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Open pit gold and and copper mine to be located 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake
It’s the tenth largest undeveloped gold-copper deposit in the world — at least nine-million wedding rings’ worth — and for half a century since its discovery, the deposit has remained buried among the pristine lakes and mountains of British Columbia’s wild Chilcotin region.
Opponents of a billion-dollar plan to develop the site want it to stay that way. The company behind the proposal that has already been rejected once says it has a new plan that will save a lake of cultural significance to First Nations — contrary to the original plan — and put millions of dollars into provincial coffers.
Public hearings on the New Prosperity mine proposal wrap up today following five weeks of hearings in nearby communities, and the proponent and opponents remain deeply divided.
“What it is we propose to do is not unusual. It’s an engineering exercise, not a science experiment,” John McManus, senior vice-president of operations for Taseko told the panel on the opening day of the latest set of hearings.
It’s a “low-risk, high-reward” proposal in the best interests of the region, the province and the country, said Greg Yelland, the company’s chief engineer.
“We’ve done what we were asked to do. We’ve listened to the community and re-designed this project to address the issues raised in 2010 and we will continue to engage and listen to the community affected by this project,” he said.
Protecting Fish Lake
The latest round of hearings drew comment from dozens of First Nations groups, members of the public, local business people and interest groups including Amnesty International and Mining Watch Canada.
“We don’t feel that there will be any way to protect Fish Lake,” Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, said in an interview.
Although First Nations have been the most vocal opponents, it’s not an issue of aboriginal versus non-aboriginal, said David Richardson, of the Fish Lake Alliance, in a statement filed with the panel ahead of final submissions today.
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