Nov 24, 2025 Governance & Priorities Committee

[00:00:05]

AND I WILL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH,

[1. Opening Statement]

FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, IT HAS BEEN THE TRADITIONAL LAND OF THE YELLOWKNIVES DENE FIRST NATION. WE RESPECT THE HISTORIES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF ALL OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, INCLUDING THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS AND ALL FIRST NATIONS, METIS AND INUIT, WHOSE PRESENCE CONTINUES TO ENRICH OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY.

NEXT, WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. MR. CALJOUW, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE AGENDA? NOTHING TO ADD,

[2. Approval of the agenda]

DOES ANY MEMBER HAVE A CONFLICT BEFORE US TODAY? SEEING NONE. NEXT, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM DIAVIK DIAMOND MINE ON CLOSURE PLANS.

[4. A presentation from Diavik Diamond Mine on Closure Plans.]

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I'M GORD STEPHENSON, I'M THE GENERAL MANAGER, CLOSURE AT DIAVIK DIAMOND MINES.

I'VE WORKED THERE FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS. I'M A YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENT, BORN AND RAISED, SO I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE TO WORK AT ONE OF THE DIAMOND MINES AS IT GOES THROUGH ITS OPERATIONS AND INTO ITS ACTIVE CLOSURE.

AND WE'LL GET INTO A PRESENTATION HERE.

THERE WE GO. THANKS, DEBBIE. SIMILARLY, I'D LIKE TO DO A LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

SO THE DIAVIK DIAMOND MINE IS SITUATED ON THE TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES AND HOMELAND OF THE DENE, INUIT AND MÉTIS PEOPLE OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AND WEST KITIKMEOT.

AND WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE MANY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE NWT AND NUNAVUT FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, WORK AND LIVE ON THEIR LANDS. AND WE'RE ALSO DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROUS SHARING OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND WAYS OF KNOWING, BEING AND DOING. SO WE'LL START OFF WITH A VIDEO.

AND WHILE IT'D BE GREAT TO HAVE EVERYONE AT SITE AND SHOW THE MINE SITE, IT DOES GIVE AN IMPORTANT CONTEXT FOR THE REST OF THE DISCUSSION ON WHERE WE SIT IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS AS WELL AS CLOSURE. SO BEAR WITH US.

IT'S ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES LONG, BUT IT CAN HELP INFORM QUESTIONS AS WELL.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AS WE MOVE TOWARDS CLOSURE IN 2026.

DIAVIK HAS BEEN OPERATING SINCE 2003, WITH A WORKFORCE OF OVER 1300 PEOPLE ON AVERAGE.

WE HAVE RECOVERED MORE THAN 145 MILLION CARATS OF DIAMONDS AND HAVE SPENT OVER $10.5 BILLION, OF WHICH MORE THAN 7.5 BILLION IS WITH NORTHERN BUSINESSES.

AT DIAVIK, WE PLANNED FOR CLOSURE FROM THE BEGINNING OF OPERATIONS AND MANY OF OUR CLOSURE ACTIVITIES ARE WELL ADVANCED.

AFTER THE END OF DIAMOND PRODUCTION IN 2026, CLOSURE AND REMEDIATION WORK WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 2029, FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL YEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING.

OUR GOAL AT DIAVIK IS TO BE A LEADER IN RESPONSIBLE MINE CLOSURE.

ON THIS VIDEO TOUR, WE'LL SHOW YOU OUR PLANS FOR DECOMMISSIONING THE MINE AND RECLAIMING THE AREA WHERE DIAVIK OPERATES TODAY.

OUR OFFICIAL CLOSURE PLAN CALLS FOR THE REMOVAL OF ALL BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ON SITE.

AFTER THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS REMOVED, WE ARE PLANNING TO REVEGETATE SOME AREAS OF THE SITE.

HOWEVER, DIAVIK IS ALSO ACTIVELY LOOKING AT WHETHER SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE CAN BE REPURPOSED.

DURING OPERATIONS, ALL WATER AT THE SITE, INCLUDING GROUNDWATER AND WATER USED IN THE PROCESS PLANT, IS SENT TO OUR WATER TREATMENT FACILITY. THE FACILITY CLEANS THE WATER BY REMOVING SUSPENDED SEDIMENT BEFORE RELEASING IT INTO LAC DE GRAS.

OUR ENGINEERED CLOSURE SOURCE CONTROLS WILL ENSURE WATER IS SAFE AND WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE ACTIVE MANAGEMENT OR TREATMENT INTO THE FUTURE.

THE NORTH INLET IS PART OF DIAVIK´S OPERATIONAL WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM.

IT WORKS AS A HOLDING POND. THE WATER IS EITHER REUSED IN THE PROCESS PLANT OR TREATED AND RELEASED INTO LAC DE GRAS.

SEDIMENT REMOVED FROM PROCESSED WATER IS SENT BACK INTO THE NORTH INLET AND SETTLES ON THE LAKEBED.

THE SEDIMENT IS CLEANED VIA A NATURALLY OCCURRING PROCESS KNOWN AS BIOREMEDIATION, WHICH BREAKS DOWN HYDROCARBONS INTO CO2 AND WATER PRIOR TO ALLOWING THE

[00:05:05]

WHILE MOST OF THE AREA IS STABLE, THE CENTER CONTAINS SOFT, FINE GRAINED PROCESSED KIMBERLITE, CREATING A POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE LANDFORM FOR WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE.

TO REMEDY THIS, DIAVIK BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF A SOLID ROCK COVER IN 2023, ENSURING THAT THE LANDFORM IS SAFE AND STABLE IN THE LONG TERM.

THIS DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE PKCF IS ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF DIAVIK CLOSURE, AND INCLUDES CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF GROUND STABILITY CONDITIONS AND THE USE OF REMOTE CONTROLLED HEAVY EQUIPMENT.

PICTURED HERE, THE COVER IS CURRENTLY OVER 66% COMPLETE.

