News Release - February 27, 2014

Decision prevents significant damage to Fish Lake

VANCOUVER – The Wilderness Committee is overjoyed at the final decision issued this week by Canada’s Environment Minister, stating that Taseko Mines Ltd.’s proposed New Prosperity Mine is not authorized to proceed.

In an announcement Wednesday evening, Minister Leona Aglukkaq confirmed that the federal government had considered the report of the independent Review Panel, and concluded that “the New Prosperity Mine project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be mitigated.”

“This decision comes as an incredible relief to all those who have wanted to see Fish Lake and the surrounding Tsilhqot’in Nation territory protected from this proposed mine project,” said Joe Foy, the Wilderness Committee’s National Campaign Director.

“The Minister has absolutely made the right decision in saying ‘No’ to this risky proposal, and now that it is done with, it’s time to protect this area for good,” he said.

The proposed mine, situated in Tsilhqot’in Nation Territory just west of Williams Lake, is strongly opposed by the Tsilhqot’in and their allies, and has long been a focus of conservation campaigns by groups including the Wilderness Committee.

The original Prosperity Mine proposal was turned down by the federal government in 2010, after a scathing report from the Review Panel that identified significant threats such as the loss of Fish Lake, an abundant fishing lake in the proposed mine area. The company re-submitted an application, renaming the project as the New Prosperity Mine and promising to save Fish Lake, but the revised proposal was still recognized as a major threat to the region.

While this new decision acknowledges a number of the project’s serious impacts – including adverse effects on fish and fish habitat, on the use of lands for traditional and cultural purposes, and on grizzly and moose populations – the Minister’s statement still “invites the submission of another proposal” from the proponent that addresses the government’s concerns.

“There’s no right way to do what’s wrong. Taseko’s mining plans have now been turned down twice by the federal government, and what we need now is to see these plans kicked to the curb – once and for all,” said Foy.

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For more information, contact:

Joe Foy | National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee
joe@wildernesscommittee.org, (604) 880-2580