Welcome to Williams Lake reports that Judge Christopher Grauer will making his ruling on both the Taseko and TNG Court Injunctions Friday at 3:00pm
See more here
As soon as I learn of the Court's decision - I'll post that information here
Showing posts with label Prosperity Mine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prosperity Mine. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
TNG seeks injunction to halt drilling/road building
In not an entirely unexpected move... the TNG (Chilcotin National Government) has filed a motion in BC Supreme Court asking that drilling/road building being done by Taseko Mines in relation to the "New" Prosperity Mine development be halted
See more on this item here
See more on this item here
Saturday, November 12, 2011
David Williams on "Revised" Prosperity Mine Proposal
From "Common Sense Canadian" website:
Editor's Note: In the wake of two major developments regarding the highly controversial proposed Prosperity Mine - the Harper Government's decision to provide Taseko Mines a new environmental review for an alternate version of the project and the BC government's issuing of road building and exploration permits to the company, over First Nations opposition - David Williams of Friends of Nemaiah Valley provides a candid summary of the enormous environmental and cultural implications of the proposed mine. This is the first story from our new op-ed blog, Your Voice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier this week, we at Friends of the Nemaiah Valley (FONV) heard that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) has agreed to conduct an environmental assessment of Taseko Mines Ltd. (TML) proposed “New Prosperity” mine application in Tsilhqot'in territory.
This unfortunate decision is misguided for many reasons. This is the third try by TML to develop this mine, one of the largest gold/copper deposits in British Columbia. It was turned down twice in the recent past because the environmental consequences would be too great. Even by Taseko's own admission during hearings last year, this “tweaked” proposal, then known as Option II, would have even worse environmental consequences than the one rejected by the federal government.
While there are environmental reasons to reject this mine – it is in prime grizzly habitat, will destroy a large rainbow trout population, and threatens large salmon runs that are part of the Fraser River fishery – it is the impact it will have on the local Xeni Gwet'in community in the Nemaiah Valley that I want to focus on.
Picture a “camp” of up to 600 miners placed into a remote First Nations Community that is still largely dependent upon the land for sustenance and identity. This camp will be in place for up to 35 years. 250 Xeni Gwet'in, the People of the Rivers, live in the Nemaiah Valley alongside a small settler community of about fifty people. The latter operate small ranches, run wilderness lodges, fish, hunt and trap, and just like the way of life that prevails here.
Xeni Gwet'in, like indigenous people everywhere, identify with their land. They see themselves as part of it and view any action that destroys any part of it as an assault upon their very being. These days Tsihqot'in culture is recovering from the onslaughts of the colonial era; displacement from places they have relied upon for survival for virtually forever, the reserve system, and residential schools that were designed to destroy their language and culture. That recovery is well advanced in the Nemaiah Valley. Fully 50% of the food consumed comes directly from the land and includes salmon and trout from Nabas.
Consequently they have the lowest diabetes rate in British Columbia. The Tsihlqot'in language, almost lost a few years ago, is now taught in the local school. Peter Brand, Director of the brilliant First Voices programme, says that of all the places he visits across the province the Nemaiah Valley Xeni Gwet'in live closest to their traditional way of life.
An ethic of caring for their land lies deep within the culture.
Chief Marilyn is one of three Xeni Gwet'in co-authors interviewed by Jonaki Bhattacharyya, doctoral candidate at the University of Waterloo. (It’s Who We Are: Locating Cultural Strength in Relationship with the Land, a chapter in a forthcoming book published by UBC Press).
"You need to teach about the importance of caring for water and resources as early as you can! And that’s how the language is learned.
The Tsilhqot’in language is where the deepest strength of who we are and how we’re tied to the land really is."