DIAVIK´S PROCESS KIMBERLITE IS NOW PUMPED INTO THE NOW COMPLETE A418 OPERATION, ALLOWING THIS PROGRESSIVE RECLAMATION WORK TO PROCEED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

CONSIDERABLE WORK HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO RECLAIM THE WASTE ROCK THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RELEASE POOR QUALITY WATER.

AFTER RESCOPING THE ROCK PILE TO A 3 TO 1 ANGLE, IT WAS COVERED WITH A 1.5M THICK LAYER OF NATURAL TILL AND THREE METERS OF CLEAN ROCK.

THIS THICK COVER WILL LIMIT INFILTRATION OF WATER AND KEEP THE UNDERLYING ROCK FROZEN, EVEN UNDER CLIMATE WARMING SCENARIOS.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE COVER ON THE NORTH COUNTRY ROCK PILE BEGAN IN 2017, AND IS OVER 96% COMPLETE.

THE COVER WAS REVIEWED BY DIAVIK´S INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE PANEL MEMBERS, WHO CONSIDER THE SHAPE OF ESKERS IN THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE, AND HOW WILDLIFE SUCH AS CARIBOU MAY TRAVEL THROUGH THE AREA.

YOU CAN SEE IN THIS IMAGE FROM SPRING 2024 THAT CARIBOU ARE ALREADY MAKING USE OF THE RECLAIMED AREA, TRAVERSING UP AND DOWN THE SLOPE. THE SOUTH COUNTRY ROCK PILE STORES CLEAN ROCK FROM A21. A LOT OF THIS ROCK IS BEING USED FOR PROGRESSIVE RECLAMATION ACTIVITIES.

DIAVIK WILL CONTINUE TO USE THIS ROCK PILE TO SUPPORT OUR CLOSURE ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE MINE.

AFTER WORK IS COMPLETE, WE'LL ENSURE WILDLIFE HAVE ADEQUATE ACCESS ON AND OFF THE PILE WITH CONSTRUCTED RAMPS.

WE WILL NOT NEED TO CONSTRUCT A COVER AS THE ROCK IS CLEAN AND STABLE.

DURING OPERATIONS, DIAVIK DEPOSITS ALL NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE LIKE METAL AND PLASTIC IN THE LANDFILL.

AFTER PRODUCTION IS COMPLETE, WE'LL DEPOSIT SIMILAR STABLE DEMOLITION WASTE AND THEN EXPAND THE CURRENT NCRP COVER TO CAP THE LANDFILL, WHICH WILL ENSURE THESE MATERIALS ALSO REMAIN FROZEN IN PERMAFROST LONG TERM.

HAZARDOUS WASTE WILL BE REMOVED FROM SITE USING BACKHAULS ON THE WINTER ROAD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AS WELL AS ITEMS THAT CAN BE PRACTICALLY SOLD, RECYCLED OR DONATED.

DIAVIK HAS MINED FOUR PIPES OF WHICH THREE - A154 NORTH, A154 SOUTH AND A21 - ARE NOW ACTIVE UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS AS OPEN PIT MINING HAS COMPLETED. MINING OF THE A418 KIMBERLITE WAS COMPLETED IN LATE 2022.

NOW WE ARE REFILLING A418 WITH PROCESSED KIMBERLITE, ESSENTIALLY PUTTING IT BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM.

THE DEPOSITED MATERIAL WILL BE PERMANENTLY STABLE DEEP BELOW THE LAKE'S SURFACE.

THE MAIN DAY TO DAY OPERATIONAL CHALLENGE AT DIAVIK IS MANAGING THE LARGE VOLUMES OF GROUNDWATER WE MUST PUMP AND TREAT TO KEEP THE UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS DRY EVERY DAY - OVER 40 MILLION LITERS. ONCE WE CLOSE AND FLOOD THE OPERATIONS WITH CLEAN LAKE WATER, PUMPING WILL STOP.

BEFORE FLOODING THE UNDERGROUND, WE'LL REMOVE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND MOBILE EQUIPMENT.

WHEN THE WATER QUALITY MONITORING OF THE FLOODED AREAS INDICATES STABLE CONDITIONS, WE´LL RECONNECT THE WATER WITH LAC DE GRAS TO ALLOW ACCESS BY FISH AND PEOPLE.

THESE WIND TURBINES PROVIDE ABOUT 10% OF DIAVIK´S POWER GENERATION.

THIS SYSTEM HAS ALREADY REDUCED DIESEL USAGE AT THE MINE SITE BY OVER 48 MILLION LITERS, TRANSLATING TO A CO2 EMISSION REDUCTION OF OVER 135,000 TONS. THE TURBINES WILL BE NEAR THE END OF THEIR EXPECTED LIFE AFTER CLOSURE.

IN 2024, WE ACTIVATED THE LARGEST OFF GRID SOLAR PANEL PLANT ACROSS CANADA'S NORTHERN TERRITORIES.

OVER 6600 SOLAR PANELS ON A CLOSED SECTION OF THE PKCF GENERATE ABOUT 4.2 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS OF CARBON FREE ELECTRICITY ANNUALLY FOR THE MINE. APPROXIMATELY 32% OF THE SITE'S ELECTRICITY WILL BE PROVIDED BY WIND AND SOLAR POWER DURING CLOSURE ACTIVITIES STARTING IN

[00:10:09]

IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO A REPRESENTATIVE.

THANKS FOR JOINING US ON THIS VIRTUAL TOUR.

THANKS FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE SHARE THAT INFORMATION.

OBVIOUSLY, WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE DAY TO DAY AND MAY NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE DIAMOND MINES IN OUR BACKYARD.

I KNOW THAT CERTAINLY THAT WAS THE CASE BEFORE I JOINED DIAVIK.

A BIT OF OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND. AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION.

SO IF YOU'VE GOT ANY QUESTIONS, DO LET US KNOW.

THIS IS PART OF A SERIES OF PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS.

SO WE HAD ONE IN YELLOWKNIFE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND WE'VE GOT ONE PLANNED IN LUTSELK'E THIS WEEK.

SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH THE COMMUNITIES AS PART OF THE TRANSITION FROM OPERATIONS INTO CLOSURE.

SO A BIT OF AN OVERVIEW ON DIAMOND MINING, JUST KIND OF DISPELLING SOME OF THE MYTHS.

BUT DIAMONDS ARE FOUND IN KIMBERLITE ORE WHICH IS ANCIENT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

THE DIAMOND MINING PROCESS USES GRAVITY, PRESSURE AND WATER TO EXTRACT THE DIAMONDS.

SO THERE'S NO CHEMICALS INVOLVED IN THAT EXTRACTION.

THERE'S CERTAINLY NO ARSENIC OR CYANIDE USE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE OFTEN GET.

AND THE DIAMOND EXTRACTION PROCESS PRODUCES PROCESSED KIMBERLITE, WHICH IS COARSE OR FINE.

THE COARSE IS A DRY MATERIAL AND THE FINE IS IN SLURRY FORM.

AN OVERVIEW OF DIAVIK. SO IT STARTED COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION IN 2003, AND THE LIFE OF MINE WAS EXTENDED A COUPLE OF TIMES WITH THE ADDITION OF THE UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS. WE'RE CURRENTLY SITTING AT TWO ACTIVE UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS.

I KNOW THE VIDEO SAID THREE, BUT OUR 154 SOUTH OPERATION RECENTLY WRAPPED UP.

SO WE'RE DOWN TO 821 AND 154 NORTH IS BEING OUR UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS.

WE DID ACHIEVE THE 150 MILLION CARATS MILESTONE THIS YEAR, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY OF LOT OF DIAMONDS.

AND THROUGH OUR OPERATIONS, WE HAVE FIVE INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION AGREEMENTS PARTNERS.

SO WE'VE GOT TLICHO, YK DFN, KITIKMEOT, LUTSELK'E, AND NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS ALLIANCE.

THE WIND FACILITY. SO WE INSTALLED THOSE FOUR TURBINES IN 2012.

AND THEY´RE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR ENERGY GENERATION.

THE SOLAR FARM WAS COMMISSIONED LAST YEAR AND HAS GOT 6600 PANELS, AND THAT'S INSTALLED ON TOP OF OUR PROCESSED KIMBERLITE FACILITY.

LOOKING FORWARD TO ACHIEVING 25% OF RENEWABLE POWER GENERATION ENCLOSURE.

RIGHT NOW, WE'RE SITTING JUST OVER 10% IN OPERATIONS.

AND WITH LESS POWER REQUIREMENTS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BOOST THAT PROPORTION OF RENEWABLE GENERATION IN ENCLOSURE.

SO SOME OF OUR WORKFORCE STATS, WE'VE GOT AN AVAILABLE SOCIO ECONOMIC MONITORING AND AGREEMENT REPORT.

THIS IS PRIMARILY BASED ON THE 2024 DATA, BUT THAT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE.

SO WE'VE GOT 1270 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES. THAT'S DOWN A LITTLE BIT NOW, AS WE HEAD TOWARDS CLOSURE, WE'RE MORE AROUND A THOUSAND. SO AT ANY ONE TIME, YOU'D SEE ABOUT 500 PEOPLE ON SITE.

THE SPLIT IN TERMS OF NORTHERN EMPLOYMENT IS 34% NORTHERNERS, 14% NORTHERN INDIGENOUS LOOKING AT YELLOWKNIFE IN PARTICULAR, SPECIFICALLY SITTING AT 238 EMPLOYEES, 63 CONTRACTORS.

IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS, SO WE'VE GOT $8.3 MILLION IN DONATIONS TO AND COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIPS AND THEN

[00:15:10]

ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, YOU SEE ABOUT $285 MILLION BEING THROUGH THE NORTHERN BUSINESS AND $131 THROUGH NORTHERN INDIGENOUS SPEND.

SO A VERY SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF SPEND. WE DO HAVE OUR CORPORATE OFFICE HERE IN YELLOWKNIFE, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH CLOSURE. SO JUST AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE LEGACY CONTRIBUTIONS IN YELLOWKNIFE. SO DIAVIK WAS INVOLVED IN THE LOGISTICAL SUPPORT AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE ARENA, AS WELL AS THE POOL AND FIELD HOUSE. WE'VE GOT A COPPER RECYCLING PROGRAM THAT HAS BENEFITED THE LOCAL WOMEN'S GROUP AS WELL AS LOCAL NON-PROFITS HERE.

AND WE'LL CONTINUE THAT THROUGH CLOSURE. AND IT'S JUST DIVERTING WASTE COPPER THROUGH RECYCLING PROGRAM.

THERE'S SOME MORE COMMUNITY EVENTS, SUCH AS FOLK ON THE ROCKS AND THE SNOWKING FESTIVAL.

WE'VE GOT VARIOUS SUPPORTS FOR THE FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM.

WE DID WANT TOUCH ON AND REMIND OF THE WILDFIRE SUPPORT EFFORTS.

WE DID PROVIDE $250,000 THROUGH UNITED WAY SUPPORT FOR THAT DISASTER HERE.

WE'VE GOT THE FRAME LAKE AERATOR IN THE LAKE BEHIND US, CONTINUING TO TRY AND INTRODUCE FISH AS PART OF THE FISH OFFSETTING PROGRAM FOR DIAVIK, AS WELL AS A SERIES OF YOUTH CONTRIBUTIONS.

AND THAT REMAINS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LEGACY AND BRINGING SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF MINING TO OUR CITY.

SO WITH CLOSURE BEING WORKED ON FROM THE BEGINNING, WE'VE BEEN WORKING FOR QUITE SOME TIME WITH OUR PARTNERS TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF CLOSURE, THE SOCIO AS WELL AS ECONOMIC EFFECTS.

SO SINCE 2021 TO 2023 WE WORKED WITH THE GNWT AS WELL AS IMPACTED STAKEHOLDERS TO FLESH OUT AN ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT.

