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British Columbia’s Golden Triangle Mining District

B.C. premier pushes plan for mining exploration despite Bill 15 backlash – by Katie DeRosa (CBC News British Columbia – May 26, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/

‘They say damn the environment, full speed ahead’: Hugh Braker on NDP plan to fast-track major projects

Premier David Eby has unveiled his plan to speed up mining development in northwestern B.C. to boost the provincial economy. But the announcement was overshadowed by growing opposition to a controversial law that will fast-track infrastructure and resource projects.

Eby says he has a plan to enable the province to fast-track mining development in northwestern BC, while respecting First Nations rights and conserving B.C.’s sensitive ecosystems. “High environmental standards and partnerships with First Nations are not at odds with resource development,” Eby said at a news conference overlooking the Port of Vancouver on Monday.

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Who will benefit from melting glaciers?- In a remote corner of North America, salmon and mining companies are vying for new territory. – by Max Graham (Grist.org – May 21, 2025)

https://grist.org/

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. It was produced by Grist and co-published with Alaska Public Media.

The Tulsequah Glacier meanders down a broad valley in northwest British Columbia, 7 miles from the Alaska border. At the foot of the glacier sits a silty, gray lake, a reservoir of glacial runoff. The lake is vast, deeper than Seattle’s Space Needle is tall. But it didn’t exist a few decades ago, before 2 miles of ice had melted.

On an overcast day, a helicopter carrying three salmon scientists zoomed up the valley. As it neared the lake, the pilot banked to the right and flew over the south side of the basin, whirring over a narrow outlet where it drains into the Tulsequah River. He landed on a beach of small boulders and the researchers clambered out one by one.

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B.C. mining sector calls for streamlined permitting – by Adam Campbell (Business In Vancouver – May 15, 2025)

https://www.biv.com/

MABC projects $90B in short-term economic activity from mines under construction

B.C. must accelerate mining permitting to remain competitive and retain investment amid a tense political landscape. That was one of the key messages Michael Goehring delivered at the Mining Association of BC’s (MABC) annual Greater Vancouver Board of Trade address last week.

The CEO of MABC said he was pleased to see the creation of the Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals last November, and the introduction of legislation earlier this month aimed at speeding up approvals for major projects. These are important steps, he said, and perhaps indications that the current government is choosing to focus more on economic growth.

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B.C. won’t fast-track projects without First Nations’ ownership, Premier says – by Justine Hunter (Globe and Mail – May 11, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The British Columbia government is moving forward with controversial legislation to allow it to fast-track major projects deemed to be of provincial significance, but Premier David Eby says none will be built without First Nations’ consent – and financial benefits.

The only way forward with major projects in the province is through Indigenous partnership, he said in an interview. Federally designated projects that would cross into B.C. should expect to meet the same standard, he added. “For us, it’s about actual ownership by the Nation whose territory the projects are going on.”

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Opinion: Carney must move quickly to attract investment to exploration – by Trish Jacques (Business In Vancouver – May 9, 2025)

https://www.biv.com/

Trish Jacques is board chair of the Association for Mineral Exploration.

Global tensions, trade wars and geopolitics put Canada’s natural resources front and centre in our recent federal election. Last week — and immediately after the election — British Columbia’s mineral exploration and mining sectors gathered in Prince George for the Minerals North conference.

Reaction to the election result, its implications and how we can address systemic issues came up time and time again. For B.C., the numbers speak volumes: A 26-per-cent drop in exploration spending and a 45-per-cent drop in metres drilled in just the past two years and during a commodity boom. Correspondingly, we have not seen a new critical mineral mine open in more than a decade.

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B.C. mining association heralds $90 billion in potential projects to seize moment of national interest – by Derrick Penner (Vancouver Sun – May 7, 2025)

https://vancouversun.com/

“In the current climate of economic security, B.C.’s mining sector has the ability to secure a stronger, more stable and resilient economic future for all British Columbians.” — Michael Goehring, CEO, Mining Association of B.C.

The Mining Association of B.C. says the industry has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to boost public support for new mines, and it touting $90 billion worth of potential projects at a time other big projects are winding up construction.

A year ago, the association published a list of 17 potential projects at some stage of environmental review and approval, four of which have already been singled out by the province for fast-tracking under the promise Premier David Eby made to kickstart resource projects to defend B.C.’s economy.

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Nations Rising – A story of Nisga’a strength – by A.J. Roan (North of 60 Mining News – May 2, 2025)

 

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

For Entire Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqpCmlUfwwo

New documentary tells the story of overcoming oppression to reclaim home and power, enabling future generations to thrive.

For more than a century, the Nisg̱a’a people of Northern British Columbia’s Nass Valley fought to reclaim their land, their rights, and their voice, a long journey brought to life in Nations Rising – A Nisg̱a’a Story, which weaves the tale of history, culture, resilience, and modern self-determination into a living portrait of a nation rising anew.

Long before modern boundaries were drawn, the Nass River valley of northwestern B.C. served as a gathering place for many Indigenous peoples, a basin of life where rivers, forests, and mountains sustained generations.

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David Eby’s green goals at odds with his plan to fast-track B.C. mines – by Rob Shaw (National Post – February 27, 2025)

https://nationalpost.com/

He’s going full steam ahead with his plan to harness critical minerals — despite Indigenous and environmentalist resistance

Deep in deficit, wrestling with a stalled economy and under the threat of American tariffs, B.C.’s eco-focused New Democratic government has turned to an unlikely economic ally: the mining sector.

