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.
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.