SO THAT'S NOW COMPLETED. AND WE HAVE A WORKING GROUP THAT CONTINUES TO LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS AS WE TRANSITION THROUGH OPERATIONS AND INTO CLOSURE AS WELL AS TIMING. AND WE OBVIOUSLY WE MET WITH THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE AND THIS IS PART OF THAT ENGAGEMENT.

IT'S WORTH CALLING IT OUT THAT OUR END OF PRODUCTION IS MARCH 2026.

WE'VE GOT ABOUT FOUR MONTHS LEFT OF OPERATIONS.

SO DEFINITELY BEARING DOWN ON US A LOT OF WORK AT SITES TO PREPARE FOR THAT, AS WELL AS SOME OF THESE INFORMATION SESSIONS.

SO THERE WILL CERTAINLY BE A CHANGE COME MARCH NEXT YEAR.

IN TERMS OF PREPARING OUR PEOPLE, WE'VE GOT A MY PATH PROGRAM THAT WE BUILT WITH INPUT FROM THE STAFFING AND PERSONNEL.

WE POLLED OUR EMPLOYEES IN TERMS OF WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE SUPPORT FOR THEIR JOURNEY POST DIAVIK AND WE GOT FEEDBACK THAT PEOPLE WANTED SUPPORT FOR REDEPLOYMENT WITH RIO TINTO. RETIREMENT, RETRAINING, STARTING A NEW BUSINESS, OWNING A BUSINESS OR CONTINUING THEIR CAREER WITH ANOTHER COMPANY.

WE'VE HOSTED. WELL, AS OF JANUARY WE WILL HAVE HOSTED SIX JOB FAIRS.

WE'VE GOT TWO MORE COMING UP IN JANUARY, AND THOSE WILL BE OUR FINAL PLANNED JOB FAIRS.

WE'VE HAD REALLY GOOD UPTAKE. THIS HAS TO BE CERTAINLY A GROUNDBREAKING ENDEAVOR TO HAVE A JOB FAIR AS YOU'RE CLOSING AN OPERATION BECAUSE THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF RISK. AND WE DID SEE SOME PEOPLE TAKE OFFERS WITH COMPANIES WHILE WE STILL NEEDED THEM.

BUT THAT'S PART OF THE RISK AND PART OF THE APPETITE THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE TAKEN CARE OF.

CONTRACTORS ARE ABLE TO ATTEND, AND SO IT'S AN OPEN VENUE.

WE'VE HAD UPTAKE FROM THE MINING BUSINESS, BUT WE'VE ALSO HAD GNWT THERE, WE HAD THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THERE.

S, GOOD UPTAKE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR SOME DIFFERENT AVENUES.

THERE WE GO. JUST TOUCHING ON THE VISION FOR CLOSURE.

[00:20:04]

WE STARTED MOVING THAT ROCK ON THE NORTH COUNTRY ROCK PILE IN 2017, AND WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO CLOSING THE SITE SITE PER OUR COMMITMENT. AND WE JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF COLLABORATION GOES INTO CLOSING AN OPERATION.

SO COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITIES, COLLABORATION WITH THE REGULATORS, COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE WORK IN.

BUT WE DID WANT TO FLAG THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR VISION IS DIFFERENT THAN A SEPARATE REMEDIATION ECONOMY.

WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO CLOSING AND COMPLETING OUR OBLIGATIONS.

AND WE HOPE THAT DIAVIK´S STORY IS ONE THAT COULD INSPIRE FURTHER INVESTMENT IN THE MINING INDUSTRY IN THE TERRITORIES AND THAT IT WILL BE A POSITIVE CHAPTER IN TERMS OF HOW A MINE CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED AND THEN CLOSED AND THEN EVENTUALLY RELINQUISHED.

OUR PLAN IS TO HAVE THREE YEARS OF ACTIVE CLOSURE, SO 26 THROUGH TO 2029 AND THEN FROM 29 TO 2040 IS OUR PLANNED POST-CLOSURE MONITORING PERIOD WITH TARGETING RELINQUISHMENT IN 2040.

WE DO HAVE A DROP OFF IN PLANNED MONITORING THROUGH TO 2050, BUT IN TERMS OF ACTIVE SITE PRESENCE, THAT WILL STOP IN 2030 AND IT WILL BE A PERIODIC MONITORING PROGRAM POST OP.

WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INVOLVE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN THAT PROCESS, WHICH WILL ALSO BE AN IMPORTANT MARRYING WESTERN SCIENCE KIND OF CRITERIA, WITH FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITIES.

AND ONE OF THE IMPORTANT PIECES OF THAT, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH MANY CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITY GROUPS, IS REALLY AROUND COMMUNICATION. SO HAVING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE INPUTS HELPS RELAY THE STORY OF DIAVIK AS WELL AS WHAT THE CLOSURE EFFORTS LOOK LIKE. IF YOU DRIVE BY A GIANT MINE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S GOING TO BE IN YOUR MIND, AND YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT IS BEING DONE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT AT SIGHT. AND SO HAVING THAT TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE INPUT HELPS BRING A BIT OF A SENSE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, SMELLS LIKE, FEELS LIKE TO THE SCIENTIFIC NUMBERS THAT CRITERIA AND SCIENTIFIC CRITERIA IMPOSED, AS WELL AS OUR RELINQUISHMENT PLANS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GORD.

YOU KNOW, IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT COMPANY FOR NORTHERNERS, FOR YELLOWKNIFE SPECIFICALLY.

I'M GLAD YOU GUYS TOOK OUR INVITE AND CAME AND, YOU KNOW, TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL AND THEREFORE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THROUGH SOME REPORTING WITH THE YELLOWKNIFE WAS MORE BROADLY TO SEE THAT WORLD LEADING RECLAMATION THAT YOU ARE DOING AT DIAVIK.

SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. ANY QUESTIONS FROM COLLEAGUES? COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE. GOOD TO HEAR ALL THE WORK GOING AHEAD WITHIN THE RECLAMATION AND REMEDIATION PROCESS, AND THE FACT THAT IT'S BEEN SO PROGRESSIVE FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE LIFE SPAN. A FEW QUESTIONS, AS I'VE SAID. I MENTIONED THAT BASICALLY STAFF WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED ON SITE FOR CARE AND MAINTENANCE.

HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND TO KEEP THE CORPORATE OFFICE IN YELLOWKNIFE OPERATIONAL? AS IT SITS THROUGH THE ACTIVE PHASE, SO THROUGH TO 2029, 2030 IS OUR CURRENT GOAL AND WE'LL EVALUATE REQUIREMENTS POST 2030.

THANK YOU. WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO THE RETRAINING PROGRAM, AS YOU REFER TO IT AS MY PATH, YOU MENTIONED ABOUT OPENING BUSINESSES WITH SOME OF THESE FORMER EMPLOYEES. WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? ARE YOU PROVIDING GRANTS? SO THERE'S A FUNDING ALLOCATION.

AND GENERALLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IS SUPPORT WITH SETTING UP A BUSINESS.

SO IT MIGHT BE ACCOUNTING, LEGAL FEES, BUT IT'S A SET FUNDING ALLOTMENT.

AND EMPLOYEES CAN ELECT HOW THEY USE THAT, WHETHER IT'S FOR TRAINING OR FOR STARTING A BUSINESS.

AND IT'S A SET FUNDING AMOUNT. SO SAME BETWEEN STARTING A BUSINESS OR RETRAINING.

BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE'VE GOT CONSULTANTS ON SITE THAT ARE ABLE TO HELP BUILD BUSINESS PLANS AND HELP SUPPORT SOME OF THE INDIRECTS OTHER THAN THE CASH COMPONENT. THANK YOU. WHAT IS THAT SET FUNDING ALLOTMENT.

SO EACH EMPLOYEE IS ELIGIBLE FOR $5,000. OKAY.

THANK YOU. FOR THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT AGREEMENTS WITH THE INDIGENOUS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, HOW LONG ARE THOSE GOING TO BE APPLICABLE AND ENFORCED DURING THE REMEDIATION PROCESS?

[00:25:04]

YEAH. EXCELLENT. VERY GOOD TO KNOW. AND LAST QUESTION, YOU MENTIONED DURING THE SOCIO ECONOMIC BENEFITS DURING THE REMEDIATION PROCESS, HOW LONG ARE YOU CONTINUING TO OR PLANNING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LOCAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE SNOW KING AND FOLK ON THE ROCKS FESTIVALS? CERTAINLY THROUGH THE ACTIVE CLOSURE PHASE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY EVENTS.

ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE WAS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, HOW WE'VE INVESTED SEED FUNDING. AND THE GOAL IS TO HAVE $3 MILLION BY 2028 SUCH THAT THERE CAN BE FUNDING ALLOCATED IN PERPETUITY FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS. WELL, THAT'S EXTREMELY GREAT TO HEAR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.

NEXT, WE HAVE DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE THAT. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY 300 YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS WHO ARE WORKING THERE AND WILL BE MOVING ON SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU SAY MARCH IS KIND OF THE END OF PRODUCTION.

JUST KIND OF AN INDICATION OF TIMELINE. IS THAT ALL GOING TO KIND OF HAPPEN ACUTELY AT ONCE, OR IS IT KIND OF A DRAWDOWN OVER TIME, KIND OF. WHAT´S TO EXPECT, I GUESS.

SO AS SOON AS COMMERCIAL OPERATION ENDS IN MARCH, THERE'S A SIX MONTH DECOMMISSIONING PERIOD.

AND THROUGH THAT TIME, THE STAFFING WILL DROP SIGNIFICANTLY.

ROUGHLY AT THE END OF OPERATIONS WILL DROP FROM 900 THROUGH TO ABOUT 600 PEOPLE.

AND THEN BY THE END OF DECOMMISSIONING, SO LET'S SAY OCTOBER 2026, WE'LL BE AT AROUND 200 TO 300 PEOPLE TOTAL.

AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE ACTIVE PHASE WHICH WILL HAVE SOME SEASONAL WORKS.

SO YOU'LL SEE SOME PEAKS IN THERE, BUT IT'S IN BETWEEN LET'S SAY 100 AND 250 PEOPLE AFTER THAT, THROUGH THE VARIOUS PEAKS THROUGH TO 2029. PERFECT.

THANKS. AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS DIAVIK´S PUTTING IN TO KIND OF EASE THAT TRANSITION FOR FOLKS.

SO THANK YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? COUNCILLOR FOOTE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION, GORD.

GOOD TO SEE AN OLD FASTBALL TEAMMATE. IT'S BEEN MANY YEARS.

FORGIVE ME ON THIS ONE, HOW I FRAME IT. I USED TO WORK NEXT DOOR TO CADDY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND WAREHOUSED AND DELIVERED LARGE QUANTITIES OF REAGENTS LIKE COAG AND FLOCCULENT WITHOUT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY WORK AND BEHAVE WHEN THEY LEAVE THE PROCESS PLANT. SO WITH THAT SAID, THEY ARE USED IN COPIOUS AMOUNTS AS WELL AS FANCY.

HAVE YOU MODELED THE RISK OF THE REAGENTS AND THEIR BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS OF GOING DOWNSTREAM THROUGH THE LOCKHART RIVER SYSTEM AND ENTERING GREAT SLAVE LAKE? YEAH. SO THE ENVIRONMENT TEAM HAS DONE A LOT OF MODELING.

AND TO SUPPORT IT, THERE WILL BE A WATER QUALITY PROGRAM.

AND WE'VE GOT THOSE SET MONITORING POINTS. WE'LL CONTINUE THAT THROUGH OPERATIONS AS WELL.

