Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation Elder Jimmy Johnny no longer fishes in the waters that generations of his family members have relied on since memories are remembered.
The tight-knit Na-Cho Nyäk Dun community of 600 people is devastated that their traditional hunting grounds have been affected, with no one truly knowing how the spill will play out in the years to come for the watersheds, the forests and the local people and animals, as Yukon government officials and a team of experts struggle to fix the disaster Victoria Gold left behind.
This type of open pit mining and lack of corporate responsibility in ecologically sensitive areas continues out of sight and out of mind to most Canadians living in the south. It is Indigenous peoples who are on the front lines of global warming and environmental disaster caused by our current unsustainable living practices. Our community members live out on the land, harvest the fish, plants and animals and we also try to safeguard and care for all living things, as is our way.
Sustainable corporate and mining practices can no longer be lip service. And governments of all levels need to step up their environmental policies, not override them for quick development.