Speaking of the panel hearings into Prosperity Mine specifically specifically Marilyn says:
“Our community here, Xeni Gwet’in...we went into the CEAA Panel hearings thinking that we weren’t going to have enough speakers. That was always the fear in all the communities. Because that is a very threatening, intimidating process! Even to us, as leaders! But...our people did just tremendously. It would blow your socks off! Our Elders, our people...just being there, filling the room all those days, and being here those long hours. You couldn’t chase them away if you wanted to. They’d probably chase you away! [laughs] And our youth, the school, all of the kids... The senior class decided to do some submissions. They did a beautiful job. And the intermediate class, they did a play. That was so amazing! They did such a tremendous job. The strength and the voices of everybody in the Tsilhqot’in communities...”
From the same chapter by Bhattacharyya, Xeni Gwet'in Wild Horse Ranger David Setah:
“I think in order to give, to find that strength...your kids should also know their past, your past histories… all that about being caretakers, Chilcotin War, all the legends. All that will lead them to who they are. And all that will strengthen them, because they know that they are actually Tsilhqot’ins, and they know their history. And they can go out there being proud because they know they’re connected to that area.
That’s one of my biggest goals is that we’re being caretakers. We’ve done it in the past, and with European contact and things like that, we can still do it. We must still keep in mind that we need to protect our rights. If we keep on in that fashion we’re just building ourselves a stronger nation, and it would be pretty hard for something to come in to affect us. The land is... to remain as a nation and to be recognized as a nation you need the land. We need to take care of the land. That’s what we did a long time ago. And that’s why we’re situated in the areas that we are: to take care of the land.”
Culture matters. These voices bring an important message. Indigenous cultures and languages are vital repositories of knowledge and custom that show a thousand ways to be human. Indigenous cultures, and a way of life still strong in the Nemaiah Valley, can teach us all how better to live in this land. Until we learn to show respect for the land, and for them, we will continue an ethic of endless growth that is having cumulative environmental impacts that threaten the very ecosystems that make life on this planet possible.
The people of Xeni are not unsophisticated. They and their settler neighbours and friends were opposed to Prosperity Mine last year. The new model is no better or even worse. They know what 600 miners running loose in their community will do to their way of life, to their land, and to their children. Drugs, alcohol and abuse will be an inevitable component. Mechanized recreation on a vast scale will destroy budding attempts by the community to build a local economy centred around wilderness and cultural tourism. There is plenty of precedent for similar disasters throughout Canada and in third world countries.
It is time to put an end to this colonialist venture if Canada is to maintain even the pretence of being a just nation.
David Williams is the President of Friends of the Nemaiah Valley
Editor's Note: In the wake of two major developments regarding the highly controversial proposed Prosperity Mine - the Harper Government's decision to provide Taseko Mines a new environmental review for an alternate version of the project and the BC government's issuing of road building and exploration permits to the company, over First Nations opposition - David Williams of Friends of Nemaiah Valley provides a candid summary of the enormous environmental and cultural implications of the proposed mine. This is the first story from our new op-ed blog, Your Voice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier this week, we at Friends of the Nemaiah Valley (FONV) heard that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) has agreed to conduct an environmental assessment of Taseko Mines Ltd. (TML) proposed “New Prosperity” mine application in Tsilhqot'in territory.
This unfortunate decision is misguided for many reasons. This is the third try by TML to develop this mine, one of the largest gold/copper deposits in British Columbia. It was turned down twice in the recent past because the environmental consequences would be too great. Even by Taseko's own admission during hearings last year, this “tweaked” proposal, then known as Option II, would have even worse environmental consequences than the one rejected by the federal government.
While there are environmental reasons to reject this mine – it is in prime grizzly habitat, will destroy a large rainbow trout population, and threatens large salmon runs that are part of the Fraser River fishery – it is the impact it will have on the local Xeni Gwet'in community in the Nemaiah Valley that I want to focus on.
