Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in FN and Goldcorp spar over mine proposal – by Dave Croft (CBC News North – June 5, 2017)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

Yukon First Nation says mining company is pushing its Coffee Mine project too fast through screening

Goldcorp says the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation in Dawson City has refused to allow the company to speak directly to First Nation citizens about its gold mine proposal south of the Yukon community.

The comment is made in a document filed with the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board and in response to documents filed by the First Nation complaining about consultation by the company. Goldcorp filed its 19,000 page application with the environmental screening agency at the end of March.

The assessment board is currently determining if the proposal contains enough information to allow the board to make recommendations about whether it should be permitted to move forward. There will also be a public comment phase. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation wrote the board in early May complaining about Goldcorp’s “aggressive timelines” and that the company ignored the First Nation’s concerns.

It says the company has not responded to more than 130 questions submitted by the First Nation. It says other questions were not answered adequately.

The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in says moving the process forward without dealing with those concerns would violate its rights under its land claim agreements. Goldcorp sent its response to the board in mid-May asserting that the consultation has been more than adequate.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-tr-ond%C3%ABk-hw%C3%ABch-in-goldcorp-mining-1.4144203