[R-G] Behind the Bear Mountain Blockade

[Anthony Fenton]

Behind the Bear Mountain Blockade
The Takla have blockaded Driftwood Valley since June 18. The Takla  
helped
defeat the $8 billion Kemess mine. Now they're fighting Imperial Metals'
big plans.

By James Steidle
Published: August 21, 2008
TheTyee.ca

Plans for a large open pit copper mine at the headwaters of the  
Driftwood
and Bear Rivers have run into early opposition from the same First  
Nations
band that recently helped overturn plans for the Kemess North mine in
northeastern B.C., a project its backers expected to unearth $8  
billion in
metals.

The Takla Lake First Nation, in whose traditional territory the mine  
would
be located, has spent the last two months blockading all access to the
area, which is about 200 kilometres northwest of Fort St. James.

The 24-hour-a-day blockade restricts all mining and logging  
operations, in
addition to hunters and fishermen. But there is one project in  
particular
that is on the band's mind: Imperial Metals' exploration work at Bear
Mountain.

First discovered in 1972, the Bear Mountain deposit contains a rich
mineralization of copper and molybdenum that is likely big enough to  
run a
several-hundred-employee operation the size of Imperial's Huckleberry
Mine, near Houston.

Victor West, a band councillor, said he is worried about the risk such a
mine would pose to the two watersheds -- the Driftwood and Bear -- that
originate on the mountain's slopes. The Driftwood flows through Takla  
Lake
into the Fraser River, while the Bear flows through Bear Lake to the
Skeena; both are headwaters for endangered salmon runs.

"Bear Lake is more important than Kemess to us," said Victor West, a  
band
councillor, referring to his community's successful campaign against
Northgate Minerals' proposed Kemess North mine. "We'll protect it with  
all
our might."

'We are not going to pollute anything'

ADVERTISEMENT

Brian Kynoch, head of Imperial Metals , told The Tyee he doesn't
understand the opposition to a mine that is only in preliminary stages  
of
development. Any mine would have to go through an environmental  
assessment
process and comply with all federal and provincial environmental and
fisheries regulations.

"The rules we have to mine are amongst the toughest in the world," he
said. "That's the burden on us, to show that we are not going to pollute
anything."

But West believes there are already enough mine sites in the area that
need to be cleaned up. The region has witnessed more than a century of
mining, beginning with the Omineca gold rush of the 1870s, and has been
left with a collection of contaminated and failed mining sites. West
points to the Tse Ta Bun berm failure of 2005, when a retaining wall  
burst
and spilled the contents of a tailings pond, destroying an entire  
riverine
estuary along the Omineca River.

"They should clean up old sites before creating new ones," West said.

'Bear Mountain is sacred'

The Takla attach spiritual significance to Bear Mountain. It looks out
over a historical village that Takla Lake band members have occupied for
thousands of years. The mountain has been a significant source of
traditional medicines and plays an important role in local legends.

"I remind you that in our previous letter, we warned that Bear  
Mountain is
sacred," wrote former chief John Allan French to Energy and Mines  
Minister
Bill Bennett in 2006, when their opposition to the mine was first made
clear.

Finally, there is concern about the development a mine in this location
would spur. Roads and a 50-kilometre power line to the mine would turn a
once relatively pristine and untouched area into a place where further
exploration, recreational and industrial activity could be easily
facilitated. The snowballing effect of such activity would irreversibly
spoil a wilderness and damage important habitat.

Kynoch said he understands the Takla's concerns, but asked, "What part  
of
B.C. isn't beautiful?"

Ownership in dispute

For now, Imperial would just like to get on with exploration. Kynoch  
said
he is growing frustrated with the Takla band's demands for a greater  
role
in land-use planning in the area.

"We've done the work with the understanding the province granted us the
mineral rights," he said. He likened the blockade to someone illegally
preventing you from getting into your house.

"Are the resources all of British Columbians'?" Kynoch asked, "Or a  
select
150 people that live closest?"

The Takla Lake band, having never signed a treaty giving up their rights
and title, claims the mountain is theirs. At a minimum, they say, the
government should properly consult with them over plans that affect  
areas
of such high importance to their way of life, something that has not yet
been done.

"Consultation does not consist of sending a letter," said lawyer Murray
Browne, who works for the band. "Consultation is a process that requires
consideration of First Nations rights and titles and interests before
going ahead with mining."

The solution, said Browne, is to sit down with the band, identify places
you can and cannot mine, and go on from there, avoiding confrontations
over sensitive areas like Bear Mountain in the first place.

Government on sidelines

So far, the government has not stepped in to resolve the dispute.  
Calls to
the ministries of Energy and Mines and Aboriginal Affairs were not
returned.

As far as Imperial Metals is concerned, the government has given them  
the
green light, and it's just a matter of time before they get started.

"Politicians come and go. It's the same with bands," Kynoch said. "We're
patient. At the end of the day, either the province owns the mineral
rights or they don't. I'll wait and find out who does."