What is this engagement about?

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) has determined that the Diavik Diamond Mine Inc.’s (DDMI) Diavik Mine and DeBeers’ Group Snap Lake Mine each require a Wildlife Management and Monitoring Plan (WMMP)  to be approved by the Minister of ECC under Section 95 of the Wildlife Act. 

As part of the approval process, the Minister is seeking the public’s views on how the mines mitigate and monitor the impacts of their operations on wildlife and wildlife habitat, as outlined in their WMMPs. Here is a summary of what goes into a WMMP.

Don’t these mines already have wildlife plans in place?

Both the Diavik Mine and the Snap Lake Mine have wildlife plans that were required under their respective Environmental Agreements, however, new regulations under the Wildlife Act came into force in 2019. ECC has asked that the mines update their plans to also conform to the new regulations and the WMMP Guidelines. 

How can I participate?

The public is invited to read the draft WMMPs prepared by DDMI for the Diavik Diamond Mine and by the DeBeers Groups for the closure and post-closure phase of the Snap Lake Mine (see Diavik and Snap Lake section in the WMMP Resource section). The public can write their comments about each of the WMMPs in the Comment Template (Diavik - Snap Lake) and submit the comments by email to WMMP@gov.nt.ca by Friday, June 25, 2021.

How can my input make a difference?

Comments received though the public engagement period can help to inform and refine the mines’ proposed approaches to mitigating and monitoring the impact of their operations on wildlife and wildlife habitat, which is important for the continued conservation of wildlife in the NWT.

Where can I find results?

Input from the public engagement will be provided to the mines, and the mines will demonstrate how this input was incorporated into the version of the WMMPs to be approved by the Minister of ECC. The approved versions will be posted on the WMMP Resources page of the ECC website.