Community

FIRST NATIONS

In the Mackenzie Valley, land is either owned, or managed, controlled and administered by different governments or landowners. Land can be either Crown or Commissioner’s land administered by land managers, or the land is privately owned.

The Prairie Creek Mine is located in what is referred to as the DehCho Region of the Northwest Territories.

The DehCho and the Federal Government of Canada both claim legal title to this territory, the DehCho by virtue of historical occupation and the federal Government under Treaty 8, signed in 1900 and Treaty 11, signed in 1921 and 1922. Canada maintains that under the Treaties the DehCho extinguished ownership of their traditional lands. The Federal Government and the DehCho First Nations disagree on the interpretation of Treaties 8 and 11 and legal title to the land remains in dispute. The DehCho territory has an area of approximately 210,000 square kilometres and has a native population of approximately six thousand. For more information on the DehCho First Nations please click here

The DehCho are engaged in ongoing land settlement negotiations with the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories in what is referred to as the DehCho Process. For more information on the DehCho Process click here.

The Prairie Creek mine is located 90 km from the nearest settled community of Nahanni Butte, located at the confluence of the South Nahanni and Liard Rivers, 146 km downstream of the minesite. There is no permanent road access either into the Prairie Creek property or Nahanni Butte other than the existing winter road. There is no other existing land occupation nor commercial land or water based activities in the vicinity of the mine. Nahanni Butte is inhabited by the Nahanni Butte Dene Band of the DehCho First Nations. For more information on the Nahanni Butte Dene Band please click here.

The Federal Government has negotiated land claim settlements in other parts of the Northwest Territories, first with the Dene/Metis in the late 1980’s and then with the Gwich’in and Sahtu Dene/Metis people. The DehCho have not settled their land claim with the Federal Government and remains the only Mackenzie Valley First Nations group not to have done so.

Canadian Zinc seeks to consult on a regular basis with the Nahanni Butte Dene Band and other Bands of the DehCho First Nations as to opportunities for implementing the provisions of a Development and Cooperation Agreement as the Company moves forward with its plans for re-development of the property. The Company seeks a positive and cooperative working relationship between the Company, Nahanni and the DehCho First Nations in respect of developing and operating an environmentally sound operation at Prairie Creek, which will not have significant adverse environmental effects on the ecological integrity of the South Nahanni River or the Nahanni National Park Reserve, the Company believes that the separate goals of the DehCho First Nations in achieving political sovereignty and economic self-sufficiency and in protecting the environment are compatible.

Nahanni Butte Dene Band and Liidlii Kue First Nation

With a view to formalizing a working relationship with the communities a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) has recently been signed with the Liidlii Kue First Nation of Fort Simpson and the Nahanni Butte Dene Band of Nahanni Butte. Please refer to the companies press releases of October 21, 2008 and November 4, 2008 respectively for more details. The MOU’s are set the stage for the bands to start negotiations towards an Impact Benefits Agreement relating to an operating mine at Prairie Creek.