Picture a “camp” of up to 600 miners placed into a remote First Nations Community that is still largely dependent upon the land for sustenance and identity. This camp will be in place for up to 35 years. 250 Xeni Gwet'in, the People of the Rivers, live in the Nemaiah Valley alongside a small settler community of about fifty people. The latter operate small ranches, run wilderness lodges, fish, hunt and trap, and just like the way of life that prevails here.
Xeni Gwet'in, like indigenous people everywhere, identify with their land. They see themselves as part of it and view any action that destroys any part of it as an assault upon their very being. These days Tsihqot'in culture is recovering from the onslaughts of the colonial era; displacement from places they have relied upon for survival for virtually forever, the reserve system, and residential schools that were designed to destroy their language and culture. That recovery is well advanced in the Nemaiah Valley. Fully 50% of the food consumed comes directly from the land and includes salmon and trout from Nabas.
Consequently they have the lowest diabetes rate in British Columbia. The Tsihlqot'in language, almost lost a few years ago, is now taught in the local school. Peter Brand, Director of the brilliant First Voices programme, says that of all the places he visits across the province the Nemaiah Valley Xeni Gwet'in live closest to their traditional way of life.
An ethic of caring for their land lies deep within the culture.
Chief Marilyn is one of three Xeni Gwet'in co-authors interviewed by Jonaki Bhattacharyya, doctoral candidate at the University of Waterloo. (It’s Who We Are: Locating Cultural Strength in Relationship with the Land, a chapter in a forthcoming book published by UBC Press).
"You need to teach about the importance of caring for water and resources as early as you can! And that’s how the language is learned.
The Tsilhqot’in language is where the deepest strength of who we are and how we’re tied to the land really is."
Speaking of the panel hearings into Prosperity Mine specifically specifically Marilyn says:
“Our community here, Xeni Gwet’in...we went into the CEAA Panel hearings thinking that we weren’t going to have enough speakers. That was always the fear in all the communities. Because that is a very threatening, intimidating process! Even to us, as leaders! But...our people did just tremendously. It would blow your socks off! Our Elders, our people...just being there, filling the room all those days, and being here those long hours. You couldn’t chase them away if you wanted to. They’d probably chase you away! [laughs] And our youth, the school, all of the kids... The senior class decided to do some submissions. They did a beautiful job. And the intermediate class, they did a play. That was so amazing! They did such a tremendous job. The strength and the voices of everybody in the Tsilhqot’in communities...”
From the same chapter by Bhattacharyya, Xeni Gwet'in Wild Horse Ranger David Setah:
“I think in order to give, to find that strength...your kids should also know their past, your past histories… all that about being caretakers, Chilcotin War, all the legends. All that will lead them to who they are. And all that will strengthen them, because they know that they are actually Tsilhqot’ins, and they know their history. And they can go out there being proud because they know they’re connected to that area.
That’s one of my biggest goals is that we’re being caretakers. We’ve done it in the past, and with European contact and things like that, we can still do it. We must still keep in mind that we need to protect our rights. If we keep on in that fashion we’re just building ourselves a stronger nation, and it would be pretty hard for something to come in to affect us. The land is... to remain as a nation and to be recognized as a nation you need the land. We need to take care of the land. That’s what we did a long time ago. And that’s why we’re situated in the areas that we are: to take care of the land.”
Culture matters. These voices bring an important message. Indigenous cultures and languages are vital repositories of knowledge and custom that show a thousand ways to be human. Indigenous cultures, and a way of life still strong in the Nemaiah Valley, can teach us all how better to live in this land. Until we learn to show respect for the land, and for them, we will continue an ethic of endless growth that is having cumulative environmental impacts that threaten the very ecosystems that make life on this planet possible.
The people of Xeni are not unsophisticated. They and their settler neighbours and friends were opposed to Prosperity Mine last year. The new model is no better or even worse. They know what 600 miners running loose in their community will do to their way of life, to their land, and to their children. Drugs, alcohol and abuse will be an inevitable component. Mechanized recreation on a vast scale will destroy budding attempts by the community to build a local economy centred around wilderness and cultural tourism. There is plenty of precedent for similar disasters throughout Canada and in third world countries.