IT'S ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR HAVING NO PRESENCE IN PERPETUITY IS HAVING A SAFE SITE THAT CAN DRAIN TO LAC DE GRAS. AND SO IT'S BEEN ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF OUR WATER LICENSE RENEWAL IS TO SET UP WHAT THE MONITORING PROGRAM, WHAT A REACTION PLAN WOULD BE IF THINGS ARE TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

BUT ABSOLUTELY, IT'S ONE OF OUR KEY REQUIREMENTS THROUGH CLOSURE.

THROUGH THE DEMOLITION PROCESS, ALL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WILL BE REMOVED AND BROUGHT TO SITE OR BROUGHT TO TOWN, AND NON-HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WILL BE LANDFILLED ON SITE.

AS THE VIDEO MENTIONED, WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN BE REUSED, REPURPOSED, BUT TO DATE IT'S BEEN PRETTY LIMITED SUCCESS ON THAT FRONT.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANKS FOR THAT, GORD. THANKS TO YOU, RIO TINTO, DIAVIK, FOR BEING GOOD CORPORATE NEIGHBORS ALL THESE YEARS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR FOOTE. NEXT WE HAVE COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANKS GORD FOR THE PRESENTATION.

GOOD TO SEE YOU. I WILL REFRAIN FROM ALL THE AWESOME QUESTIONS I HAVE, BUT YOU GUYS ARE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB.

SO IT'S MOSTLY A QUESTION FOR ADMIN, ACTUALLY.

I KNOW DIAVIK´S BEEN VERY GENEROUS INVITING PEOPLE UP TO SAY, TO SHOP AROUND AND HELP, YOU KNOW, CLEAN UP THE SITE AND THINGS THAT CAN BE REUSED. SO I'M JUST WONDERING, A, DID THE CITY GO UP? AND B, WHAT DID WE FIND AT THE DIAVIK BEST BUY? MR. CALJOUW. SO, YES, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

[00:30:03]

HAVE A LOOK AT, WELL, THE ENTIRE SITE, ACTUALLY, AND A LOT OF THE EQUIPMENT.

THERE ARE NUANCES TO CONSIDERATIONS FOR WHAT THE CITY COULD USE OR NOT.

SO I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO OFFER YOU, COUNCILLOR FEQUET IN THAT REGARD.

BUT I CAN SAY WE APPRECIATE BEING PART OF THAT CONVERSATION FOR SURE.

AND I'LL ASK MY TEAM IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD BEFORE I CLOSE THAT OUT.

NOPE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

THANKS. NO, I WAS JUST CURIOUS. AND MY LAST QUESTION IS MOSTLY JUST ABOUT THAT COMMENT ABOUT SHIPPING THE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.

MAYBE JUST TO CLARIFY, FOR ANYBODY LISTENING OR RESIDENTS, CAN YOU CONFIRM? I THINK MY UNDERSTANDING IS ALL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ARE GOING OFFSITE, BUT ALSO DOWN SOUTH.

YEAH. NOT NECESSARILY FILLING UP THE YELLOWKNIFE.

THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. SO WE WORK WITH A NORTHERN CONTRACTOR IN TERMS OF THE HAZARDOUS GOODS HANDLING AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT DUE DILIGENCE IS FOLLOWED IN TERMS OF THE DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS GOODS. AND THEY NEED TO BE TREATED AT A FACILITY THAT'S EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THEM.

ANYTHING FURTHER? NOPE. COUNCILLOR PAYNE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO SPEND A DAY UP AT DIAVIK, AND I WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING. AND IT'S AN ABSOLUTE SHAME THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE TORN DOWN, TORN APART LIKE IT HAS THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A GOOD SIZED TOWN.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS WITH THE SOLAR FARM UP THERE? YEAH. THANKS, STEVE. I BELIEVE YOU PARTICIPATED IN A SCHOOL EVENT THAT WE HAD.

SO, YEAH, FULL DIAVIK PRIDE WAS ON FOR FOR THAT EVENT.

AND WE KNOW IT WAS IMPACTFUL. THE SOLAR FARM WE'VE GOT, WE HAD AN EXPRESSION OF INTEREST EARLIER THIS YEAR.

WE GOT FOUR REALLY GOOD PROPOSALS. NEXT STEP IS TO GO TO AN RFP TYPE FORMAT HERE IMMINENTLY, BY THE END OF 2025, TO AT LEAST GET IT STARTED.

WE KNOW THAT IT TAKES TIME IN THE PUBLIC SPACE TO IMPLEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM A PERMITTING DESIGN PERSPECTIVE.

SO WE WANT TO GET THAT OUT FRONT AND CENTER. SO PROPOSALS THAT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THOSE CAVEATS CAN BE PULLED TOGETHER.

THE REMOVAL OF THE SOLAR PANELS ISN'T PLANNED FOR THE 28 WINTER ROAD, BUT WE KNOW IT TAKES TIME FROM THE DESIGN SIDE TO PUT THINGS IN PLACE.

SO THAT'LL BE RIGHT AWAY. THANK YOU. ANYTHING FURTHER FROM COLLEAGUES? SEEING NONE. GORD, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

AND. SOMEBODY CALLING IN? OH, OKAY.

WELL, WE'LL CARRY ON WITH THE AGENDA ANYWAY.

[5. A memorandum regarding whether to adopt a Council and Administration Protocol Policy, Council Leave Policy, and whether to repeal and replace the Council Travel, Conference, and Training Policy.]

SO, AS MY COLLEAGUES, YOU'LL REMEMBER, THIS IS ALL STUFF WE'VE ASKED FOR FROM ADMIN ON OUR WORK PLAN IN THE PAST.

SO IT'S COMING FORWARD. SO MR. CALJOUW, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO DO AN OVERALL INTRO FROM YOUR END, OR DO YOU JUST WANT ME TO TAKE IT AWAY? GOT THE THUMBS UP FROM MR. CALJOUW TO TAKE IT AWAY. SO, AS YOU KNOW, AS I JUST SORT OF SAID, COLLEAGUES, THIS IS STUFF WE'VE ASKED ADMIN FOR THROUGH OUR WORK PLAN.

