B.C. is issuing an environmental assessment certificate for the Eskay Creek Mine using, for the first time, a consent-based agreement with the local Tahltan First Nation.
The province announced the granting of the certificate in Vancouver on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
The mine is located southwest of Bob Quinn Lake off the Cassiar Highway in northwestern B.C. It was previously operated as an underground gold and silver mine from 1994 to 2008. This new project would turn it into an open-pit mine.
The agreement allows the Tahltan Central Government to put conditions on the project’s permit that require the operator to mitigate impacts. It also includes revenue sharing. The project still requires final provincial and federal permit approval.
Tahltan Central Government President Kerry Carlick spoke about what shared decision-making means for his nation, saying that “reconciliation is not just words, it is action.”
“For generations, Tahltan people have asserted our rights, our laws, our responsibility to our territory. We have always governed ourselves,” he said. “What makes today different is that the truth is now being formally recognized, in a new way, one that is grounded in respect, partnership, and shared responsibility.”
Deputy Premier Niki Sharma put this deal in the context of recent divisiveness over Aboriginal rights in B.C.
“Respecting First Nations self-government leads to clarity, shared prosperity and a better future for all,” she said. “This is a perfect example of what we can accomplish together.”
This is the first deal of its kind to rely on section 7 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The approval comes with 38 binding conditions that must be met by Eskay Creek Mining Ltd., a subsidiary of Skeena Gold+Silver, to mitigate environmental and community impacts.
Examples of conditions include monitoring water and air quality to ensure mitigations are effective, and minimizing impacts on local health services, roadways, and the Tahltan people’s way of life.
Under the certificate, the project must be deemed “substantially started” by 2036.