It is time to put an end to this colonialist venture if Canada is to maintain even the pretence of being a just nation.
David Williams is the President of Friends of the Nemaiah Valley
Thursday, November 10, 2011
TNG's "Ten Reasons why New Prosperity Mine proposal should be killed"
Courtesy of "Fish Lake Newswire" website:
1. The CEAA review panel process was very different from the BC EAO rubber-stamp decision. Its report found immitigable, devastating impacts to the local fish stocks and endangered grizzly populations, and to the existing and future rights of the Tsilhqot’in and its youth. Then Environment Minister Jim Prentice described the report’s findings as “scathing” and “probably the most condemning I have ever read.”
2. The company knows its new option is worse than its first plan. TML’s V.P. Corporate Affairs, Brian Battison, was clear in his Mar. 22, 2010, opening presentation to the CEAA hearings, when he stated: “Developing Prosperity means draining Fish Lake. We wish it were otherwise. We searched hard for a different way. A way to retain the lake and have the mine. But there is no viable alternative. The lake and the deposit sit side by side. It is not possible to have one without the loss of the other.”
3. The point was emphasised by TML’s VP of engineering, Scott Jones, who stated: “What happens to the water quality in Fish Lake, if you try and preserve that body of water with the tailings facility right up against it, is that over time the water quality in Fish Lake will become equivalent to the water quality in the pore water of the tailings facility, particularly when it’s close.”
4. This proposal does not address the issues that led to the rejection of the first bid last year. Fish Lake will be affected by the toxic waste and eventually die, and it will be surrounded by a massive open pit mine and related infrastructure for decades. The Tsilhqot’in people will not have access to their spiritual place, and the area will never be returned to the current pristine state.
It is not even new. It is “Mine Development Plan 2.” TML states on page 20 of its project submission: “Option 2 is the basis for the New Prosperity design …The concepts that lead to the configuration of MDP Option 2 have been utilized to develop the project description currently being proposed.”
5. This option was looked at and rejected last year by the company, Environment Canada and the CEAA review panel. For example, page 65 of the review report states: “The Panel agrees with the observations made by Taseko and Environment Canada that Mine Development Plans 1 and 2 would result in greater long-term environmental risk than the preferred alternative.”
6. The new $300 million in proposed spending is to cover the costs of relocating mine waste a little further away. There is nothing in the ‘new’ plan to mitigate all the environmental impacts identified in the previous assessment. TML states in its economic statement: “The new development design, predicated on higher long term prices for both copper and gold, would result in a direct increase in capital costs of $200 million to purchase additional mining equipment to relocate the tailings dam and to move the mine waste around Fish Lake to new locations. This redesign also adds $100 million in direct extra operating costs over the 20-year mine life to accomplish that task.” In fact, this new spending is actually $37 million less than the company said last year it would have to spend just to go with the option that it and the review panel agreed would be worse for the environment.
7. The federal government is required under the Constitution to protect First Nations, which have been found to be under serious threat in this case, and is internationally committed to do so under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These duties are every bit as clear regarding this resubmitted proposal.
8. Approving this mine would show the Environmental Assessment process is meaningless, and would demonstrate that governments are ignoring their obligations - as the Assembly of First Nations national chiefs-in-assembly made this crystal clear this summer in their resolution of support for the Tsilhqot’in.
9. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has opposed this project since it was first raised in 1995. It soundly rejected it again last year. It has no reason to support it now. Nor does Environment Canada, which, as the CEAA report noted last year, also found option 2 to be worse than the original bid.
10. There are many other more worthy projects to be pursued – the vast majority of which, if not all will require working with aboriginal communities. Natural Resources Canada estimates there is $350 billion-$500 billion worth of such potential projects in Canada. Governments, industry and investors do not need to go backwards by pushing this confrontational proposal and rebuffing efforts by First Nations to find a way to create a better mining system that would benefit everyone in the long run.
