‘They just came in and completely failed to read the local landscape’
The Yukon Environmental Socio-Economic Assessment Board has discontinued its assessment of the proposed Coffee gold mine on the grounds that Goldcorp did not adequately consult with the affected First Nations governments.
“Having carefully reviewed the information in Goldcorp’s proposal as well as the comments provided by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Selkirk First Nation, the executive committee is of the opinion that Goldcorp has not met its obligation to consult in relation to those First Nations and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun,” YESAB’s executive committee wrote in its report, issued July 12.
“The only aspect we’re looking at is the consultation record…. They (Goldcorp) are missing pieces of it,” said Rob Yeoman, a spokesperson for YESAB. Goldcorp appears to have tried to rush through the consultation process in an effort to meet what mine general manager Buddy Crill referred to as an “aggressive” March 31 assessment deadline.
The report says Goldcorp didn’t give TH enough time to respond to technical documents. On Feb. 23, for example, Goldcorp provided assessment documents to TH and set a deadline for feedback by March 8.
“Goldcorp did not meet its obligation to consult with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in that it did not provide TH with notice of the mine design changes in sufficient form and detail, did not give TH a reasonable period of time to prepare its views nor an opportunity to present its views on those changes,” YESAB wrote.
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