The Vancouver Sun reports that Denver-based, Toronto-listed Thompson Creek Metals has announced plans to raise up to $430 million to help fund their Mount Milligan copper-gold mine in British Columbia. “The miner plans to start production at project, located some 900 kilometers (560 miles) northwest of Vancouver, in late 2013.”
CBC has reported, “The federal government approved development of the open-pit copper and gold mine in December 2010, despite the objections of the Nak’azdli Indian Band, which vowed to fight the project.”
 Anne Marie Sam |
 Maude Barlow |
 Gustavo Castro |
 Ken Neumann |
 Claudia Campero |
Northword has highlighted, “The Mount Milligan mine will be located between Fort St. James and Mackenzie on Nak’azdli traditional territory. It will process 60,000 tonnes per day of ore; the total disturbance area is predicted to be more than 18 square kilometres. Included in the project are an onsite explosives factory, a 92-km transmission line and an upgraded access road with 30 stream crossings. In addition to the conversion of the two creeks into TIAs, Terrane Metals has stated they may also draw water from nearby Rainbow Creek, a third fish-bearing waterway. These creeks flow into the Nation River that flows north toward Williston Lake and the Peace River beyond. (Anne Marie Sam, a Nak’azdli band councilor) and other community members are concerned not only about the destruction of fish and wildlife habitat near the mine but also the leaching of poisonous chemicals into the Arctic watershed. …The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (has) determined that the proponent’s mitigation plans were adequate to offset the conversion of fish-bearing Alpine Creek and King Richard Creek into tailing impoundment areas for the mine. The Nak’azdli only heard of the approvals from media reports; they were not informed of the decision by either the federal or BC governments.”
Anne Marie Sam will be speaking at the opening plenary of ‘Shout Out Against Mining Injustice’ on Saturday June 2 at 9 am. That session ‘Water Justice, Not Mining Injustice!’ is described in our program as follows: “Mining is a water-intensive and water-polluting industry. This has tremendous impacts on human health and on the sustainability of our ecosystems. This panel (with Sam, Maude Barlow, Gustavo Castro, Ken Neumann and moderator Claudia Campero) will discuss the links between mining and water injustice.”
To register for Shout Out, please go to http://canadians.org/shoutout
