Chief Garry John drums at the protest against the New Prosperity mine.
At least 200 – perhaps 260 people – were at Williams Lake City Council on Tuesday night to express their opposition to Taseko’s proposed ‘New Prosperity’ open-pit gold and copper mine at Fish Lake. J.P. Laplante of the Tsilhqot’in National Government notes this evening that they were proud to have alongside them many people, including Chief Garry John (St’at’imc Tribal Chair and Chief of Chalath – and Board member of the Council of Canadians) and the local Council of Canadians Williams Lake chapter.
The Vancouver Sun has reported, “Under (Taseko’s) new plan (for the mine), waste rock and dirt will now be trucked and stored north of Fish Lake. A tailings pond, which will store potentially acid-producing mill waste, will be moved upstream two kilometres from Fish Lake. The new plan will alter the watershed’s natural drainage. The tailings pond will limit water flow into Fish Lake, and the outflow of the lake will be cut off by the open mine pit downstream.”
For our blog about the protest posted as it was happening on Tuesday night, please see http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18316. Additional blogs about Fish Lake can be read at http://canadians.org/blog/?s=%22fish+lake%22.
