Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan: what we heard report

List of acronyms frequently used in this report

CIRNAC

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

CSOR

Contaminated Sites on Reserve program (ISC)

GoC

Government of Canada

ECCC

Environment and Climate Change Canada

FCSAP

Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan

FCSI

Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory

ISC

Indigenous Services Canada

MLC

2021 Minister of Environment’s Mandate Letter Commitment (MLC) to “identify, and prioritize the clean-up of, contaminated sites in areas where Indigenous Peoples, racialized and low-income Canadians live”

NCSP

Northern Contaminated Sites Program (CIRNAC)

TBS

Treasury Board Secretariat

Executive Summary

Since 2005, the Government of Canada (GoC) Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan (FCSAP) has provided funding to federal organizations to address contaminated sites under their responsibility. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) have addressed and remediated hundreds of sites:

• on First Nation reserve lands
• within traditional Indigenous territories in Canada’s North

In 2018, the FCSAP Secretariat, with support from federal program partners’ CIRNAC and ISC, hosted 10 meetings across Canada, with Indigenous communities and organizations. These meetings:

• helped gather views and ideas for a proposed renewed FCSAP program
• led to feedback related to ISC’s Contaminated Sites on Reserve Program (CSOR) and CIRNAC’s Northern Contaminated Sites Program (NCSP)

The input received during these sessions resulted in key recommendations for improving programming moving forward.

The FCSAP program was renewed for another 15 years in 2020. Despite the progress made towards addressing the recommendations FCSAP heard from Indigenous Peoples in 2018, there remain:

• gaps to be addressed
• opportunities to improve collaboration between the federal government and Indigenous governments and communities regarding contaminated sites management

FCSAP is the main source of funding for CSOR and NCSP (excluding the eight largest abandoned mines in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, which fall under CIRNAC’s Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program). Also, as part of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s Mandate Letter of December 2021 (MLC), the GoC committed to

“Identify and prioritize the clean-up of contaminated sites in areas where Indigenous, racialized, and low-income Canadians live”.

As a result, engagement sessions were held with Indigenous governments and communities across Canada from February 2023 to May 2023 to seek input on:

• gaps
• priorities
• recommendations
• the use of Indigenous Knowledge related to contaminated sites management to help inform the future of the program (Phase V)
• commitments outlined in the MLC

The intent of this report is to:

• share the input we received during the engagement sessions
• use the overall findings to inform ongoing assessment and remediation work and options for renewing the FCSAP program in 2025

The following themes emerged across all sessions:

1. Funding - Need for long-term, accessible, flexible, and sustainable funding sources
2. Indigenous Knowledge - Meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge throughout the entire assessment and remediation process and inclusion of Elders and knowledge holders for decision-making
3. Engagement and Capacity - Early engagement, capacity building, and continued community involvement and collaboration efforts
4. Consultants - Consultants to engage more effectively, transparently, and meaningfully with community
5. Training Opportunities - Provide funded contaminated sites training opportunities for communities to gain credentials, technical, and practical skills
6. Information and Communication - Improved information/resource sharing and consistent communication
7. Education - Increased awareness and education around contaminated sites, specifically targeting youth
8. Prevention and Monitoring - Larger focus on contamination prevention and monitoring before and after clean-up
9. Administrative - Less rigorous and time-restricted reporting requirements, with a focus on plain language and translation services upon request

Across the country,  over 100 individuals representing  Indigenous governments, Indigenous communities and organizations had many recommendations for improving the FCSAP program. These related to the concerns they expressed about current assessment and remediation work. The key message that emerged from the cross-country sessions was that Indigenous communities must have greater involvement in all phases of contaminated sites management. This is to be achieved through:

• early and on-going engagement
• improved information sharing
• assessment and remediation efforts informed by Indigenous Knowledge and Science
• long term flexible funding
• increased capacity building through skills enhancement and training opportunities to maximize socio-economic benefits for local communities

This report will be circulated to all invitees of these engagement sessions. The FCSAP program will make use of the findings of the report to inform ongoing assessment and remediation work, and options for renewing the FCSAP program in 2025.

