News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By way of a press release yesterday, the Tsilhqot’in National Government expressed its deep disappointment and concern that Taseko Mines Ltd has announced to shareholders that it intends to compound all the mistakes of the past by resubmitting its failed Prosperity project. 

Tribal Chair Chief Joe Alphonse said, “We are concerned that, even though its ill-conceived proposed mine was emphatically rejected, Taseko Mines Ltd. has apparently learned nothing from wasting 17 years and $100 million of investors’ money pursuing this project despite clear warnings that neither our First Nations nor the federal government could accept it.” 

“The Tsilhqot’in are not against development, but it must be done with respect for us as a people, with respect for the environment, and with a scientifically solid plan." 

“We had hoped that the ruling to reject the Prosperity mine proposal would serve as a catalyst for reform and a new relationship between governments, the mining industry and First Nations,” Chief Alphonse continued. “This continues to be our hope despite this attempt to revive this dead project and the unproductive conflict that it has generated since the beginning.” 

Chief Marilyn Baptiste of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation said, “Taseko said all the way through the process that the only way to get at the gold was to destroy Teztan Biny and the surrounding watershed.  How can it be, after so many years of doggedly saying there was no other way than to drain and destroy our sacred lake, that they suddenly have a new way forward?"

“To compound matters, after the project was rejected last November, the company immediately began working with the Province and other mine supporters to revive this disastrous project without consulting our First Nations. We did receive a letter in January from the company’s president suggesting a meeting, but this was after the fact. Now we read in a company statement that it claims to have a new bid that will be acceptable – and we know nothing about it,” added Chief Baptiste.  “It is very difficult in these circumstances to believe the company is acting in good faith with us, or that it has any goal other than to force this totally unacceptable mine on us.”  

TNG is unanimous in its position that the Prosperity Project is dead and is interested now in turning attention towards positive projects that fulfill its environmental mandate. 

“The right decision was made and it would be fruitless to look at this project again.  The region needs to come up with alternative ways to economically diversify and to work with First Nations to achieve this,” Chief Alphonse said.

On November 2, 2010, then federal environment minister Jim Prentice announced the plan would not be approved, citing the “scathing” finding of the CEAA review panel report, which the federal minister said was “the most condemning” he had ever seen. The report noted the loss of Fish Lake, the inadequacies of the proposed replacement lake, the immense cultural impact and the impact on grizzlies and other wildlife would all cause “significant adverse effects.  The CEAA panel and the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans also found two potential alternatives to be even worse than the rejected project. "

“It makes no sense that after 17 years, the company has found in a few weeks a new idea, or for it to claim it will be acceptable when it has not even talked to us or provided a hint as to what this grand new plan is,” said Chief Baptiste. 

Chief Alphonse said: “Instead of wasting time and resources trying to bring a bad project back from the dead, we once again call on the province, local municipal government and industry to work with us to create viable diversified economic plans for this area.”

| More...