My Take on the Prosperity Mine Federal Review Final Report

On Friday, July 2^nd – the Federal Review Panel, headed up by Robert Connelly, issued its' Final Report concerning the Prosperity Mine. They held hearings, both general and community, along with topic-specific hearings in Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and in First Nations communities, west of Williams Lake over a two-month period from March until May of this year

According to the Globe and Mail – BC Edition, the Federal Cabinet has about 10 weeks to render a final decision on the Prosperity Mine Federal Review Panel – Final Report. So with that timeline in mind, expect a decision by the Federal Cabinet by the end of September

In this 296 page report, which is highly technical in nature, there were 24 recommendations for the Federal Cabinet to consider. It should be noted as well that the Panel has noted that the impacts to First Nations, generally speaking and specifically on grizzly bears and fishing, can not be overstated and had no recommendations on how to mitigate those impacts. This is something the Federal Cabinet will have to consider when deciding to grant or deny a Federal Environmental Certificate. The Panel did indicate, for the most part, that the impacts to the environment and other social impacts can be overcome if the 24 recommendations are adhered to

For those who are in favour of this mine going forward (like myself), I strongly encourage everyone to contact our local Member of Parliament, Dick Harris (Cariboo-Prince-George)in the following ways:

Email - Harris.R@parl.gc.ca

Phone - (613) 995-6704 or (800) 668-4282