1.0 Introduction

FCSAP was established by the GoC in 2005, led by the FCSAP Secretariat (ECCC), and supported by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). The FCSAP Secretariat provides:

• program oversight
• administration
• coordination
• progress monitoring
• program reporting

The first three phases of FCSAP ran for 15 years, from 2005 to 2019. It was renewed for another 15 years, covering the period from 2020-2034. The FCSAP program helps federal government organizations – known as “custodians” – reduce risks to human health and the environment from federal contaminated sites under their responsibility.

1.1 Departmental Custodial Responsibilities under Federal Contaminated Sites Programming

Indigenous Service Canada (ISC) and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) are the federal departments with the greatest responsibility for contaminated sites on reserve lands and in the North. These are managed through the Contaminated Sites on Reserve Program (CSOR) and Northern Contaminated Sites Program (NCSP), respectively.

• Based on information in the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory (FCSI), as of March 2023, they are responsible for 4,516 (ISC) and 1,006 (CIRNAC) contaminated sites in Canada
• Of these sites, 2,574 (ISC) and 842 (CIRNAC) sites have been addressed and are now closed, with no unacceptable risks to human health or the environment remaining from contamination

In addition to ISC and CIRNAC, there are other federal organizations responsible for thousands of federal sites across Canada that may impact Indigenous Peoples.

Importantly, many contaminated sites which exist in traditional Indigenous territories are outside the scope of the FCSAP program as these sites are the responsibility of the provincial or territorial governments and not the federal government. This division in responsibilities for contaminated sites means that in some areas:

• sites might be right next to each other but are still the responsibility of different governments
• there might be significant differences from one province or territory to another in the way that contaminated sites are funded and managed

As part of the 2023 Indigenous engagement mandate, the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) co-led:

• four regional virtual engagement sessions (in Western, Eastern, Northern and Quebec/Labrador regions)
• two in-person engagement sessions (in Winnipeg and Yellowknife)

The aim was to provide a forum for meaningful discussion with Indigenous governments and communities to identify gaps and priorities related to:

• federal contaminated sites management
• FCSAP Program

Feedback from the sessions will assist with informing the future direction of:

• federal contaminated sites programming
• the 2021 Minister of Environment’s MLC
• help to advance the meaningful inclusion of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in federal program delivery processes

Some of the key questions discussed at the engagement sessions included:

• What are governments/communities’ biggest priorities related to the management of federal contaminated sites
• What are the biggest barriers faced by governments/communities’ regarding the management of federal contaminated sites
• What have governments/communities’ experience been in the prioritization of federal contaminated sites
• How could the GoC strengthen the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the planning, prioritization, and delivery of federal contaminated sites work
• How could the GoC better manage contaminated sites to support reconciliation

This report summarizes the discussions, feedback and recommendations that came from those engagement sessions, as well as the responses gathered from an online questionnaire.

2.0 Approach

The GoC partnered with CIER to support meaningful and culturally appropriate engagement sessions. CIER is an Indigenous owned not-for-profit organization. It provides direction, consultation, and capacity building services, as it relates to environmental initiatives for Indigenous governments, communities and organizations throughout Canada.

The GoC took a hybrid approach to engagement to support inclusivity and as a result, both virtual and in-person forms of engagement were offered. The GoC also took a four-pronged approach to give the opportunity to those who couldn’t attend a session to engage in the process. This was achieved through an emailed/mailed-out questionnaire that asked for feedback on federal contaminated sites management.

Participant outreach included all First Nation bands, Métis representation, and Inuit including women, youth, Elders, and other gender identities.

• For the Quebec/Labrador virtual session, the invitation was sent out by the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Sustainable Development Institute (FNQLSDI) to their internal contact list of Indigenous communities across Quebec and Labrador. Through CIER and the GoC, invitations were also sent to a number of governments and organizations including the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), Kativik Environmental Advisory Committee (KEAC), Cree Nation Government, Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, Makivik Corporation (representing Nunavik in Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut Government (Labrador). Additionally, FNQLSDI helped to co-facilitate the Quebec/Labrador session.
• The Yellowknife in-person session in part doubled as an ad-hoc Waste Sites Management Committee (WSMC) meeting due to budgetary constraints and as a result, the invitation was sent primarily to WSMC members as well as other contacts located in Northwest Territories.

