SASKATOON — Métis Local 39 President Keith Shewchuk says he is confident that environmental concerns related to the proposed Rook I uranium mine project in northern Saskatchewan have been thoroughly addressed through years of consultation, study and negotiation involving Indigenous communities, regulators and project developer NexGen Energy Ltd.
Shewchuk spoke to reporters during the second day of a three-day public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Delta Hotels Saskatoon. He praised NexGen for engaging directly with leaders of communities surrounding the project — located on the Patterson Lake peninsula in the southwestern Athabasca Basin — while it was still an exploration company more than a decade ago, something he said other mining firms failed to do.
“NexGen came into our community, and they really engaged early on. Many proponents were in our backyard, as our provincial government was issuing permits to these exploration companies. Not one of them met with community leadership to discuss what they would be doing in our backyard. NexGen was one of the first companies actually to sit down and explain what they were doing. This was before the mining discoveries. They were doing a lot of community engagement,” said Shewchuk.
He said that early engagement ensured communities understood what was happening on their traditional lands and had a voice well before mining plans were finalized. That trust carried through the project’s transition from exploration to mining, with communities participating in both provincial and federal environmental assessment processes. Negotiations lasted more than four years, with community leaders repeatedly pushing back to ensure environmental protection remained the top priority.
For Dene communities, Shewchuk said protecting the land is inseparable from culture, values and way of life. Concerns focused on water quality, wildlife and traditional harvesting areas — including moose, fish, waterfowl and small game — that remain vital to food security and cultural practices. NexGen addressed those concerns by collecting early baseline environmental data, focusing not only on federally protected species but also on animals and waterways important to residents.
Shewchuk said the information provides a clear reference point for measuring future changes. A key safeguard was the inclusion of third-party environmental monitors from within the community. These monitors are independently trained and funded and are trusted to sample water and environmental conditions, allowing results to be compared with company and provincial data and ensuring potential problems are identified quickly.
“One of the most important things for us was to protect the environment. Our values, our traditions, our culture are to Mother Earth. We understand the future is moving forward with many things, even in our own hometown. We're losing a lot of our identity. A lot of people are no longer trapping, but we don't want to lose our culture. We don't want to lose our values. We want to protect the land,” he added.
Decades-long research and consultation
NexGen CEO and director Leigh Curyer said the environmental impact study reflects more than a decade of research, traditional land-use studies and collaboration with communities and regulators. He said potential risks, including contamination of country foods and water, were identified early and addressed through scientifically validated mitigation measures.
“We've been addressing them along the way, which started back in 2013. This is a very formal process to document everything from independent sources, validate the data, analyze the risk mitigation practices of the proposed operation, and reach consensus. Before an elevation in those activities, posted approval,” said Curyer.
“It is an excellent reflection of a resource project, in a very respectful and transparent process that can deliver when First Nation communities and resource companies proactively collaborate in the successful development of the project, both technically, economically and socially. Today's hearing is an incredible representation of that in the history of Canadian resource development. I haven't seen such strong community support for a project as what we've witnessed here today.”
He added that Saskatchewan’s mining sector is expected to have a significant economic impact, with northern communities among the first to benefit through employment and training opportunities for Indigenous workers. Business activity is increasing, including the opening of several fast-food outlets, while a planned hotel and conference centre — to be owned and operated by local Indigenous communities and built by an Indigenous contractor — is expected to break ground.
“Oversight on mining is really important. Look at its impactful endeavour to undertake. From NexGen’s perspective, we have reviewed best practices and how we can go further. Mining overall has really lifted its game since the beginning of this century, when it had a chequered history. I think there's been a lot of learning from that. We have done extensive research on what works and what doesn't, and we've got scientific validation behind our risk mitigation measures to show that this is a new environmental standard for the development, construction and operation of the mining project,” Curyer said.
Regulatory standpoint
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission registrar Candace Salmon said the commission’s role is regulation, environmental protection and safety, which are central to its licensing decision. She said the CNSC continues to review radiation protection, water management, habitat impacts and fire risks before approving any operation.
“There are several areas that the commission will look into, and some of them would be radiation protection. They look at a lot of environmental issues, such as water and efficiency, and all of us, with habitat things you would have heard briefly today, that there's been a lot of conversation about country foods and ensuring the protection of the land for the Indigenous nations and communities to use those things. So, several elements go into the commission's considerations,” said Salmon.
One concern raised during the public hearing was the use of explosives, particularly in light of last year’s devastating wildfires in northern Saskatchewan that displaced residents and destroyed homes and livelihoods.
Salmon said fire protection and environmental management are part of the CNSC’s safety and control requirements and will be carefully reviewed before any licence is granted.
“Again, it's the safety and control areas. There are 13 different sections, one of which has to do with radiation protection, so it's a standard safety issue in any licence that we would look at, not just sort of specific to this one. Still, I would say the commission will review everything and make a decision. And it will only issue a licence if it's safe to do so,” she added.
