Here is the latest news regarding the
planned extinction of Fish
Lake/Teztan Biny
by FONV
 Hello All Friends of Friends of the Nemaiah Valley; on June 9th 2010, the B.C. government granted Taseko Mines a long term, renewable, 25-year mining lease for their proposed Prosperity Mine.
It was in January of 2010, that this same government approved an Environmental Assessment Certificate for the open-pit gold and copper mine - a mine that is being vigorously opposed by a growing ground swell of informed opinion and action, locally and federally, amongst First Nations, non-natives and environmental and other organizations.
On Wednesday, June 16th, there will be a protest at 12:30 pm in downtown
Vancouver at the Taseko Mines Ltd. Annual General Meeting. The rally at
837 W. Hastings Street has been organized by Council of Canadians in
support of the fight to defend Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and the
Tsilhqot'in Nation.
The company is currently seeking regulatory
approval from the federal government to destroy Teztan Biny (Fish Lake),
while developing their proposed Prosperity Mine. The copper and gold
mine is proposed to operate in the heart of Tsilhqot'in territories,
south-west of Williams Lake, BC. Opponents of the project have vowed
to continue fighting the development of the mine even if the federal
government allows it to proceed.
Opponents Speak-out Against Prosperity Project
at Taseko Mines Annual General Meeting
What: Press scrum and protest by opponents of the
Prosperity Mine outside of the Taseko Mines Ltd. AGM
When: Wednesday June 16th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Where: Outside of 837 West Hastings Street
1. For Immediate Release
MEDIA ADVISORY - June 15th, 2010
Who:
Chief Marilyn Baptiste - Xeni Gwet’in First Nation
Joe Foy - Wilderness Committee
Susan Smitten - RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values &Environmental Needs)
Harjap Grewal - Council of Canadians
Why:
On Wednesday, June 16th, there will be a protest at 12:30 pm in downtown Vancouver at the Taseko Mines Ltd. Annual General Meeting. The rally at 837 W. Hastings Street has been organized by Council of Canadians in support of the fight to defend Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) and the Tsilhqot'in Nation. The company is currently seeking regulatory approval from the federal government to destroy Teztan Biny (Fish Lake), while developing their proposed Prosperity Mine. The copper and gold mine is proposed to operate in the heart of Tsilhqot'in territories, south-west of Williams Lake, BC. Opponents of the project have vowed to continue fighting the development of the mine even if the federal government allows it to proceed.
On June 14th the Tsilhqot’in National Government angrily denounced the provincial government’s decision to grant Taseko Mines Ltd. (TML) a long-term mining lease for its proposed open-pit mine at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake), an area where the Tsilhqot’in Nation holds proven Aboriginal hunting and trapping rights.
Contact: hgrewal@canadians.org or call: 604 340 2455
This demonstration is endorsed by the Council of Canadians, Friends of the Nemaiah Valley, MiningWatch Canada and Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs (RAVEN).
2. On Monday, June 14, 2010, the Tsilqhot'in National Government (who have been fighting this mine since it was first proposed) issued the following Press release:
B.C. Government Treats Aboriginal Rights as Meaningless; Tsilhqot’in Nation Denounces Long-Term Lease for Taseko
June 14, 2010, Williams Lake – The Tsilhqot’in National Government angrily denounced the provincial government’s decision to grant Taseko Mines Ltd.(TML) a long-term mining lease for its proposed open-pit mine at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake), an area where the Tsilhqot’in Nation holds proven Aboriginal hunting and trapping rights.
"B.C. is essentially saying our proven rights are meaningless," said Chief Marilyn Baptiste, of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, one of the six Tsilhqot’in communities that comprise the Tsilhqot’in Nation. "The Province is handing Taseko long-term property rights to lands where we are actively exercising our proven Aboriginal hunting and trapping rights – before it is even known whether Taseko’s project will be approved or rejected by the federal government."
Federal approval is far from certain. During recent public hearings held by a federal environmental review panel, the Tsilhqot'in Nation actively opposed the project, which would destroy two lakes of profound cultural and spiritual significance, with elders, members and even school children describing the unfathomable loss that this destruction would mean for their communities and traditional way of life. The federal panel is due to issue its report and recommendation on July 2nd.
"During those hearings, our Nation, people from Williams Lake, environmental organizations from across the country and a number of eminent scientists warned the Panel that this mine will cause untold damage to the Tsilhqot’in culture and to a complex ecosystem," says TNG Tribal Chief Joe Alphonse of Taseko’s plan is to drain the pristine, trout-bearing Fish Lake and dump waste rock there. "Even federal agencies said that Taseko’s plan to destroy Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake didn’t meet their guidelines. It’s a black eye for British Columbia. It’s hard to find anything good to say about it."
The Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) called the decision to issue the 25-year renewable lease "disrespectful." Chief Alphonse: "There is still a need for Tsilhqot’in endorsement to operate with the Tsilhqot’in traditional land. The Tsilhqot’in National Government does not feel that we have been adequately consulted." TNG has written to Jody Shimkus, the Chief Gold Commissioner, recommending the decision be rescinded.
The issue of allowing mining companies to use lakes as garbage dumps for mining waste is now a national issue. On June 4th, the Sandy Pond Alliance – a coalition that includes the Council of Canadians, MiningWatch and other eNGOs – launched a court case against the federal government contending that the regulation currently used to authorize the destruction of lakes for mining purposes is unlawful.
On Wednesday, June 16th, there will be a protest at 12:30 pm in downtown Vancouver at the Taseko Mines Annual General Meeting. The rally at 837 W. Hastings Street has been organized by Council of Canadians in support of the fight to defend Teztan Biny (Fish Lake).
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For more information, please contact:
Chief Marilyn Baptiste
Xeni Gwet’in First Nation
t. 250.394.7023
c. 250.267.1401
3. From Larry Pynn's article in the Vancouver Sun, June 9, 2010:
Mine could endanger grizzly population, biologist warns.
Taseko Mines Ltd. accused of minimizing the impact of its Prosperity development in the Chilcotin.
Development of the Prosperity gold-copper mine in the Chilcotin would not only destroy extensive fish habitat but would have a "significant impact" on the area's threatened grizzly population, according to a bear biologist's study submitted to a federal review panel.
Wayne McCrory, a consulting biologist based near New Denver in the West Kootenays, cited the loss of 405 hectares of wetland and 352 hectares of riparian habitat, as well as the certainty for increased mine and recreational traffic along the 50-kilometre mine-access road to kill or displace grizzlies.
McCrory said various human activities in the region already impact wildlife, including human settlement as well as road building and clear-cutting, mineral exploration, overgrazing, poaching and climate change.
"This population cannot sustain further habitat losses or increases in human-induced mortality....," he writes, noting wild horses, mule deer and moose would also suffer.
"These factors ... will push the Chilcotin grizzly bears over the threshold of extinction."
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