Local Elders were invited to open both the Winnipeg and Yellowknife sessions with an opening prayer and greeting. Honorariums were provided directly to Elders. In addition, participant fees were distributed to all participating Nations and organizations to compensate for their time. 

To support meaningful discussion at the sessions, CIER alongside ECCC developed and distributed documents to participants in advance of the discussion, including:

• a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document
• briefing note
• detailed agenda
• handout materials
• presentations

Poll Everywhere and Jam Boards were also used throughout the sessions to encourage participation.

A session evaluation was distributed after each session and an online questionnaire was distributed to all contacts to give those who couldn’t attend a session the opportunity to engage and provide feedback.

3.0 Facts and Figures about the Sessions

Over 100 individuals representing Indigenous governments, communities, and organizations across the country participated in the engagement sessions, sharing valuable insights into how contaminated sites affect the health, environment, and social wellbeing of the communities.

A total of six engagement sessions took place across Canada from February 2023 to May 2023 and were divided into specific regions to support a regional, distinctions-based approach.

Four of the sessions were offered virtually to increase accessibility and two of the sessions were conducted in-person.

• The in-person sessions were held in Winnipeg to capture southern perspectives, and in Yellowknife to capture northern perspectives.
• The in-person sessions were offered to connect and bring together governments who may otherwise not have been able to participate in the virtual sessions offered.

Attendees included Indigenous representatives, government representatives and CIER staff. The list below provides a summary of the regional sessions along with their corresponding dates:

Western Region (virtual)

• Provinces/Territories: BC, AB, SK, MBN
• Date: February 21, 2023

Eastern Region (virtual)

• Provinces/Territories: ON, NB, NS, PEI, NL
• Date: February 28, 2023

Quebec/Labrador Region, including Nunavik and Nunatsiavut (virtual)

• Provinces/Territories: QC, Labrador
• Date: March 14, 2023

Northern (virtual)

• Provinces/Territories: Across all regions South of 60°
• Date: May 4, 2023

Winnipeg (in-person)

• Provinces/Territories: MN, ON, SK
• Date: April 12, 2023

Yellowknife (in-person)

• Provinces/Territories: NT
• Date: April 25, 2023

Online Questionnaire

• Provinces/Territories: All regions across Canada
• Date: May 25, 2023

4.0 Session Results

Participants across Canada had varying experiences, priorities, barriers, and recommendations regarding federal contaminated sites. This section details what was heard at each session with respect to these focus areas as well as the feedback obtained from the online questionnaire. 

4.1 Western Session (Virtual)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Forty two percent of participants indicated they had experience with the FCSAP program, while 58% indicated they had no experience. Experience ranged from:

• landfills and dumpsites
• inadequately managed agriculture contaminating lakes
• orphaned/abandoned mines
• spillage from a power generation site 
• contaminated residential parcels of land

Some of the resulting impacts mentioned at the session included:

• reduced hunting and trapping grounds affecting the ability to access traditional food such as shellfish 
• high levels of contamination around lakes negatively impacting the health of aquatic life and surrounding trees

Some participants indicated that clean-up efforts have yet to be initiated. Others identified on-going delays in clean-up due to reasons such as:

• COVID-19
• a lack of coordination between government and communities

According to one participant, clean-up efforts were carried out; however, the participant indicated that due to a lack of funding the clean-up did not capture the entire scope of the contamination.

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management, and clean-up of contaminated sites included:

• lack of funding
• minimal staff and technical capacity within the communities
• a lack of communication from the federal government
• a lack of coordination between jurisdictions
• a lack of information sharing and available resources
• general difficulties getting the federal government to commit to the identification and remediation of contaminated sites

One participant noted that their community felt excluded from the general process and discussions and many participants identified the high employee turnover rates in band council positions as a significant barrier.

