Smithers, B.C. – First Nations in northwest B.C. are pleased with the provincial government’s decision to delay approval of the Morrison Mine.

Located 65 kms northeast of Smithers, The Minister of Environment and the Minister of Mines, have given the owners of the proposed mine, Pacific Booker Minerals, 3 years to provide more information and undergo further assessment.

The Ministers say there are a number of outstanding issues with the proposal including issues of risk and uncertainty about the mine’s design and the proposed mitigation measures.

There is also not enough baseline information and understanding of the Morrison Lake ecosystem which has a sockeye salmon population.

Both the Gitxsan and Gitanyow are encouraged by this latest development.

“We have been asking for this kind of information all along so our scientists can properly analyze the potential impacts of the project,” said Chief Glen Williams of Gitanyow. “The proposed mine’s location is in a very important place for the health and sustainability of Skeena salmon. We are skeptical that the mine can be operated safely and without impacts to our aboriginal rights to food fish.”

Gitxsan negotiator Beverley Clifton-Percival concurred “With all the pressures on our traditional food supply these days, we need to do all we can to protect the salmon we rely upon. We know that about 8 percent of our food fish comes from the Morrison Lake ecosystem where the mine is proposed to be. We can’t let the mine proceed unless we know it will not impact the salmon.”

In addition, both bands say the company should be required to gather more geotechnical information about where it proposes to put the mine’s tailing storage facility.

“In light of the Mount Polley report, it is evident that much more than the minimal information now available is required for the regulators and our people to have any confidence that the tailings storage will be secure,” said Chief Williams.

The proposed open pit copper-gold mine has a planned extraction rate of about 30,000 tonnes a day and a mine life of 21 years.