Williams Lake, B.C. – The Prosperity mine project 125 kilometers southwest of Williams Lake is facing a major road block.

 

The federal environmental review panel has all but said no to the proposed open-pit gold and copper mine.

 

In it’s report released Friday, the Review panel says; “the Project would result in significant adverse environmental effects on fish and fish habitat, on navigation, on the current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes by First Nations and on cultural heritage, and on certain potential or established Aboriginal rights or title. The Panel also concludes that the Project, in combination with past, present and reasonably foreseeable future projects would result in a significant adverse cumulative effect on grizzly bears in the South Chilcotin region and on fish and fish habitat”

 

The mine site would have covered a 35 square km area in the Teztan Yeqox (Fish Creek) watershed. The watershed, which drains to the Dasiqox (Taseko River), includes Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and Y’anah Biny (Little Fish Lake) and the surrounding area called Nabas. The mine would involve the destruction of Teztan Biny, Y’anah Biny and portions of Teztan Yeqox.   A new lake, called Prosperity Lake, would be created as part of the fish and fish habitat compensation plan. 

 

The   created lake would not likely be able to sustain a food fishery for the first Nations populations says the report, and with a count of about 90 thousand fish in the existing lake, replacing it with one that   would be home to as many as 20 thousand fish did not satisfy the “no net loss” policy.  

 

A 125 km transmission line was to supply power to the mine site from the existing BC Hydro north-south transmission line east of the Fraser River.

 

The mine was anticipated to have a 20 year life span during which time it would create 500 direct jobs and a further 1200 indirect jobs.

 

The final decision on the future of the project rests with the Prime Minister and the federal cabinet. They are expected to make a decision by September 2^nd.

 

Friends of the Nemaiah Valley were celebrating over the weekend, saying “We are very pleased that the panel made the best decision we could have hoped for.”

 

 

The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office undertook a separate but coordinated review of the Project and the provincial decision was announced in January of this year. The Province’s conclusion was that the Project would have a significant adverse effect

on fish and fish habitat but that the effects were justified in the circumstances.

 

The Federal Panel says the provincial decision was made without the benefit of information gathered at a public hearing with First Nations.

 

“The Panel heard that the cultural importance and spiritual value of the Teztan Biny area could not be replaced or mitigated. Thus, the Panel’s overall conclusion is that the Project would have a high magnitude, long term, irreversible effect on the Tsilhqot’in.”  

 

The report also notes the Taseko Mine company had not proposed any measures to offset losses other than to refer to B.C.’s recent policy on revenue sharing with affected First Nations. “Many First Nation members indicated that no amount of monetary compensation could replace the loss of the Teztan Biny ecosystem.”