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British Columbia’s Golden Triangle Mining District

B.C. mineral tenure regime does not respect duty to consult, First Nations argue in challenge – by Ian Burns (Lawyers Daily – January 20, 2023)

https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/

British Columbia’s “free entry” mineral tenure regime, which has been largely unchanged for decades and is sometimes described as a Gold Rush-era relic, will soon be before a court due to challenges by two First Nations who say it has an adverse effect on their rights.

Under the provincial Mineral Tenure Act, there is an automatic registration system where a person known as a “free miner” can acquire a mineral claim on the Internet, select cells on a map and pay a fee of $1.75 per hectare to obtain a claim, with no notice required to the people whose land the miner stakes.

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Northern BC offers ESG mining benefits – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – January 19, 2023)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Working with First Nations is key to unlocking the Golden Triangle’s vast potential.

A world-class copper-gold district that is also enriched with nickel, cobalt, platinum group metals, and other critical minerals, the Golden Triangle region of Northern British Columbia is poised to be a major supplier of the mined commodities critical to a low-carbon future, cutting-edge technologies, and strong global economies.

“Responsible mineral exploration and development are critical to addressing our global challenges,” said Association for Mineral Exploration BC President and CEO Kendra Johnston. “The minerals and metals we discover ignite global supply chains, drive innovation and technology transformation, power new energy solutions, and help achieve a low-carbon future.”

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Ecological impact of Mount Polley mine disaster confirmed by new study – by Winston Szeto (CBC News British Columbia – May 25, 2022)

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

Research shows higher levels of metals in invertebrates taken from Polley and Quesnel lakes

A newly published scientific study confirms the deep ecological impact of the Mount Polley mine disaster in B.C.’s Cariboo region nearly eight years ago.

The study, published last week in the academic journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research, shows small invertebrates taken from lake water affected by the tailings spill disaster had a higher concentration of copper and other metals than those taken from unaffected lake water.

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Tahltan First Nation shows its mining mettle – by Nelson Bennett (Business In Vancouver – March 24, 2022)

https://biv.com/

Tahltan territory is the size of Portugal and rich in precious metals

Gold, jade, copper, nickel, obsidian, silver – the northwest corner of B.C., dubbed the Golden Triangle, is rich in precious and base metals. Roughly 70% of this mineral-rich region is claimed by the Tahltan First Nation as traditional territory – an area roughly the size of Portugal.

The Tahltan claimed sovereignty over their territory in a formal declaration in 1910. Though at the time its leaders expressed an interest in treaty negotiations, the Tahltan First Nation is among the few in B.C. that never entered the B.C. treaty process.

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Tahltan Nation signs distribution deal for Sandvik equipment – by Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – February 16,, 2022)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Sandvik and Tahltan Nation Development Corp. (TNDC) have entered into an agreement to establish TNDC as a reseller of Sandvik mining equipment, parts, tools, and digital solutions for northwestern British Columbia and the Yukon.

Northwestern B.C. and Yukon’s mining industries have seen rapid growth and increased investment over the past several years. Newcrest Mining, Seabridge Gold, Skeena Resources and others are actively developing the potential yet remote Golden Triangle region – a world-class mining jurisdiction with a thriving mineral exploration sector.

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Newmont completes acquisition of GT Gold – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – May 17, 2021)

https://www.mining.com/

Newmont (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT), the world’s No. 1 gold miner, completed on Monday the acquisition of GT Gold, after it grabbed the remaining 85.1% of common shares of the Canadian explorer it did not already own.

The C$393 million ($325m) cash deal, first announced in March, gives the US-based gold giant the Tatogga gold-copper project, located in the Traditional Territory of the Tahltan Nation.

“With the acquisition of GT Gold and the Tatogga project in the highly sought-after Golden Triangle district of British Columbia, Canada, Newmont continues to strengthen our world-class portfolio,” Newmont president and CEO Tom Palmer said in the statement.

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B.C. Indigenous nation opposes mineral exploration in culturally sensitive area – by Brenna Owen (Toronto Star/Canadian Press – April 17, 2021)

https://www.thestar.com/

VANCOUVER – A mineral exploration company with provincial permits to work in Tahltan territory in northwestern British Columbia is treading on sacred grounds, an elected leader in the nation’s government says.

Vancouver-based Doubleview Gold Corp. is developing claims in an area north of Telegraph Creek that occupies an important place in Tahltan oral histories, said Chad Norman Day, president of the Tahltan Central Government. There’s “no way” the Tahltan would ever support a mine there, he said.

“The Sheslay area was a major village site in pre-contact times and even nowadays we have many elders who were born in the Sheslay area. Many of our ancestors are buried out there,” Day said in an interview.

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Newmont to buy GT Gold for $311 million – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – March 10, 2021)

https://www.mining.com/

Newmont (NYSE: NEM) (TSX: NGT), the world’s No. 1 gold miner, is acquiring all the shares it doesn’t already own in Canadian explorer GT Gold (TSX-V: GTT) in a cash deal valued at about $311 million (C$393m).

The transaction will see the US mining giant buying the remaining 85.1% of common shares of GT Gold it doesn’t already have for C$3.25/share in cash. The figure represents a 38% premium to the 20-day volume-weighted average price of GT Gold’s shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange as of March 9.

