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The Saskatchewan government is suing Ottawa for costs related to the cleanup of the abandoned Gunnar mine site.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, calls on the federal government to honor a 2006 MOU that commits both parties to share the costs of remediation of the northern Saskatchewan site.
When the memorandum of understanding was signed, the estimated cost was $ 24.6 million over 17 years. Both parties agreed to share the costs.
The cost has now climbed to $ 280 million. To date, the province has provided $ 125 million to clean up the mine and badociated satellite sites. The province said the federal government paid $ 1.13 million.
"The federal government has agreed to share the costs of this project on an equal footing, but has since refused to maintain the end of the agreement," said the Minister of Energy and Energy. Resources, Bronwyn Eyre.
She said that after years of going back and forth, the province had "no choice" as it had the obligation to completely rehabilitate the site.
In a statement sent to CBC by email, a spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Resources said that "as the owner of the site, the Saskatchewan government is responsible for the remediation project of the Gunnar mine ".
He added that the federal government has provided funding for the first phase of the project and will commit to funding the remaining two phases "after Saskatchewan has received all necessary approvals for remediation".
The history of the mine
The Gunnar mine site, located west of Fond du Lac near Lake Athabasca, began production in 1955 and was closed in 1963.
The Crown-owned Crown Eldorado Mining and Refining Corp. supplied a refined uranium-based yellowcake, an essential element of US atomic weapons.
View of the cleaned Gunnar Mine near Lake Athabasca. (Government of Saskatchewan)
The mine produced 4.4 million tonnes of tailings and 2.2 million tonnes of waste rock. She also left an open pit more than 100 meters deep.
Canada has officially stopped exporting uranium for weapons purposes in 1965.
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