Managing Director of Telkwa Coal Limited Mark Gray met with Smithers Town Council on May 22nd, in hopes of creating a clear line of communication with local government regarding the upcoming coal mine near Telkwa.
Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach gives us his take on the proposed Tenas Project near Telkwa.
“It’s certainly a hot topic of conversation in the valley. I understand that before my time there have been many different proposals for developing the Telkwa coal fields and those have all been met with concerns from area citizens. As much as it would be great to create local work in our region, we need to make sure the environmental impact is limited and this project has the same overall vision as the rest of the valley.”
As of now, the Tenas Coalmine Project does not need an environmental assessment from the Government of BC. Councillor Greg Brown says if this assessment was done, it would eliminate any question regarding the projects environmental standards.
“The BC Environmental Assessment Office is tasked with getting down to the nitty-gritty any project. They will provide us with the technical information we need to make sure the environment is being looked after. Without getting a true assessment of the hazards at hand, you will have the mining side doing their thing and the Ministry of Environment doing theirs. There are some topics of conversation that can be complex and by having this assessment, we have a clear overview of what issues face the mining project.”
Telkwa Coal Limited Director Mark Gray has 30+ years in Mining and Agricultural Law, as well as 15 years promoting and running companies in coal, uranium, and diamonds across many jurisdictions. He says his companies top priorities for this project are:
- Health and safety,
- Indigenous peoples,
- Environment,
- and community involvement.
The proposed Telkwa Coal Mine will potentially create 40 direct jobs in the mining sector and other indirect jobs. It is said the Tenas area will create 40 years worth of coal resources.
More on Telkwa Coal Limited can be found here.