Fish Lake Mine Rejected by Ottawa

The proposed Fish Lake mine which had been promoted for several years by Taseko Mines has been rejected by the Federal government.  The proposal was challenged by a recent Federal Review Panel report.  Environment Minister Jim Prentice left no doubt that the Review Panel’s investigation was the deciding factor in making the decision.

See the Globe and Mail article from November 2nd, 2010.

See Jim Prentice video on mine Rejection.

Fallout from the decision will be interesting.  The Council of Canadians was opposed to the present proposal for the mine.  We understand that there will be some in the Williams Lake community who are disappointed.  We need to move on from this decision and trust that a reasonable cooling off period will lead to understanding from both sides of this issue.

from this ..............................................................................................to this

There is a large gold/copper deposit on the Fish Lake site.  Taseko Mines proposed a mining project that would remove the lake and eventually replace it.  See the proposed diagram of the mine above or on the Fish Lake Photos page.

Letter from Taseko’s lawyers (Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson) asking the Panel to ‘recuse’ panel member Morin from the decision involving the Prosperity Project. PDF

Letter from Taseko Re: The assessment of First Nations Information on Current Use of Lands and Resources. PDF

Mining Watch Canada finds “significant flaws in plans to compensate for fish habitat that would be lost” if Prosperity goes into operation as presently proposed.  Read more by clicking here.

Canadian Environmental Review Assessment  Agency - Review Panel - Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project web site.  Read the report for yourself, just click here.