The Yellowhead Copper mine project is years away from opening its doors despite the province of B.C. recently listing it as a priority.
On Tuesday, May 12, representatives from Taseko gave an update to the District of Clearwater council on where the project currently stands. The presentation was introduced by Ursula Johnston, community relations advisor for the Yellowhead Project, and much of the update was given by Korah De Walt-Gagnon, project manager.
Johnston confirmed the Yellowhead Project is currently in the early engagement phase.
She said the initial project description (IPD) was submitted last year in the summer, and they are working toward the detailed project description (DPD), which she said is the next step. The DPD is planned to be completed mid-year.
Johnston explained the DPD will inform the ‘readiness decision’ that the environmental assessment office (EAO) makes.
“And then hopefully we can actually enter into the environmental assessment process,” she said.
The community relations advisor also spoke about the Simpcw First Nation assessment process, saying they are now at step three, labelled “process planning and scoping.”
De Walt-Gagnon explained some upcoming work. There will be a site investigation program this year (there was a previous one in 2024-25) which is meant to collect data to support the design and permitting of the Yellowhead Project. They anticipate starting this round of site investigations around mid-June, and work is expected to run for two to three months. A host of projects will be underway to understand and prepare the site.
The mining company will also be working on reclamation of the historic exploration camp at the site, which will include removing underground infrastructure and removing access roads from the Jones Creek forest service road.
Summarizing the next steps, the presentation listed them as the 2026 site investigation program to begin mid-June, the DPD to be submitted mid-year, and Taseko providing a briefing of the DPD to the District of Clearwater after its submission.
“(The presentation) was just to give you an update, let you know that we’re not hiding in a corner, but that we’re continuing,” De Walt-Gagnon said, adding a lot of work has happened and more work is upcoming in the summer.
‘It’s still multiple years out’
Following the presentation, mayor and councillors asked questions of the Taseko representatives.
Mayor Merlin Blackwell brought up the province’s recent announcement that the Yellowhead Project was added to a priority project list.
READ MORE: B.C. prioritizes copper mine near Clearwater, pipeline through Cariboo
“What does this actually mean?” the mayor asked. “The only interpretation that I can get out of it is that the file will be looked at instead of being put in the box on the desk. But other than that, it doesn’t seem to speed anything up.”
De Walt-Gagnon said the recent priority project announcement was just highlighting a report from November 2025, which listed the Yellowhead mine as a major project.
“So, nothing has changed in terms of process, or timelines for the Yellowhead Project,” she said. “We’re happy to know that the government sees us as an important project. But at this time it doesn’t materially change anything for us.”
Coun. Lynne Frizzle noted the time frame for the mine fluctuates, and asked where it currently stands in the assessment process.
De Walt-Gagnon said they have to move through process planning to understand what studies are going to be required. She said there is an application information requirement, and that until they get further into the process, they won’t have a definitive timeline.
“Once we get into application development, it’s further on in the process that you have a better idea on timeline,” De Walt-Gagnon said. “So at this point, it’s still multiple years out.”
Coun. Lyle Mackenzie also spoke about the timeline, noting that the “pulse of the people in the valley” is that it’s further along in the process than it really is.
“To see you guys put it into perspective, where you actually are for this early engagement, really is an eye opener for everyone that continues to ask, thinking I have the intel as to where they can send resumes to, knowing this is years out,” Mackenzie said.
De Walt-Gagnon said they get a lot of questions about where they’re at in the process, and mentioned she didn’t know about the environmental assessment process before.
“We’re trying to develop content on this,” she said. “As much as B.C. EAO owns this process and it’s not ours to own, it’s theirs, we do find it’s one of the number one questions from the local communities. And so, trying to build re-assurance that there’s still a long way to go, there’s a lot of information we need to determine still. And there’s lots of opportunity for feedback.”
She added there’s not a lot of jobs right now, but once there are, they will put that information out into local communities for recruitment.
Johnston also noted that not all points in the process are the same length, and that for some parts of it, the timelines are still unknown, as they will depend on what comes up and what processes are required.
“So, it’s really hard to say right now how long it will take.”
READ MORE: Simpcw, B.C. begin discussions on assessment agreement for Yellowhead Copper Mine
READ MORE: Yellowhead Project manager overviews proposed copper mine timeline