1. The CEAA review panel process was very different from the BC EAO rubber-stamp decision. Its report found immitigable, devastating impacts to the local fish stocks and endangered grizzly populations, and to the existing and future rights of the Tsilhqot’in and its youth. Then Environment Minister Jim Prentice described the report’s findings as “scathing” and “probably the most condemning I have ever read.”
2. The company knows its new option is worse than its first plan. TML’s V.P. Corporate Affairs, Brian Battison, was clear in his Mar. 22, 2010, opening presentation to the CEAA hearings, when he stated: “Developing Prosperity means draining Fish Lake. We wish it were otherwise. We searched hard for a different way. A way to retain the lake and have the mine. But there is no viable alternative. The lake and the deposit sit side by side. It is not possible to have one without the loss of the other.”
3. The point was emphasised by TML’s VP of engineering, Scott Jones, who stated: “What happens to the water quality in Fish Lake, if you try and preserve that body of water with the tailings facility right up against it, is that over time the water quality in Fish Lake will become equivalent to the water quality in the pore water of the tailings facility, particularly when it’s close.”
4. This proposal does not address the issues that led to the rejection of the first bid last year. Fish Lake will be affected by the toxic waste and eventually die, and it will be surrounded by a massive open pit mine and related infrastructure for decades. The Tsilhqot’in people will not have access to their spiritual place, and the area will never be returned to the current pristine state.
It is not even new. It is “Mine Development Plan 2.” TML states on page 20 of its project submission: “Option 2 is the basis for the New Prosperity design …The concepts that lead to the configuration of MDP Option 2 have been utilized to develop the project description currently being proposed.”
5. This option was looked at and rejected last year by the company, Environment Canada and the CEAA review panel. For example, page 65 of the review report states: “The Panel agrees with the observations made by Taseko and Environment Canada that Mine Development Plans 1 and 2 would result in greater long-term environmental risk than the preferred alternative.”
6. The new $300 million in proposed spending is to cover the costs of relocating mine waste a little further away. There is nothing in the ‘new’ plan to mitigate all the environmental impacts identified in the previous assessment. TML states in its economic statement: “The new development design, predicated on higher long term prices for both copper and gold, would result in a direct increase in capital costs of $200 million to purchase additional mining equipment to relocate the tailings dam and to move the mine waste around Fish Lake to new locations. This redesign also adds $100 million in direct extra operating costs over the 20-year mine life to accomplish that task.” In fact, this new spending is actually $37 million less than the company said last year it would have to spend just to go with the option that it and the review panel agreed would be worse for the environment.
7. The federal government is required under the Constitution to protect First Nations, which have been found to be under serious threat in this case, and is internationally committed to do so under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These duties are every bit as clear regarding this resubmitted proposal.
8. Approving this mine would show the Environmental Assessment process is meaningless, and would demonstrate that governments are ignoring their obligations - as the Assembly of First Nations national chiefs-in-assembly made this crystal clear this summer in their resolution of support for the Tsilhqot’in.
9. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has opposed this project since it was first raised in 1995. It soundly rejected it again last year. It has no reason to support it now. Nor does Environment Canada, which, as the CEAA report noted last year, also found option 2 to be worse than the original bid.
10. There are many other more worthy projects to be pursued – the vast majority of which, if not all will require working with aboriginal communities. Natural Resources Canada estimates there is $350 billion-$500 billion worth of such potential projects in Canada. Governments, industry and investors do not need to go backwards by pushing this confrontational proposal and rebuffing efforts by First Nations to find a way to create a better mining system that would benefit everyone in the long run.
