July 28, 2026
We’re honoured that The Price of Gold has been awarded the Rik Davidson/Studies in Political Economy book prize for 2026! Here’s the citation: “In a beautifully written and well-structured book, the Price of Gold provides meticulous primary research into the political and community impacts of mining in northern Canada. The authors’ primary archival research documents… Read MoreJuly 10, 2026
The Price of Gold was reviewed very positively by historian Jeremy Schmidt in vol. 93 of the Journal of Historical Geography. Here’s an excerpt: “The Price of Gold tells a story that is vital to understanding how extractive economies are formed and contested, and how they can remain environmentally and economically corrosive long after the… Read MoreMarch 10, 2026
Reviews are coming in for The Price of Gold! In The Seaboard Review, Dawn McDonald calls the book “thorough and compulsively readable,” noting “the authors’ exhaustive research, supported and guided by local experts from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, covers a wide range of document sources as well as fresh oral history.” In the Literary Review… Read MoreNovember 10, 2025
On October 16, John and Arn held a community book launch event in Yellowknife for The Price of Gold. Co-sponsored by and held at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the event was attended more than 50 Yellowknifers. Speakers included a welcome from Elder Jonas Sangris and reflections from Toxic Legacies project partner, the… Read MoreJuly 23, 2025
Yellowknife’s Giant Mine: Canada downplayed arsenic exposure as an Indigenous community was poisoned Giant Mine, just north of Yellowknife, N.W.T., in September 2011. The gold mine officially opened in 1948 and was operational for over 50 years before it was closed in 2004. (John Sandlos) Arn Keeling, Memorial University of Newfoundland and John Sandlos, Memorial University… Read MoreJuly 16, 2025
Our forthcoming book on the history of Giant Mine, The Price of Gold, is now available for pre-order. For more on the book, including updates, reviews, and more, see the project main page.April 22, 2022
Giant Mine has been getting a lot of attention in national media recently! First, there was this podcast from Canadaland Commons, as part of their mining series. Host Arshy Mann did a great job exploring the history and contemporary legacies of arsenic contamination at the mine, and we were pleased to speak with him. More… Read MoreDecember 2, 2020
Today, Yellowknives Dene First Nation launched its formal call to the Canadian government for an apology and compensation for the damage and long-lasting impact to their lands and people caused by Giant Mine. This demand is backed by extensive historical documentation, local knowledge, and community voices, some of which are documented on the website “Giant… Read MoreJune 15, 2020
Big congratulations to the final Toxic Legacies graduate student, Amanda Degray, on the successful examination of her MA thesis in April! Her thesis, completed with Yellowknives Dene Elders and knowledge-holders, explores “Indigenous Risk Perceptions and Land Use in Yellowknife.” Through a series of powerful maps and interviews, Amanda’s study provides comprehensive documentation of how historic… Read MoreJune 5, 2017
Guardians of Eternity will be featured this week at the International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS) meeting at Umeå University in Sweden. ICASS is the main gathering of the International Arctic Social Sciences Association, held every three years. We presented a poster about the Toxic Legacies project at the last ICASS, held in Prince… Read More