Northwest Territories

Project Name	Description
Former Telecommunications Network: Remediation and Decommissioning Client: Northwestel Location: Across Northwest Territories	Hemmera has been extensively involved in Northwestel's site decommissioning effort throughout the Northwest Territories. Between 2015 and 2017, Hemmera was retained to provide Phase I, II and III Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) at former Northwestel telecommunication sites along the Mackenzie River Valley. Included in this series of projects was an aerial assessment of the former telecommunications line between Ft. Simpson and Inuvik, compromising approximately 1,200 km of right of way cut line and more than 20 site. In addition to the removal of infrastructure (including poles, wire, buildings, equipment, metal and hydrocarbon contaminated soil) by helicopter, Hemmera led the process of contaminant identification, delineation, and ultimate remedial excavation. We completed a report issued to the NWT government on behalf of Northwestel in order to release the land to the government after approximately 60 years of tenancy. More recently (2016-2018), Hemmera was retained by Northwestel and formed a partnership with Nanzu to demolish, remove, and remediate five additional remote microwave sites along the Mackenzie Valley. We led the delineation of contaminated soil, remedial excavation, and hazardous materials assessment and sampling (asbestos, lead, mercury). Also included in the scope was the logistically complex task of complete demolition and removal of buildings housing generators and electrical communications equipment,  microwave towers, fuel tanks and emergency sheltors. Hemmera and Nanzu jointly produced a result detailing site decommissioning and environmental work completed and to provide recommendations for future work.
Inuvik Wind Project: Detailed Regulatory Studies Client: Northwestel Location: Across Northwest Territories	The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is investigating the feasibility of developing a wind energy project that would provide renewable energy to the town of Inuvik. The GNWT has retained the Nihtat Corporation (with support from Hemmera, Wood Group, Inuvik Engineering, and InterGroup Consultants) to complete this feasibility study. Electrical generation in the community of Inuvik is currently provided by diesel and natural gas. This project is part of the Government of Northwest Territories' larger energy strategy and effort to reduce fossil fuel consumption in remote Northwest Territories communities. This project will outline a business case and include the preparation performance specifications and procurement documents to install wind generation. Pre-feasibility work was undertaken in 2016-2017 that found that a wind project, including the wind generation, an all-season road and an energy storage system, was feasible. Hemmera was responsible for conducting the Study's Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Land Use Study, managing the Heritage Resources component of the Project, leading the Project team's involvement with the GNWT stakeholder, and providing permitting support (with respect to the Project's geotechnical investigations). The purpose of conducting this Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Workshop was to learn more about traditional land use (including traditional foods) in the Project area, and to better understand through the Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous people in the Inuvik area about the potential effects that the project may have on the land and resources (including plants, wildlife, birds, etc.). This workshop worked to enhance the Project's understanding of traditional land use, which it initially gained through desktop research.
Arsenic Delineation and Confirmatory Soil Sampling at N'dilo School Client: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Location: N'dilo/Yellowknife, Northwest Territories	Det'on Cho Environmental developed and completed a confirmatory soil sampling program to address concerns about arsenic presence in soils around the N'dilo school and adjacent day care facility. DCE reviewed reports from previous exploratory sampling and directly involved Yellowknives Dene knowledge holders to better understand concerns and build a sampling and testing program to address those emerging issues. DCE developed a robust and representative sampling program, sampled soils with Yellowknives' Dene support, and interpreted the results of the results of the lab analysis for INAC. The report was used to inform dialogue around potential remediation actions at the site.
Darnley Bay Habitat Priority Area Monitoring Client: Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Location: Northwest Territories	Darnley Bay is located in the western Canadian Arctic within the Beaufort Sea Large Ocean Management Area and Inuvialuit Settlement Region. A portion of Darnley Bay was nominated by DFO as an area of interest (AOI), and the Cape Parry Offshore Feeding Habitat in the AOI was identified as one of four priority areas. The Cape Parry priority area was chosen to maintain the integrity of the marine environment offshore of Cape Parry for the protection of staging sea ducks, feeding seabirds, and marine mammals. A monitoring plan was required for the Darnley Bay Area of Interest to be designated as a Marine Protected Area. This project identified priority indicators and recommended monitoring strategies to be included in the plan. Hemerra completed a technical report identifying specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-sensitive (SMART) ecological monitoring indicators and associated strategies and protocols for monitoring those indicators for the productive Cape Parry marine offshore feeding habitat located within the Darnley Bay AOI. Indicators were selected based on ecological importance, baseline data availability including Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and feasibility of monitoring in the Cape Parry area. A literature review and discussions with researchers at DFO and universities were conducted to identify key species as well as biotic, physical, and biochemical drivers in the area on which to base the monitoring indicators. Feasible and achievable strategies and protocols including community-base monitoring initiatives were developed by identifying available data, current monitoring and research programs to utilize in monitoring the indicators. as well as challenges and knowledge gaps present. The completed report will support the development of a monitoring plan for the Darnley Bay Area of Interest upon it's designation as a Marine Protected Area,