GT Gold’s primary asset is the wholly-owned, 47.5K hectare Tatogga gold-copper project, located in the Traditional Territory of the Tahltan Nation, about 14km west of the Red Chris copper-gold mine.

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Tahltan Nation signs benefits agreement with Silvertip mine owners (CBC News North – January 21, 2021)

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

The Tahltan Nation and the owners of the Silvertip mine in northern British Columbia, 90 kilometres southwest of Watson Lake, Yukon, have signed an impact and benefit agreement.

The Tahltan Central Government says in a release it wants to implement the deal with Coeur Mining immediately.

“We have a shared vision of empowering Tahltan workers, entrepreneurs and companies while working together to mitigate the mine’s impacts to our Tahltan territory, culture and values,” said Chad Norman Day, president of the Tahltan central government.

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The 4 environmental issues in northwest B.C. every voter should know about – by Matt Simmons (The Narwhal – October 20, 2020)

The Narwhal

As Coastal GasLink workers prepared for test drilling under the Wedzin Kwa river in northwest B.C. while salmon were spawning last week, Wet’suwet’en land defenders gathered in the area to show their opposition to the controversial pipeline that is planned to transport fracked gas across the province to be shipped to Asia.

The workers read the land defenders the B.C. Supreme Court injunction that prohibits them from stopping work along the pipeline right of way. In response, the land defenders re-served the workers with an eviction notice from the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. The RCMP were called to the site, but no arrests were made.

At a rally in Smithers in support of the land defenders, Gidimt’en Clan spokesperson Jennifer Wickham fought back tears as she said the whole province should know and care about the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which threatens the health of plants, animals and humans.

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‘From Poverty to Prosperity’: How One First Nations Government is Redefining Mining – by Dave Jackson (Stockhouse.com – March 10, 2020)

https://stockhouse.com/

Mining operations have existed in British Columbia’s far northwest corner for generations. The mineral-rich area also known as B.C.’s ‘Golden Triangle’ is so named as it is home to some of the richest gold ore bodies in the world, as well as abundant silver, nickel, copper and jade deposits.

At present, 20-plus junior explorers are active in the region, and they stand to benefit from three crucial infrastructure improvements:

-the paving of the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (the Northern half of the highway is a narrow road paved with sealcoat, not asphalt)
-the opening of ocean port facilities for concentrate export at Stewart
-and the completion of a $700-million high-voltage transmission line bringing power into the region.

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Skeena gains full ownership of past-producing Eskay Creek from Barrick – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly.com – July 7, 2020)

https://m.miningweekly.com/

TSX-V-listed Skeena Resources will exercise its option to acquire the Eskay Creek gold/silver project, in the Golden Triangle of north-west British Columbia, from gold major Barrick Gold. Barrick has also agreed to waive its back-in right on Eskay Creek.

As a result of the transaction, Barrick will be a significant shareholder in Skeena, owning about 12.4%. If Barrick were to exercise the warrants, its ownership of Skeena would increase to 17.2% on a partially diluted basis and Skeena would receive cash proceeds of C$30.4-million.

“Skeena is honoured to have Barrick as a significant shareholder as we endeavour to revitalise Eskay Creek, the former highest-grade, past-producing gold mine in the world,” said Skeena CEO Walter Coles in a statement on Monday.

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Less 2020 Brucejack gold than envisioned – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – February 12, 2020)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Pretium Resources Inc. Jan. 12 announced that the Brucejack Mine in northwestern British Columbia produced 354,405 ounces of gold last year at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$888/oz of gold sold.

As a result of these better than expected results, the mine generated US$184.2 million and Pretium was able to lower its debt by US$180.4 million over the course of 2019.

“In 2019, we beat the upper end of our revised gold production guidance and the lower end of our AISC guidance of 350,000 ounces and $900 per ounce of gold sold,” said Pretium Resource President and CEO Joseph Ovsenek.

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Boom and gloom in British Columbia’s north – by Nelson Bennet (Business In Vancouver – September 12, 2019)

https://biv.com/

As of May this year, an estimated 4,385 workers were employed on the $8.8 billion Site C dam construction project near Fort St. John. Kitimat and Terrace are humming with activity, thanks to the $40 billion LNG Canada-Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

Port expansion in Prince Rupert has created an additional 1,000 jobs since 2016. Employment is strong in the Dawson Creek-Tumbler Ridge-Chetwynd triangle, thanks in part to Conuma Coal Resources reopening a third mine – Willow Creek – last year.

And in the Golden Triangle of northwest B.C., mining exploration spending was up by about $165 million in 2018, according to EY. Economic growth in B.C.’s north is reflected in housing starts and construction permits.

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First Nations push for massive conservation area in northern B.C. – by Laura Kane (Canadian Press/CTV News – June 12, 2019)

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/

LOWER POST, B.C. – First Nations in northern British Columbia are calling on the provincial government to endorse an ambitious proposal for a 40,000-square-kilometre conservation area to protect major watersheds and sensitive species.

The proposal would cover the ancestral areas of three Kaska Dena First Nations and would be larger than Vancouver Island, taking up a massive section of north-central B.C.

Premier John Horgan’s government hasn’t said whether it supports or opposes the idea after seven months of phone calls, letters and meetings with officials from various ministries, say the project’s proponents.

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