IN ORDER TO GET IT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, I DID SOME WORK WITH ADMIN AS YOUR SPOKESMAN IN ORDER TO DRAFT THESE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT THEM IN PLACE BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR SO THAT WE HAVE A BIT OF RUNWAY TO TEST THEM OUT AND SEE HOW THEY'RE WORKING, AND SEE IF WE'VE GOT ANY ISSUES BEFORE THE END OF OUR TERM NEXT YEAR.

SO IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES WE WANT TO MAKE WE CAN DO THAT OVER THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR.

SO JUST GOING THROUGH, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVELS FOR EACH.

THE COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, STARTED IN DRAFT, VERY HIGH LEVEL. THROUGH SOME RESEARCH, WE FOUND SOME GOOD EXAMPLES FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES, OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND BASICALLY TRYING TO CREATE A BIT OF A PROTOCOL AGREEMENT BETWEEN ADMINISTRATION, COUNCIL ESPECIALLY THINKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT COUNCIL AND THE NEXT ELECTION COMING UP NEXT YEAR MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE FRAMEWORK IN PLACE.

[00:35:01]

IS MR. VAN DINE OKAY? HE'S MUTED NOW SO MAYBE THAT'LL STOP THINGS.

BUT SO THAT'S THE COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL, SORT OF QUICK BACKGROUND.

WE'LL GET INTO Q&A IN A SECOND. WE HAVE THE LEAVE POLICY.

AGAIN, THIS WAS DRAFTED AFTER A REQUEST BY COUNCIL IN ORDER TO CONSIDER, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, IN OUR COUNCIL PROCEDURES BYLAW, THERE IS A SECTION IN THE BYLAW THAT SAYS IF A COUNCILOR MISSES MORE THAN THREE MEETINGS IN A ROW THEN YOU'VE RESIGNED FROM COUNCIL. SO BASICALLY THIS IS THE BYLAW OR THIS IS A POLICY THAT ESSENTIALLY SETS OUT THE CRITERIA IF YOU'RE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE DRAFT, OR WE CAN MAKE CHANGES HOWEVER WE WANT TO PROCEED.

BUT THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE CRITERIA THAT WOULD SAY THIS IS WHAT COUNCIL SORT OF ON THE FACE OF IT, AGREES TO THAT WE WOULD APPROVE TO ALLOW A COUNCILOR TO MISS MORE THAN THOSE THREE MEETINGS.

ULTIMATELY, ALL DECISIONS ARE STILL UP TO COUNCIL ACCORDING TO THAT BYLAW, AND ULTIMATELY WE COULD ALWAYS DO SOMETHING IN ADDITION TO THESE.

BUT THESE ARE SORT OF THE BASELINE THINGS. AND AGAIN, THIS CAME FROM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT EXAMPLES FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SO THERE'S THE FOUR TYPES OF LEAVE THAT ARE LISTED OUT.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE HAD ALSO ASKED. OR ACTUALLY THE LAST COUNCIL, IN FAIRNESS, WAS THE ONE WHO HAD PUT FORWARD A MOTION TO LOOK AT AND REVIEW THE COUNCIL TRAVEL CONFERENCE AND TRAINING POLICY. SO THAT WAS AN OUTSTANDING MOTION FROM THE LAST COUNCIL.

SO AS WE WERE LOOKING AT THESE OTHER PIECES, WE PICKED THIS OLD MOTION UP AND RAN WITH IT AND HAVE, AGAIN, EXAMPLES FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS UPDATING THE POLICY TO SORT OF REFRESH IT FOR 2025.

AND THAT'S SORT OF THE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE ARE.

SO I'LL OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS, IF IT. I'LL MAYBE TAKE A FIRST CRACK AT ANSWERING THINGS AS WE GO THROUGH.

BUT IF THERE'S ANY LEGAL QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF HOW ADMIN WOULD IMPLEMENT, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO MR. CALJOUW AT THAT POINT.

SO ANY QUESTIONS ON THESE THREE DOCUMENTS? COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS TO STAFF AND TO THE MAYOR FOR THE WORK ON THESE.

YEAH, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE SOMETHING WRITTEN DOWN TO REFER TO. JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON THE COUNCIL LEAVE POLICY, PARTICULARLY THE PARENTAL LEAVE. HAVING HAD MY HEAD IN THE CANADIAN LABOR CODE WITH THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CHILD FOR MYSELF UPCOMING NEXT MONTH. JUST LOOKING FOR SOME CLARITY ON THE LEAVE IN TERMS OF HOW LONG BEFORE OR AFTER THE BIRTH YOU COULD TAKE IT.

JUST NOTICING THERE WASN'T ANY SPECIFICITY IN THE POLICY, BUT THAT THE CANADIAN LABOR CODE SAYS IT MUST BE TAKEN IN THE 78 WEEK PERIOD FOLLOWING THE CHILD'S BIRTH, OR THE CHILD COMING INTO THE EMPLOYEE´S CARE.

SO JUST A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER WE WANT TO OR SUGGESTION, I GUESS, TO PROVIDE SOME CLARITY THERE.

YEAH, THANKS FOR THAT. AND FIRST OFF, NOW THAT YOU'VE PUBLICLY STATED IT, CONGRATULATIONS, PUBLICLY. BUT NO, I TAKE YOUR POINT, AND I KNOW YOU HAD FLAGGED THIS TO ME IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING, AND I WOULD SAY THAT THAT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA TO MAYBE STEAL SOME LANGUAGE FROM THAT AND ADD IN IF OTHERS ARE IN AGREEMENT. IF YOU LOOK AT SECTION 4.2.1, WHICH IS ON PAGE 11 OF THE PDF AND SO SECTION A, IT SAYS A MEMBER MAY TAKE PAID PARENTAL LEAVE PRIOR TO OR AFTER THE BIRTH OR ADOPTION OF THEIR CHILD RECOMMENDATION THAT WE SORT OF PUT IN A SENTENCE THERE THAT SAYS PARENTAL LEAVE MUST BE TAKEN IN THE 78 WEEK PERIOD FOLLOWING THE CHILD'S BIRTH, OR THE CHILD COMING INTO THE MEMBER´S CARE. THAT WOULD, I THINK, WANT ALIGN WITH A GOOD EXAMPLE THAT YOU'VE ALREADY NOTED.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT DOES HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A NEW CHILD OF THE FAMILY AND NOT A TEENAGER.

