Community-Based Monitoring Camps

Diavik and EMAB often hear that communities would like to do their own environmental monitoring at the mine. EMAB has also indicated community based monitoring would help communities better understand the interaction between the mine and environment. As well, the EA requires that Diavik provide meaningful involvement of Aboriginal peoples in environmental monitoring. Therefore, to address community concerns and fulfill the EA, Diavik set up a Community Based Monitoring (CBM) camp in 2003. It is located five kilometers east of the mine in a small bay on the mainland of Lac de Gras. 

EMAB organized the CBM camp with help from Diavik in 2003 to 2007. Since 2008 Diavik took over the organization aspects of the CBM camp. The CBM is done with the Traditional Knowledge Panel every three years. The Fish Palatability and Texture Study happens nearly every year at the CBM camp as part of the Aquatic Effects Monitoring Program (AEMP). Participants from the five Aboriginal Parties stay at the camp for three to four days to complete this study. Fish are collected from Lac de Gras and are used to analyze taste and texture. Until 2018, participants consistently said the fish in Lac de Gras looked healthy and tasted good. In recent years, participants have noticed fish don’t look as healthy and in 2021, participants refused to taste the fish.