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward.

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback, for improving the FCSAP program can be found below:

• Use a distinctions-based approach, meaning the provinces will work with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in a manner that acknowledges the communities’:
  • specific rights
  • interests
  • priorities
  • concerns of each

It will continue to respect and acknowledge these distinct Peoples, with unique cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments. With a distinctions-based approach, the governments may need to contact some Métis governments directly, as some Métis governments have their own consultation protocols and will not deal with third party facilitators engaging with their membership.

• Identify and address contamination in a timely manner
• Ensure clean-up is consistent with community values and goals. Demonstrate respect for and focus on Indigenous priorities
• Support and fund community capacity building opportunities, engagement, and training to ensure meaningful participation, including training community members to carry out the assessment and remediation work
• Uphold the Crown’s duty to consult
• Strengthen communication through in-person meetings, Zoom, letters, etc., to include current updates on site status, funding opportunities, and general program information
• Better incorporate Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the identification and remediation of contaminated sites
• Ensure existing contaminated site information and databases are:
  • consolidated
  • user friendly
  • easy to access
• Include a section where communities can identify areas of concerns (similar to Saskatchewan’s Illegal Dumpsite App)
• Utilize social media to raise awareness about federal contaminated sites

4.2 Eastern Session (Virtual)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Seventeen percent of participants indicated that they had extensive experience with the FCSAP program. Sixty six percent indicated that they had either moderate and minimal experience, and 17% indicated that they had no experience. Experience ranged from old landfills and improperly capped oil wells to nuclear hazardous waste storage sites.

One participant noted that the contaminated site in their community has been assessed numerous times over a span of 50 years but has yet to be remediated.

Some of the impacts from federal contaminated sites mentioned at the session included:

• high levels of contamination affecting groundwater
• tap water becoming undrinkable due to radioactivity
• reduced ability to carry out land-based activities such as hunting and trapping
• general health and safety concerns

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management, and clean-up of contaminated sites mentioned at the session included:

• a lack of information and access to assessment and remediation reports and maps
• a lack of community capacity and training (e.g., contractor accommodations, heavy equipment)
• extensive reporting requirements
• requirements to use government-approved companies to conduct work
• difficulties in accessing funding
• an overall lack of involvement and recognition of a community’s contaminated site(s)

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward.

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback, for improving the FCSAP program were:

• incorporate Indigenous Knowledge of species at risk into the prioritization and management of contaminated sites
• give more weight to community input regarding the prioritization of sites via an advisory board
• improved information sharing. Grant access to records, assessment reports, contacts, and resources in a timely manner. Provide an annual update list for Indigenous contaminated sites and annual meetings with ISC regional staff and community staff
• offer translation services upon request
• place greater focus on pollution prevention. Provide resources and financial incentives to move away from heating oil and diesel use to prevent future spills and leaks
• increase awareness and offer educational materials, workshops, and resources regarding contaminated sites. Create guidebooks that outline the various avenues for dealing with contaminated sites, including how to get started, different types of contamination, etc.
• encourage consultants to work with and meet with various levels of community staff
• support additional engagement sessions that are flexible, funded, and directed by communities. Notify and engage with tribal councils early in the engagement process
• less rigorous reporting requirement expected, for Indigenous partners reporting through Grants and Contribution agreements 
• greater consideration and effort to implement a community’s environment assessment process instead of the federal governments by default
• provide additional and reliable funding to support capacity e.g., community coordinator positions, environmental and enforcement staff
• include more information on the federal contaminated sites inventory database (e.g., dates of studies, copies of full reports), to consolidate information into one place and create greater and more widespread easy access
• onboard additional regional ISC staff to work on the FCSAP program
• offer additional contaminated sites training opportunities for community members to build technical capacity
• greater accountability and transparency on the federal government’s end
• ensure that the community is involved in all phases of the project, listen to the community’s issues and concerns regarding contaminated sites, proposed methods of remediation, information sharing process, level of assistance required, etc.

