British Columbia has approved a major expansion of the Red Chris mine in northwestern B.C.
The copper and gold mine about 18 kilometres southeast of Iskut, is majority owned and operated by mining giant Newmont.
The province said Friday it had approved amendments to the mine’s permits and environmental assessment certificate that will allow it to transition from open-pit mining to underground mining.
It’s a key regulatory step as the project awaits a final investment decision this year.
The approval followed a joint assessment process with the Tahltan Central Government under a section of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act that allows for joint decision-making between the province and First Nations.
The same process also saw B.C. and Tahltan approve the reopening of the Eskay Creek mine in January.
Premier David Eby said the process allows First Nations to be at the table from the earliest stages of the project.
“One of the big challenges in our mining sector has always been that people believe it takes too long to get to permits, to be approved, and that relations with Indigenous people makes it too difficult to actually move forward with a project,” said Eby. “Our government took that feedback, we sat down at the table with industry and First Nations and charted out a different path forward.”
Kerry Carlick, president of the Tahltan Central Government, said the approval comes after years of work and “difficult conversations” with the province and Newmont.
“We together have demonstrated again that respect for Indigenous rights does not create barriers to responsible development. It creates certainty,” said Carlick.
The expansion project is on the B.C. government’s list of priority projects. It’s also one of several B.C. projects referred to the federal Major Projects Office for potential fast-tracking.
It’s expected to extend the lifespan of the mine by over a decade and increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15 per cent.
The province said it will employ about 800 workers during operations, with a peak of approximately 1,500 workers during construction.
Last July, three workers were rescued after spending more than two days trapped underground at the Red Chris mine.
Newmont said the workers were trapped after two “fall of ground” incidents, where debris blocked access to the refuge chamber where the workers were sheltering.
Newmont spokesperson John Mullally said Friday an internal investigation into the incident was completed and shared with industry members.
“It’s our finding that we’ll be able to build and operate the Red Chris block cave safely,” he said.
Eby said on Friday province is still working in it’s review of the incident to see if there are safety lessons to be learned.
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