can b.c. pull off twin goals of expanding northwest b.c. mining while preserving conservation area?
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the red chris mine.
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fast-tracking critical mines in an area of northwest b.c. known as the golden triangle while preserving a conservation area the size of greece is at the heart of an ambitious federal and provincial vision.
neither prime minister mark carney nor b.c. premier david eby have explained how these potentially contradictory goals can be accomplished.
but both tout the potential to boost the economy with a renewed focus on mines, such as the extension of the red chris copper and gold mine, a $2 billion proposal by newmont corp. and imperial metals corp. to transition their existing open-pit mine to an underground operation.
the federal government’s recent decision to include red chris on its fast-track list of “nation-building” major projects surprised many people, as it’s subject to environmental approval from both the province and the tahltan nation.
however, carney linked red chris to the bigger picture of a “northwest critical conservation corridor” that would encompass other “critical minerals development” as well as creation of “a potential conservation area the size of greece.”
besides gold and copper deposits, the area also has silver, nickel and zinc deposits — all elements necessary for a low-carbon economy.
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carney said he wanted the new entity to help define a corridor that includes other mines, new power transmission lines and possibly electricity interties with the yukon and alberta.
the red chris extension also aligns with the province’s top priorities to advance “shovel-ready” projects, and eby said he looked at the federal decision as endorsement of everything b.c. is trying to do in the region. he recently called red chris “the tip of a spear” in a region with potentially 11 new mines and up to $30 billion in investment.
the ceo of the mining association of b.c., michael goehring, said in a statement that carney’s referral “underscores the importance of mining to the economic future of b.c. and canada.”
goehring said the federal government’s decision signals its interest in expanding the potential of what is often referred to as b.c.’s golden triangle, a region with historic mines and heavily explored mineral potential.
“this region of northwest b.c. represents significant opportunities for critical minerals development,” goehring wrote.
but conservation groups worry that a rush to fast-track mine approvals will wind up eroding environmental and social safeguards for major projects and wind up with more projects delayed by litigation.
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“i think we’re still at a stage where there isn’t a lot of clarity,” said adrienne berchtold, mining impacts researcher for the conservation group skeenawild.
the approval process for red chris runs through the province and tahltan nation, according to an unsigned statement from the tahltan central government. the statement said the tahltan and provincial environmental assessment office are reviewing the red chris proposal.
the statement said that “any expansion of the red chris mine will only happen with tahltan consent.” it also noted that newmont is also committed to the consent-based process.
berchtold said some aspects of the northwest corridor, such as setting aside more land for conservation and working with indigenous nations to establish protected areas sound positive.
“from skeenawild’s perspective, we’ve been pushing government to take a closer look at areas that require protection,” berchtold said.
berchtold added that skeenawild isn’t “explicitly opposed” to the extension of red chris, given that the shift to underground mining wouldn’t expand the mine’s existing footprint and it wouldn’t seek to expand its tailings ponds.
however, the group does want the mine to fix environmental problems that have accumulated over its first 10 years of operation.
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a few weeks ago, the province fined the mine — legally known as newcrest red chris mining ltd. — $12,685 for failing to comply with requirements for continuous hydrogeological monitoring at various locations on 36 occasions between august 2022 and january 2024.
a skeenawild research report, berchtold said, identified problems with seepage of mine waste into groundwater and potential evidence of mine pollution downstream.
“there have been a number of things that have gone wrong, i think due to insufficient oversight from government over the mine’s monitoring and implementation of mitigations,” berchtold said.
skeenawild also has concerns about the potential for cumulative impacts of several large mining projects in one area.
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