British Columbia, Canada, once again rejected the proposed environmental permit for the Morrison copper and gold mine in indigenous territory, citing potential risks to water quality and local wild red salmon.
The government of British Columbia also stated that the potential long-term impact and responsibility of the province were unacceptable.
The open-pit mine is located in the territory of the Babin Lake people, located in the upper reaches of the land of the aborigines of Jitanyo and Jiqisang. It is expected to produce 30000 tons of ore per day in its 21-year useful life, but it has stayed in the environmental assessment phase for 19 years since 2003.
The company behind the project, Pacific Booker Minerals (TSX-V: BKM), first applied for an environmental assessment certificate in 2010 after it took 10 years and $10 million to complete the licensing process. In 2012, it was subsequently informed that despite the initial positive recommendations made by the provincial environmental assessment office (EAO) and in consultation with local aborigines, the permit had been rejected.
Later in the process, the executive directors of EAO changed their positive suggestions into negative ones without giving Pacific Booker a chance to resolve any remaining issues.
The province's decision came after a 2013 decision by the Supreme Court of British Columbia called for a reconsideration of the project and a government order in 2015 to submit it for further evaluation.
British Columbia, Canada's largest copper producer, hosted local and global prospectors between 2016 and 2018. In 2019, the positive momentum flattened, with spending on mineral and coal exploration in the province falling by less than one percentage point a year, totaling C $329 million (US $259 million).
While gold continues to attract the biggest spending, the focus of investment over the past two years has shifted to copper.
The latest figures released by the province last week showed that exploration spending last year reached C $660 million (US $520 million), just C $2000 less than the record C $680 million (US $535 million) in 2012.
Total production at British Columbia mines is expected to reach C $12.6 billion (US $9.9 billion) in 2021, an all-time high, according to Bruce Ralston, minister of energy, mining and low-carbon innovation.