4.3 Quebec/Labrador session, including Nunavik and Nunatsiavut (Virtual)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Seventy one percent of participants indicated they had minimal experience on the FCSAP program, and 29% indicated they had moderate experience. Experience included:

• a local petroleum company experiencing a spill at a gas bar in the community
• an old bunk house used by construction workers which was causing soil contamination
• fuel being dumped in sewage lines

Participants indicated that the contamination resulting from their various sites continues to negatively impact their waters, soils, and community at large.

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management and clean-up of contaminated sites mentioned at the session included:

• minimal access to information on contaminants
• lack of capacity
• lack of financial support and resources compared to the sheer number of contaminated sites
• lack of communication regarding the status of projects
• the high cost to clean up and store contaminated soils
• the stringent procedural, administrative and reporting requirements

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward.

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback, for improving the FCSAP program were:

• maintain consistent communication with communities during all phases of the project
• arrange community representatives to be on-site during the environmental site assessment to ensure Indigenous Knowledge has been considered
• provide long-term funding instead of site-specific funding. This funding should be accessible and sufficient to support community engagements and regional community liaison officers in addition to remediation work
• host monthly and annual conferences, engagement, and information sessions on federal contaminated sites
• more information and resources to be shared with communities on all aspects of contaminated sites (e.g., fuel management to prevent future spills, types of contaminants, location of contaminants, remediation process)
• fund the creation of plaques on remediated sites with information on the site, the acknowledgement of environmental impacts and traditional hunting and cultural information
• open the eligibility of sites considered under the program (e.g., private sites)
• create a network for communities to share information (e.g., contamination standards, management best practices) and resources
• provide a guidebook for contaminated sites management and tools to communities that help protect the environment, raise awareness on pollution prevention and the consequences of polluting, and provide information regarding options once companies or individuals cause contamination
• provide larger compensation for the environmental site assessment process. Onboard more government personnel to review requests
• reduce the administration burden on communities, make processes clearer and simpler
• offer additional contaminated sites training programs for community members to obtain the necessary credentials, practical skills and increase community employment e.g., Circuit Rider Training Program
• require government staff to complete Indigenous cultural workshops and trainings prior to working with communities

4.4 Northern Session (Virtual)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Fifty percent of participants indicated they had moderate experience working on the FCSAP program, 33 % had minimal experience and 17% were unsure. Experience included:

• contamination resulting from old mines
• former military radar sites, and air force bases
• oil barrels and equipment leftover from exploration companies during the 1960s

Numerous health and environmental impacts resulting from federal contaminated sites were mentioned including:

• arsenic
• industrial chemicals (PCBs)
• petroleum hydrocarbons leeching into surrounding soils, rivers, and lakes

One participant noted that because of oil barrels being dumped offshore by a previous exploration company, fish can no longer be harvested from the lake and swimming is restricted.

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management, and clean-up of contaminated sites mentioned at the session included:

• the lack of trust between Indigenous governments, communities and organizations and the government
• the government’s lack of community cultural understanding
• the lack of internal capacity allowing communities to be fully involved in the project (i.e. lack of training to carry out the environmental work)
• lack of adequate and secure funding
• restrictive government timelines and policies (e.g., 20 days to respond to a consultation notification)
• the continued pursuit of ensuring Indigenous rights is upheld, respected and exercised
• the fatigue from expressing the same concerns and issues with no or little improvement

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward.

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback, for improving the FCSAP program were:

• remediation efforts must be continually informed by Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous practices and priorities in addition to Western science
• offer guidance on the remediation and cleanup of “non-contaminants” such as infrastructure
• focus on early community engagement to build capacity and ensure that communities have an opportunity to meaningfully participate in the following practices for contaminated sites:
  • design
  • management
  • decision-making
  • implementation
• enhance communication and carry out more information sessions with communities regarding contaminated sites, project updates, and pollution prevention that are transparent and aim to build trust
• offer funded training programs for community members to address contamination issues, gain technical skills and assist with monitoring (e.g., Eco Canada BEAHR Indigenous Training program, GIS training)
• provide funding for long-term monitoring of remediated sites
• use plain language throughout documents, plans, and reports
• provide translation services upon request 
• establish flexible funding application timelines take into consideration the fishing and hunting season
• create and circulate packages that allow Indigenous governments, communities and organizations to understand and move more easily through the various funding programs as well as general educational materials on contaminated sites management
• create a user-friendly website that contains all relevant contaminated site information (location, contaminant type, dates, maps, reports, etc.)
• provide compensation (e.g., freezers, boating programs) to communities for the loss of traditional hunting and cultural areas as a result of contamination
• push for stronger regulations that hold polluters accountable