BUT YEAH, NO, I THINK IF OTHERS ARE. I SEE HEADS NODDING.

YEAH. OKAY. SO WE'LL DO THAT CHANGE TO IT. AND THANK YOU FOR NOTING THAT.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN OR COMMENTS? YEAH, JUST ONE MORE.

YEAH. NOT TO DISMISS THE CHALLENGES OF PARENTING AND TEENAGER, BUT.

YEAH. COUNCILLOR ARDEN-SMITH IS AGREEING WITH THAT STATEMENT.

BACK TO YOU, COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN. YEAH. THE OTHER QUESTION IS JUST ABOUT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LIMIT ON THE WEEKS OF PARENTAL LEAVE UNDER THE CANADIAN LABOR CODE, AND BECAUSE THIS IS A PART TIME JOB FOR MOST, JUST WONDERING HOW, IF A MEMBER WERE TO START THIS PARENTAL LEAVE BASED ON THE COUNCIL LEAVE POLICY, DOES THAT AFFECT THE CANADIAN LABOR CODE NUMBER OF WEEKS OF

[00:40:01]

SO, IN SHORT, NO COUNCIL MEMBERS AS ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY, SO IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE.

THE CANADIAN LABOR CODE DOESN'T APPLY AND WOULDN'T AFFECT THAT LIMITATION. COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN.

YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. I THINK JUST IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT DISTINCTION THAT, YEAH, SEEMS UNIQUE FOR THIS JOB AND ROLE. YEAH.

THANKS AGAIN TO STAFF. YEAH. VERY EXCITED TO SEE THESE COME INTO PLACE.

AND YEAH, EXCITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PARENTAL LEAVE AT SOME POINT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. NO QUESTIONS. JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE TO CREATE THESE POLICIES.

IT'S GREAT TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THE COUNCIL ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL.

I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN NEEDING CLARITY FOR A LONG TIME, AND THIS WILL SERVE FUTURE COUNCILS INCREDIBLY WELL.

THE ONLY THING, OF COURSE, I WOULD STATE IS I LOOK FORWARD FOR WHOEVER'S ON THE NEXT COUNCIL TO HAVE A WHOLE DAY OF INTERPRETING THESE POLICIES, SO. HEY, THANK YOU. IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO NERD OUT ON GOVERNANCE WORK.

SO I WAS HAPPY TO ENGAGE ON IT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCILLOR FEQUET. YEAH. THANKS, MR. CHAIR. AND YEAH, THANK YOU TO STAFF AND EVERYBODY WHO WORKED ON THESE IN THE BACK.

IT'S GREAT TO HAVE MORE CLARITY ABOUT THE ROLES OF COUNCIL AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I HAVE NO SPECIFIC COMMENTS ABOUT ANY OF THE POLICIES, MOSTLY JUST KIND OF OVERARCHING QUESTIONS.

THE FIRST IS RECOGNIZING THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO BYLAWS VERSUS POLICIES.

I'M JUST WONDERING IF ADMINISTRATION CAN MAYBE SPEAK TO THEIR THOUGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT COUNCIL SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING FORWARD WHEN IT'S, YOU KNOW, UPDATING BYLAWS OR UPDATING POLICIES OR COMBINING THEM AND, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A PREFERRED TOOL FOR DIFFERENT REASONS IN ADMINISTRATION´S EYES? YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF THE PROS AND CONS OF THE POLICY VERSUS BYLAW APPROACH.

MR. CALJOUW, THIS ONE'S YOURS. WELL, I WILL SAY GENERALLY.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE COUNCIL LEAVE POLICY, IT ALREADY HAS SOME UNDERPINNING BYLAW AUTHORITY.

SO PART OF THAT QUESTION IS DOING THAT INITIAL CONSIDERATION.

DO WE REALLY NEED A BYLAW AUTHORITY FOR THIS, OR IS POLICY POSITION ENOUGH? SO THAT'S WHERE WE START, YEAH. COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

COOL. YEAH. AND I THINK MAYBE YOU ALLUDED TO THE REASON I WAS ASKING MY QUESTION, WHICH IS JUST KIND OF AS WE EVOLVE AND MATURE IN ALL THE GOVERNANCE GAPS AND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UPDATE THINGS, I THINK TAKING A STEP BACK AND JUST DECIDING IF WE REALLY NEED BYLAWS OR IF WE WANT POLICIES INSTEAD OR VICE VERSA, WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO DO. AND I RECOGNIZE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP OF GETTING SOMETHING IN PLACE.

AND IN THE NEW YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO MAYBE LOOK AT REVISIONS TO THE COUNCIL PROCEDURES BYLAW AND OTHER THINGS.

AND I JUST WANT MY COLLEAGUES AND US TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND ABOUT, YEAH, MAYBE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE THINGS EVEN MAKE MORE SENSE AND UPDATE AND ALIGN EVERYTHING. YEAH. I THINK THAT'S IT, ACTUALLY.

VERY GOOD. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SEEING.

NONE. HAPPY DAYS. WE WILL BRING THAT FORWARD TO OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING ON DECEMBER 8TH.

OR NOT THE NEXT ONE, WHICH IS TONIGHT. THE ONE AFTER THAT.

THIS IS THE ALL WHAT'S REALLY NEXT. OKAY, SO WITH THAT WE HAVE OUR NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS AN IN-CAMERA ITEM.

[6. A matter still under consideration.]

WE'LL MOVE IN CAMERA. AND WE ARE OUT OF OUR

[7. Business arising from In Camera Session.]