Latest news with #Behchoko
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Tłı̨chǫ Nation Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty reflects on 20 years of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement
Thursday is the last day of the Tłı̨chǫ Assembly in Behchoko, N.W.T. Citizens from across Tłı̨chǫ lands arrived in the community on Sunday to attend the gathering. The CBC's Meghan Roberts spoke with Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty about the event and anniversary.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'He was a best friend to many': Identity of pilot who died in helicopter crash near Behchokǫ̀ released
Great Slave Helicopters says a pilot who died in a helicopter crash outside Behchokǫ, N.W.T., earlier this week was a devoted son, brother, partner and colleague. Joshua Patenaude was supporting the Tłı̨chǫ government's reforestation project when his helicopter went down Monday. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash. In a post on Facebook Friday, Great Slave Helicopters wrote a tribute to Patenaude and expressed its condolences to his family and loved ones. "He was a best friend to many and a kind-hearted soul who gave back to the community through volunteer work in his free time. His warmth, generosity, and spirit touched everyone who knew him, and he will be deeply missed," the company wrote.
CBC
16-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Federal investigators continue to probe site of fatal N.W.T. helicopter crash
A pair of investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will continue to photograph and take measurements on Wednesday of the wreckage from a fatal helicopter crash near Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. Jon Lee, the board's western regional manager, told CBC News the small team arrived in Yellowknife around noon Tuesday and were on scene during the afternoon and early evening gathering data and statements from eye witnesses. "Today, that's going to continue — they're going to be working with Great Slave Helicopters collecting information about both the pilot and also the technical information around the helicopter itself," Lee said. RCMP responded to the crash site, about 1.5 kilometres from Highway 3 near Behchokǫ̀, at noon Monday. They said they did CPR on the pilot, the only person in the aircraft, but he died from his injuries. The identity of that individual has not been made public. CBC News has reached out to Great Slave Helicopters about the incident. As of Wednesday morning, the company had not done an interview or made a public statement about it. N.W.T. Fire has said the helicopter was not a part of its wildfire operations. Lee said the crash happened in a burned brush area 10 kilometres east of the Behchokǫ̀'s airstrip. He said the aircraft was substantially damaged. After investigators are done assessing the site, Lee said the next step will be bringing the helicopter back to the Transportation Safety Board's offices in Edmonton for a more detailed technical examination. That will mean co-ordinating recovery with whatever salvage company is hired by an insurance adjuster, he said. Lee said their investigation will be meticulous and scientific. The TSB will collect information about the people involved, the aircraft itself, and the environment — both the operational environment and the weather. They'll determine whether any of those things contributed to the crash, and from there "areas of concern and safety issues start to emerge from that data collection." Lee said it's hard to know how long an investigation will take in the early days — it could be a year, or two years. But, he said, if something emerges from the investigation that requires immediate attention, that will happen right away — Transport Canada, Great Slave Helicopters and aircraft manufacturers don't need a final report to come out before they take action.
CBC
26-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Indigenous groups weigh in on closure plans for N.W.T.'s Diavik mine, urge more use of traditional knowledge
Some Indigenous groups in the N.W.T. are weighing in on Diavik Diamond Mine's closure plans, and saying Indigenous traditional knowledge should play a bigger role in those plans. The closure represents "the most important time in the mine's life," according to the Łutsel K'e Dene First Nation (LKDFN), in a written submission to the Wek'èezhìi Land and Water Board ahead of Diavik's water licence renewal. The First Nation says the mine's closure will determine how healthy the land and water will be after the operation is gone. Diavik is set to close early 2026, and its water licence, which authorizes water use and waste discharge, expires at the end of this year. A public hearing on the water licence renewal application will be held in Behchoko from June 10 to 12. In its letter to the land and water board, LKDFN urges that a condition to be added requiring Diavik to seek approval from a panel of traditional knowledge holders for all site closure objectives. The First Nation says that should be in addition to the scientific monitoring that Diavik has recommended. "Science alone will not instill confidence in the community that water is safe to drink, fish are safe to eat, that dust levels, revegetation, and landscape features are acceptable," LKDFN's submission reads. The First Nation says that only when scientists and traditional knowledge holders agree on these issues will the mine closure be deemed successful. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) raised similar concerns in its letter to the land and water board. Matthew Spence, CEO of the First Nation, wrote in the letter that as things stand now, YKDFN is "deeply concerned that the outcomes of closure will see continued impacts on the environment, harming the return of our people." "For the YKDFN, safe is more than absence of harm. Safe means that our members and their families can go to Ek'a Ti and know that not only will it [not] harm them, but that they can live and prosper," Spence said. YKDFN's letter also points to conflicting perspectives when it comes to water quality around the site, saying Diavik's science-based approach to sampling suggests the water quality is acceptable while traditional knowledge studies suggest otherwise. The First Nation says its most recent results from a monitoring camp in 2024 found only two of fifteen fish caught at the camp were deemed healthy enough for further sampling and consumption. "At this point, YKDFN are concerned that the system places the overwhelming reliance on the sampling programs based on Western science, with a failure to provide for meaningful incorporation of the concerns founded in TK [traditional knowledge] observations," the letter reads. Other closed mines left 'negative perspectives around mining' Another Indigenous government is more optimistic about Diavik's closure plans. The Tłı̨chǫ government says it hopes the Diavik closure leaves a positive legacy, and doesn't repeat the environmental damage seen at older sites in the territory like Giant Mine, or the Rayrock uranium mine. Brett Wheler, a senior advisor with Tłı̨chǫ Government's department of culture and lands protection, says they want to see more water testing done before Diavik closes. Wheler said other mines that left without a proper clean-up had long-standing impacts. "That's caused harm to the environment and to people and it's given sort of a negative relationship or negative perspectives around mining," Wheler said. He said the big areas of the Diavik site have already been cleaned up even before the mining is finished, which is a good sign. "From a technical perspective and from the elders' traditional and cultural perspective, when we go on site, we see that that clean-up work that's already been completed as really positive," Wheler said. Wheler described how Diavik is planning to make sure the water stays clean by putting a thick layer of clean rock on top of all waste rock piles. That means when there is rainfall or snow, the water will not come into contact with the waste rock before running off into natural streams and down to nearby Lac de Gras. "That's the first kind of big, big step to try to keep the water clean. So most of that has been done already," Wheler said. Still, the Tłı̨chǫ government is recommending careful water testing to ensure it's safe and healthy for Tłıcho citizens using the water and land around that area. "We want to make sure that if there are any small effects that are going to be longer-term after the mine is closed, that those are really as small as possible and that they don't have any safety or health risks," Wheler said. The Diavik mine is expected to be the first of the N.W.T.'s three diamond mines to close in the coming years, with Ekati expected to operate until 2029 and Gahcho Kué expected to operate until about 2030.
