Mining Exploration Activities a Concern for WLFN

 Courtesy of Williams Lake First Nation:

Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) announced today that it will be more aggressively monitoring mining exploration activity in its Stewardship Area to ensure that the companies performing those activities are not negatively affecting the environment or causing other damage.

In 2018, the Province of British Columbia and the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (NStQ) communities executed the “Yecweminul’ecw Agreement”, a Government to Government Agreement which established new approaches to land and resource management and economic development in the NStQ territory. “Yecweminul’ecw” means “Take care of the land” in Secwepemctsín, the language of the Northern Shuswap people.

“For a period of time the amount of mining exploration in our territory had fallen off considerably,” states WLFN Chief Willie Sellars. “In the last year, we have seen a rise in commodity prices and an increase in the number of companies pursuing mining exploration. The scope of the exploration programs that these companies are completing has multiplied. We fully recognize that mining is an important part of the regional economy, but we’ve also seen more than enough evidence that mining – and exploration activities that can lead up to the establishment of a mine – can cause environmental damage which can dramatically impact our ability to exercise our aboriginal rights and discharge our responsibilities for environmental stewardship. NStQ had signed a Government to Government Agreement with the province which envisions robust consultation and accommodation for the Northern Secwepemc communities. It’s time we made efforts to properly implement that agreement. This is particularly important now that the Province of British Columbia has committed to living up to the principles set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

“We certainly have no intention of disrupting legitimate business, but we need to keep these companies honest. As is always the case, there are good corporate citizens and not-so-good corporate citizens. And we intend to hold the companies who are not doing a good job accountable. By way of specific example, we point to companies like Engold, which has for years been doing exploration in the Lac La Hache Area. According to their website, this company is committed to the environment and engagement. WLFN sees no evidence that either of these things are true. The public should be extremely wary of investing or otherwise supporting companies such as Engold, at least until they demonstrate corporate responsibility and earn their social license. These companies exploit our traditional territory without dealing with First Nations on an honorable basis. Engold, and other companies like them, must step up or abandon their claims and move on.”

The failure of the Mount Polley Mine tailings storage facility in 2014 marked the largest mining disaster in Canadian history. Mount Polley mine is squarely in WLFN’s Stewardship Area and the Williams Lake First Nation continues with the legacy of that incident. WLFN can not allow another major catastrophe to happen.