Contaminants in the North

Many sites in the North have been contaminated due to private sector mining, oil and gas, and government military activities that occurred before their environmental impact was fully understood.

In addition, studies in the early 1990s found that a number of pollutants originating from sources outside the Arctic or in some cases outside Canada, were reaching unexpectedly high levels in the Arctic ecosystem.

AANDC is working to address these challenges.  It is committed to improving the environmental health of the North through two key programs:

Northern Contaminated Sites Program
This program focuses on the clean up and remediation of a number of contaminated sites in the North. The Contaminated Sites Management Policy was developed for the management of contaminated sites located in AANDC's areas of responsibility.

Northern Contaminants Program (NCP)
This program addresses human exposure to contaminants in wildlife species that are important to the traditional diets of Northern Aboriginal peoples. The NCP partners with key players from the North and the international scientific community.

What Information is Available?

In this section find information on funded projects, project management tools, performance reports and policies that support AANDC's work to create a healthier environment in the North for Aboriginal and Northern peoples.

You may also be interested in:

• Mining Land Use and Reclamation
• Northern Affairs Program Environment, Health and Safety Policy