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“It is extremely important that Tahltan’s values be at the heart of all these projects,” said Tahltan Central Government President Chad Norman Day.
When the Eskay Creek gold mine was first licensed in the 1990s, there was no requirement to obtain the consent of local First Nations: the Tahltan.
In the event that the restart of the mine is approved, it will be under a new consent agreement with the Tahltan First Nation as part of the BC Environmental Assessment Act review process.
The Tahltan and BC governments today announced what Prime Minister John Horgan called a “truly extraordinary agreement”: the first consent agreement under the ACT Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIPA).
The consent agreement is enabled under section 7 of the Environmental Assessment Act, which provides for joint decision-making between the provincial government and the Tahltan.
Prime Minister John Horgan said the deal is the first of its kind to come and should be a signal to the industry of more certainty when it comes to operating in First Nations territory without cession. He said it was “a real partnership between the Tahltan and the British Columbia government … in shared decision – making.
“British Columbia is open to business in a sustainable way, in a collaborative way that starts and starts with the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples to have a voice in determining what happens on 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, which reduces uncertainty and lets the investment community know who they are dealing with.
“When investors look at British Columbia, they will look at a territory, a jurisdiction that has shared decision-making in its foundation.”
“I take my hat off to the NPD, the Prime Minister and his colleagues, for making history with DRIPA legislation,” said Chad Norman Day, Tahltan’s central government chairman.
“I am deeply honored to be the first Indigenous group in British Columbia to sign such an agreement.
“It is extremely important that, moving forward, Tahltan’s rights, Tahltan’s decisions and 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 between 1994 and 2008. As part of the environmental review process, Tahltan will play a more regulatory role in the assessment process. environmental.
Justin Himmelright, vice president of foreign affairs at Skeena Resources, said the mine site has access to roads and electricity and waste management.
“The project has all these great assets that were a legacy of the previous project,” he said. “The missing part of the Eskay Creek project is that since it was allowed at a time when indigenous consent was not the standard of the day, it has never achieved the formal consent of the Tahltan nation.
“So it’s a very, very important step for the project.”
The traditional territory of Tahltan in the northwest BC covers about 11% of the total surface of the Earth and is rich in minerals. The Tahltan generally support mining in the region and have numerous agreements with mining and exploration companies.
More broadly, the province plans to work for more joint decision-making with First Nations on land stewardship. To this end, the Horgan government created a new ministry: the management of land, water and resources.
The new minister, Josie Osborne, said the consent agreement with the Tahltan is just one example of greater co-management and joint decision-making that the government is working on.
“This roadmap or roadmap will not look the same for all first nations,” he said. “But no matter where we live in British Columbia, expanding and strengthening partnerships and sharing decisions on a land-based basis will create greater predictability and create more opportunities for everyone: first nations, industry and the community “.
The consent agreement with Tahltan is being endorsed by the Mining Association of BC (MABC), which sees it as a way to achieve greater certainty in appeals decisions.
“The agreement between the Tahltan 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 Michael Goehring, MABC CEO.
“The timely and predictable environmental assessment and permitting processes that support responsible mining are critical to attracting investment and advancing development projects to mining operations.”