search for project number 2013-0100); View all licensing, environmental and operational plans here.
[Link] Yukon Water Board (click on "Waterline", click on "Guest", then search for "Minto")
[Media] Yukon's Minto Mine to be shut down, up to 200 workers affected
CBC North, Oct 11, 2018
[Media] Minto mine shutting down after sale, bogged down by copper prices, falls though
Yukon News, Oct 11, 2018
The Minto Mine is a copper mine in the central Yukon, located about 240km northwest of Whitehorse. The mine, owned by Minto Exploration has been producing since 2007. The mine is currently in temporary closure. For a definition of temporary versus permanent closure the following Yukon Water Board / Yukon Government document provides a territorial context - Reclamation and Closure Planning for Quartz Mining Projects.The Minto Mine is a copper-gold mine in the central Yukon
Learn more by visiting the Yukon Government website: https://yukon.ca/en/science-and-natural-resources/mining/minto-mine-licensing-documents
Gallery
The video below was taken at an altitude of about 4,500 feet in June of 2015. It gives the viewer an idea of the mine operation.
Minto Mine overflight by the Yukon Conservation Society, with aerial support by LightHawk
YCS is monitoring the impacts of placer mining, especially on important wetlands such as the Indian River wetlands. The Yukon Government is developing a Yukon-wide wetlands policy.
Gallery
See how the placer miners are transforming the valley bottom from its original fen/bog wetlands to shallow open water. The following photo essay (credit. Sebastian Jones with support from Lighthawk.org) illustrates the original state of the valley, comparing how it looks during mining and and how the restored wetlands appear after mining. About half the wetlands in the Indian River valley have been mined.
The first image shows some natural wetlands in the foreground, a remediated wetland on the left and an active mine on the right.
The third image is a “remediated and restored” placer mine surrounded by natural wetlands.
The second photo above shows a natural wetland, staked and ready to be mined.
The final image illustrates what the valley would look like if the proposed Best Management Practices for placer mining in wetlands were adopted as per the recommendations from the Klondike Placer Mining Association.
The aerial video “Wetlands and Placer Mining at Ruby Creek/Indian River, August 2016” was undertaken by Gerry Whitley and Lighthawk.org. It shows parts of the affected area, highlighting how destructive placer mining can be to intact (and natural) wetlands.
Other Mining Initiatives
