Heavy machinery at Teseko's Gibraltar mine site near Williams Lake/via Taseko
A major step forward has taken place for a long-planned mining operation north of Kamloops which could bring hundreds of jobs to the North Thompson Valley.
Taseko Mines says the environmental assessment process has now been launched by both BC and federal governments for the proposed Yellowhead Copper Mine.
The mine site would be located about 150 kilometers north of Kamloops on the south side of the Yellowhead Highway in between Clearwater and Vavenby on Simpcw First Nation territory on the south side of the Yellowhead Highway.
Taseko suggests that if all approvals are granted and the project is allowed to move forward, it could end up employing close to 2,200 people in the initial start-up phase of the mining operation, on top of close to 600 people full-time.
Map showing approximate location of proposed Yellowhead Copper mine site north of Kamloops/via Taseko
This would make the mine the largest single employer in the North Thompson region.
“Some of the stuff we’ve looked at preliminarily says we could potentially have another third to two-thirds more people living in town and in our surrounding area by the time this mine is up and running,” noted Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell.
Blackwell says that large an influx of people into his community is also going to put a strain on the local infrastructure.
“We’ve actually already booked a meeting with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to talk about just that topic — about the need for assistance with pipes in the ground…water, sewer, things like that… subdivisions,” noted Blackwell.
“This thing is going to come at us faster than you think,” he added.
It’s not yet clear how long the environmental assessment process may take and if there could be any pushback from any stakeholders in the region or elsewhere.
Data from company on potential employment from the Yellowhead Copper Mine proposal/via Taseko
With Taseko estimating a potential of up to 90,000 tons of copper ore being extracted from the site on a daily basis — based on its geological assessments — the Yellowhead Copper Mine could end up being one of the largest open-pit copper operations in Canada.
The company estimates deposits which could keep the mine operational for at least 25 years.
What’s not clear at this point is whether the BC and federal governments have plans to ‘fast-track’ the environmental assessment process.
While those reviews are underway, a separate environmental assessment has also been launched by the Simpcw First Nation, whose territory the proposed mine site is located on.
Taseko already initiated that review process before setting out to get its provincial and federal approvals.
The company already signed an initial accord with the Simpcw, with the two agreeing to negotiate the First Nation’s role in the oversight of the project, as well as future economic development plans.