4.5 Winnipeg Session (In-Person)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Twenty eight percent of participants indicated that they had extensive experience with the FCSAP program. Sixty-one percent had either minimal to moderate experience, and 11% had no experience. 

• One participant noted that their community school was built on diesel-contaminated soil, resulting in serious illness and high rates of cancer in the community
• Another participant mentioned a residential school site which has since resulted in severe heavy metal pollution affecting the ecosystem and community health and wellness

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management, and clean-up of contaminated sites mentioned at the session included:

• the lack of information sharing with a community (understanding of contamination, benefits of clean up, etc.)
• finding and securing funding sources
• obtaining community buy-in
• lack of funded training opportunities

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward.

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback for improving the FCSAP program were:

• provide training opportunities for capacity building and to maximize community investments (e.g., contaminated sites management 101 training, certifications for contract work and skills enhancement, investments in equipment)

• improved information sharing and communication with the community (e.g., sharing the results of phase 1, site information)
• expand eligibility of contaminated sites included in the FCSAP program (e.g., Certificate of Possession lands)
• offer long-term sustainable funding sources and provide funding for pollution prevention through monitoring programs, upgrading home energy sources, emergency spill response funding, community environmental officer positions, etc. 
• update the contaminated sites inventory to include:
  • more detailed information such as what the contaminated sites are in their communities
  • history of them in the location
  • type of contamination
  • records pertaining to the sites
  • information on third party sites 
• provide communities with basic contaminated sites information and training on how to do contaminated site work
• provide information on health-related issues and involve Elders in understanding the history of site, changes in conditions and the effects on people, land, wildlife, and water
• establish a community networking system to share best practices, clean-up strategies, etc.
• focus on early community engagement, bring in tribal councils and land managers as early as possible, and provide incentives for community-wide engagement
• include more Indigenous lands in the prioritization of sites
• focus on going into a community, conducting on-the-ground site visits, and speaking with and including Elders and knowledge keepers in:
  • the environmental site assessment
  • meetings
  • and the project at large
• provide community guides to consultants regarding previous land use, community health concerns, etc.
• less rigorous and time-restricted reporting requirements
• develop specific, consistent, and long-term metrics for contaminated sites monitoring and enforcement
• utilize social media to raise awareness and gather community feedback about federal contaminated sites
• use plain language
• provide advanced notice to communities for bidding on contracts and increase accountability for non-Indigenous companies in the bidding process
• improve timing of resources and quantity of resources for community technicians
• onboard additional regional ISC staff to work on the FCSAP program

4.6 Yellowknife Session (In-Person)

Experience with federal contaminated sites

Twenty nine percent of participants indicated that they had extensive experience with the FCSAP program. Fifty seven percent had either minimal to moderate experience, and 14% had no experience. Experience included contamination resulting from oil and gas exploration, a pipeline project, mining, and radioactive waste.

One participant expressed the loss of hunting grounds and traditional territory as a significant impact from contaminated sites.

Barriers impacting the management of federal contaminated sites.

Barriers to effective identification, management, and clean-up of contaminated sites mentioned at the session included the lack of government communication and loss of socio-economic activities and benefits, linked to GoC procurement. For example, there are numerous mine closures in the north, with contamination still present and a significant loss of socio-economic benefits when businesses and workers are mostly contracted outside the local/regional area for:

• assessment
• remediation
• care and maintenance activities

As well, a lack of funding results in the inability to hire community liaisons, carry out effective contamination prevention, and carry out long-term monitoring.

