Photo: Screengrab
“It is crucial that Tahltan’s values are at the heart of all these projects,” said Tahltan Central Government President Chad Norman Day.
When the Eskay Creek gold mine was first cleared in the 1990s, there was no requirement to secure the consent of the local First Nations, Taltan.
If the restart is approved, it will be under a new agreement with the first nation of Tahltan as part of the process of reviewing BC’s Environmental Assessment Act.
The government of Taltan and British Columbia announced today what Prime Minister John Horgan called a “truly extraordinary” agreement – the first agreement to agree on the Indigenous Rights Declaration (DRIPA) Act.
The consent agreement is permitted under section 7 of the Environmental Assessment Act, which will provide for joint decision-making between the provincial government and Tahltan.
Prime Minister John Horgan said the agreement was the first to come and should be a signal to the industry of greater security with regard to the first nation’s non-surrender operations. He said it was a “real partnership between Taltan and the British Columbia government … in shared decision-making.”
“British Columbia is open to business in a sustainable way, in a way of cooperation that begins and begins with the inherent rights of indigenous peoples to have a say in determining what is happening in their territory,” Horgan said. “The Eskay Creek project will be the first of its kind to go through an environmental assessment and a Section 7 agreement that reduces uncertainty and allows the investment community to know who they are dealing with.
“When investors look to British Columbia, they will look to a territory, a jurisdiction that has shared decision-making at its core.
“I’m taking my hat off to the NDP, to the prime minister and his colleagues for making history with DRIPA legislation,” said Chad Norman Day, president of Taltan’s central government.
“It is a great honor for me to be the first local group in British Columbia to sign an agreement like this.
“It is extremely important that moving forward, Tahltan’s rights, Tahltan’s decisions, Tahltan’s values are at the heart of all these projects.”
Skeena Resources (TSX: SKE) plans to restart the Eskay Creek gold mine, which operated from 1994 to 2008. As part of the environmental review process, Tahltan will have a more regulatory role in the environmental assessment process.
Justin Himmelwright, vice president of foreign affairs at Skeena Resources, said the mine site has road and wired access and tailings management.
“The project has all these great assets that were a legacy of the previous project,” he said. “The part that was missing from the Eskay Creek project is that because it was allowed in an era when local consent was not the standard of the day, it never reached a formal agreement with the Tahltan nation.
“So this is a very, very important step for the project.”
The traditional territory of Tahltan in the northwestern part of BC. covers about 11% of the total drought BC. and is rich in minerals. Tahltan generally supports mining in the region and has numerous agreements with mining and exploration companies.
More broadly, the province plans to work more closely with First Nations on land management. To this end, the Horgan government has created a new ministry – land, water and resource management.
New Minister Josie Osborne said the agreement with Tahltan was just one example of greater co-management and co-decision-making for which the government is working.
“This road ahead or road map will not look the same for every first nation,” she said. “But no matter where we live in British Columbia, expanding and strengthening partnerships and sharing decisions about the land base will create greater predictability and create additional opportunities for all – First Nations, industry and the community.
The agreement with Tahltan is approved by the BC Mining Association (MABC), which sees it as a way to achieve greater security in resource decisions.
“The agreement between Taltan’s central government and the provincial government is an important step forward in advancing reconciliation and supporting the development of Skeena Resource’s Eskay Creek revitalization project,” said MABC CEO Michael Goring.
“Timely, predictable environmental assessment and permitting processes that support responsible extraction are crucial for attracting investment and advancing development projects to mining operations.”
Add Comment