Premier David Eby has peppered his speeches over the last two months with support for new and expanded mines. His government is poised to introduce legislation within weeks to fast-track at least four major mining projects, with the rationale they’ll generate much-needed jobs and revenue.

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Amarc stock doubles on gold-copper find at JOY in BC – by Staff (Northern Miner – January 20, 2025)

Global mining news

Amarc Resources (TSXV: AHR; US-OTC: AXREF) has more than doubled its share price after announcing a high-grade discovery at its JOY copper-gold project in north-central British Columbia.

The discovery resulted from initial drilling of the Northwest Gossan (NWG) target area, located at the end of a possible 15-km mineralized trend within the 495-sq.-km JOY district that had not been previously drill tested. Work programs are being fully funded by copper giant Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX), which could earn an interest in the JOY project while Amarc serves as the program operator.

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Looking ahead in B.C. and Yukon – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – December 16, 2024)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Recent strong gold and metal prices have many mine-makers looking to western Canada for opportunity

Seemingly, North Americans look to the west for opportunity. And when we in Canda look left, we see British Columbia and Yukon. Opportunities abound there for miners, so let us jump in. Where better to begin than with one of the world’s largest copper, gold, and silver resources all wrapped up in the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) project belonging to Seabridge Gold.

With reorganization and a new focus on gold, the company bought what is now the KSM project from Placer Dome in 2000. The property is located 65 km northwest of Smithers, B.C. Exploration began in earnest in 2006, and by 2010 a prefeasibility study (PFS) was released estimating there were 8.5 million oz. of gold, 7 billion lb. of copper, and 133 million oz. of silver in the ground.

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B.C. environmental group files judicial review to challenge Northwest gold mine project – by Quinn Bender (Terrace Standard – December 2, 2024)

https://www.terracestandard.com/

The filing is the second petition in a week against the major gold-copper mine in B.C.’s “Golden Triangle”

A coalition of environmental groups has launched a legal challenge against the province’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO), contending the proposed KSM mine in Northwest B.C. does not meet the criteria for a “substantial start.”

Ecojustice, representing SkeenaWild Conservation Trust and the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC), filed the petition, arguing the mine’s environmental assessment is outdated and poses significant ecological and cultural risks.

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New Indigenous-owned mining royalty company a first in Canada – by Amanda Stephenson (Canadian Press/CTV News – November 17, 2024)

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/

In June of this year, a new company called Nations Royalty Corp. began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange. With minimum fanfare, the new company quietly hit a milestone on the road to Indigenous economic reconciliation in this country, becoming the only mining royalty company in the world that is majority-owned by Indigenous people.

Backed by billionaire Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra, Nations Royalty aims to lure investors with the promise of exposure to Indigenous-owned royalties, which company executives say is the last untapped pool in Canada.

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Canada, BC invest in Golden Triangle roads – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – July 16, 2024)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Governments commit C$195 million to improving highway infrastructure in critical minerals-rich Northern BC.

Heralded as a win for First Nations residents and the mining industry in Northern British Columbia, the federal and provincial governments are investing C$195 million (US$142.6 million) to upgrade highway infrastructure in the critical minerals-enriched Golden Triangle.

“The Northwest BC Highway Corridor Improvements Project will benefit a critical mineral region and First Nations partners,” said B.C. Minister of Transportation Pablo Rodriguez. “It will also improve transportation safety, reliability and access to essential services, and reinforce our government’s commitment to a net-zero future.”

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[B.C. Mining] ‘To us, that border doesn’t exist’ – by Nathan Venderklippe (Globe and Mail – April 19, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Alaska Indigenous groups want a say in B.C. mining projects they fear could hurt their livelihoods. A border stands in the way – but they hope a Canadian court ruling strengthens the case for ignoring it

Eulachon grease meets the tongue with a marine burn, a bracing tang extracted by fermenting great numbers of the smelt-like fish, then simmering and breaking them apart. The process liberates the fish’s oil, which historically formed a kind of currency among the Indigenous nations of the Pacific Northwest, who traded it as a valuable source of fat.

Today, those still able to find it in southeast Alaska apply it as a condiment to boiled potatoes, herring eggs or kajumps, a fish soup. “That’s real gold there,” Louie Wagner says, as he eyes a jar of the grease he keeps frozen, its contents a light tawny yellow. “Gold you can eat.”

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Alaskan tribes seek historic legal recognition from B.C. gov’t for review of mining project – by Caitrin Pilkington (CBC News Canada North – February 07, 2024)

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

Coalition wants to be part of environmental review for Eskay Creek gold mine

An Alaska-based coalition of Indigenous governments has applied to be part of a B.C. environmental review process. Representatives of the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission say they’re concerned about the environmental impacts of a proposed project that would see work resume at Eskay Creek, a former open-pit gold mine. The mine, which mining company Skeena Resources hopes to revive, lies about 85 kilometres northwest of Stewart, B.C.

Skeena’s proposal would see workers make use of some of the old mine’s existing facilities, extracting up to three million tonnes of gold and silver ore per year. The proposed mine would be in operation for nine years.

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