Recommendations for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming moving forward

Recommendations provided by CIER based on participant feedback, for improving the FCSAP program were:

• provide procurement support to drive and maximize local socio-economic benefits (e.g., create local jobs, procurement set up to allow communities to be competitive in the bidding process)
• work together with communities to co-develop remediation projects
• support capacity building before remediation begins and carry out early engagement. Involve communities in all project stages
• contractors must demonstrate how they engage with a community, increased accountability
• offer training programs with transferable skills (e.g., monitoring, sampling, reporting)
• more flexibility and security with respect to funding (i.e., expand access to multi-year funding, timelines, etc.)
• remediation efforts must be continually informed by Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous practices and priorities in addition to Western knowledge systems. Create project manager and monitoring roles for Traditional Knowledge, include knowledge holders and Elders at the decision-making table, support the creation of Elder advisory councils
• use plain language
• support strong and consistent communication with communities throughout the entirety of projects
• greater emphasis on going into community to understand community concerns, needs, priorities and the northern context first-hand
• offer translation into Indigenous languages upon request
• support the creation of Indigenous community liaison personnel to work within the community, attend meetings, transfer knowledge etc.
• create a seat for youth and women at the decision-making table

5.0 National Themes

Across the country, the following themes emerged for improving FCSAP contaminated sites programming. These themes are related to barriers experienced by participants regarding the management of federal contaminated sites and the various recommendations provided. The themes are:

Theme 1 – Funding

• Long-term, accessible, flexible, and sustainable funding sources

Theme 2 - Indigenous Knowledge

• Meaningful incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge throughout the entire assessment and remediation process and inclusion of Elders and knowledge holders at the decision-making table. Ensure projects consider community concerns, needs and priorities

Theme 3 - Engagement and Capacity

• Early engagement, capacity building and continued community involvement and collaboration efforts throughout the entire assessment and remediation process

Theme 4 - Consultants

• Consultants to engage more effectively, transparently, and meaningfully with community

Theme 5 - Training Opportunities

• Provide funded contaminated sites training opportunities for communities to gain credentials, technical and practical skills. Maximize community economic benefits

Theme 6 - Information and Communication

• Improved information/resource sharing and consistent communication regarding contaminated sites. Update the contaminated sites inventory to include more detailed information. Focus on plain language when sharing information/resources and provide translation services upon request

Theme 7 - Education

• Increase awareness and education around contaminated sites, specifically targeting youth. Circulate guides and packages to communities. Improve partnerships/collaboration with compliance promotion and enforcement

Theme 8 - Prevention and Monitoring

• Larger focus on contamination prevention and monitoring pre and post clean-up. Improve partnerships/collaboration with compliance promotion and enforcement

Theme 9 - Administrative

• Less rigorous and time-restricted reporting requirements, with a focus on plain language and translation services upon request

6.0 Next Steps

Similar to the key messaging that emerged from the 2018 FCSAP engagement sessions, Indigenous communities must have greater involvement in all phases of contaminated sites projects. This requires improved information sharing and consistent communication from the federal government. Early and ongoing engagement is also essential for meaningful and continued Indigenous involvement and capacity building. Assessment and remediation efforts must be continually informed by:

• Traditional Knowledge
• Indigenous practices and priorities
• Western science

Long-term, flexible funding needs to be made available and additional training opportunities should be offered to maximize economic benefits for communities and to keep jobs local.

Generally, participants from all sessions indicated they would be interested in opportunities to network and connect with Indigenous governments to learn more about managing contaminated sites, including:

• success stories
• challenges
• best practices

As next steps, the FCSAP Secretariat will consider the key findings and recommendations summarized in this report to inform Phase V program renewal. The FCSAP Secretariat and federal program partners recognize the importance of continued dialogue with Indigenous governments, communities and organizations to help shape the program moving forward through various regional and national engagement activities. Efforts will also continue across the program to increase Indigenous awareness of:

• upcoming assessment and clean-up work
• training opportunities
• increased economic participation by Indigenous businesses and people

This report will be circulated to all invitees of these engagement sessions in 2025.