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The B.C. government announced on Friday that it has approved the Red Chris mine expansion project, located south of Dease Lake.
The Red Chris mine is a copper and gold mine 18 kilometres southeast of Iskut and the expansion is expected to deliver lasting benefits for the Tahltan Nation and bring jobs and economic growth to the region.
“The Red Chris expansion highlights how partnership agreements with First Nations and a predictable process are creating the certainty needed to move major projects in British Columbia forward,” Premier David Eby said in a statement.
“That confidence is driving historic private-sector investment in B.C. that is creating good job opportunities and family-supporting jobs, and the funding needed to deliver strong public services for people across the province.”
The mine is also one of the province’s priority major projects and is on the federal government’s priority projects list.
The expansion project will also move operations at the mine from open-pit to block-cave underground mining, which will increase production and extend the life of the mine to 2038.
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The project is expected to cost several billion dollars, but will increase ore processing to as much as 15 million tonnes per year and create approximately 1,800 jobs during peak construction.
“Some have questioned whether recognizing Indigenous rights would make it harder to advance major projects in British Columbia,” Kerry Carlick, president of the Tahltan Central Government, said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement provides a clear answer. The approval of the Red Chris Block Cave Project, developed in partnership with the Tahltan Nation, the Province, and Newmont, the world’s largest gold producer, shows that meaningful Indigenous involvement creates certainty, strengthens projects and delivers benefits that are shared by all British Columbians.”
Last July, three miners were trapped underground at this mine for two-and-a-half days before they were rescued.
The miners, who are Hy-Tech drilling employees, were in a refuge area with food, water and air that can accommodate up to 16 people for 48 hours, which is about 700 metres from where the collapse happened.
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