Researchers at Aurora Research Institute are testing Yellowknife-grown vegetables to make sure they’re safe to eat.
While their final results and findings won’t be published until sometime in 2022, the group wants Yellowknife growers to donate samples of their home-grown produce so it can measure the amount of arsenic they contain.
The group has been collecting data since Sept. 2020 and says the contaminated soil they’re finding is concentrated around the Giant and Con Mine sites.
The research institute works with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Queens University and the Royal Military College of Canada.
The researchers are asking people in Yellowknife, Ndilo, Dettah or the surrounding area to send in their vegetables to be tested. They will accept any type of home-grown produce but they are most interested in spinach, kale, peas, beans, potatoes and carrots.
Participants will eventually receive a personal soil report along with an explanation of what the data means.
The research institute is working with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Queens University and the Royal Military College of Canada on the study.
For more information about the study or to participate email Mike Palmer at mpalmer@auroracollege.nt.ca.