BREAKING NEWS - TNG/Xeni Gwet'in sue Victoria over approved work permits near Fish Lake
From "Fish Lake newswire" website - see here
The Tsilhqot’in Nation has launched a court challenge asking the B.C. Supreme Court to invalidate or suspend approvals granted by British Columbia to Taseko Mines Limited for extensive drilling, excavation, timber clearing, road construction and other exploratory work for its controversial “New” Prosperity Mine.
The Tsilhqot’in Nation and the Xeni Gwet’in (one of the Tsilhqot’in communities closest to the proposed mine) filed a petition for judicial review of the approvals yesterday. The petition alleges that Crown officials breached their duties to consult and accommodate the Tsilhqot’in and failed to extend even “the most basic courtesies of consultation”, such as notice that approvals for drilling and road construction were granted. Six weeks after the approval for this work, the Tsilhqot’in are still waiting for a rationale for the decision.
Xeni Gwet’in Chief Marilyn Baptiste said that the Tsilhqot’in consider the affected area “a cultural school, a place for social gatherings, a ‘grocery store’ for country foods, and a place for ceremony”. Last November, the Federal Government rejected the original Prosperity Mine proposal, based on a scathing report by an independent federal panel highlighting a host of environmental and cultural impacts, including “high magnitude” and “irreversible” impacts on Tsilhqot’in traditional use in this area of “unique and special significance to the Tsilhqot’in”.
“This company went through years of exploration for its failed first bid,” said Chief Baptiste, “Now they want to go back in there and drill more holes, dig nearly 60 test pits and clear over 23 kilometres of road, all for this new mine proposal that the company knows – and has publicly stated – is worse for the environment that its preferred option. We are appealing to the court to uphold the principles of fairness and justice.”
“We’re talking about serious impacts for our rights and our culture,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair of the Tsilhqot’in National Government. “The Province refused to acknowledge these impacts, no matter what we say; it is more concerned with handing over approvals. We’ve gone to court before, we’ve stood in front of the federal panel, we have proven over and over again how important these lands are to our people and our culture – but the Province never seems to get the message”.
Their lawyer, Jay Nelson, said: “it’s alarming that the Province didn’t take basic steps like notifying the Tsilhqot’in when it approved the drilling and road construction in this area. It handed the company this approval six weeks ago and the Tsilhqot’in are still waiting for a rationale for the decision. We all know this is a high conflict situation, and this kind of disrespect only throws fuel on the fire
The Tsilhqot’in Nation has launched a court challenge asking the B.C. Supreme Court to invalidate or suspend approvals granted by British Columbia to Taseko Mines Limited for extensive drilling, excavation, timber clearing, road construction and other exploratory work for its controversial “New” Prosperity Mine.
The Tsilhqot’in Nation and the Xeni Gwet’in (one of the Tsilhqot’in communities closest to the proposed mine) filed a petition for judicial review of the approvals yesterday. The petition alleges that Crown officials breached their duties to consult and accommodate the Tsilhqot’in and failed to extend even “the most basic courtesies of consultation”, such as notice that approvals for drilling and road construction were granted. Six weeks after the approval for this work, the Tsilhqot’in are still waiting for a rationale for the decision.
Xeni Gwet’in Chief Marilyn Baptiste said that the Tsilhqot’in consider the affected area “a cultural school, a place for social gatherings, a ‘grocery store’ for country foods, and a place for ceremony”. Last November, the Federal Government rejected the original Prosperity Mine proposal, based on a scathing report by an independent federal panel highlighting a host of environmental and cultural impacts, including “high magnitude” and “irreversible” impacts on Tsilhqot’in traditional use in this area of “unique and special significance to the Tsilhqot’in”.
“This company went through years of exploration for its failed first bid,” said Chief Baptiste, “Now they want to go back in there and drill more holes, dig nearly 60 test pits and clear over 23 kilometres of road, all for this new mine proposal that the company knows – and has publicly stated – is worse for the environment that its preferred option. We are appealing to the court to uphold the principles of fairness and justice.”
“We’re talking about serious impacts for our rights and our culture,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair of the Tsilhqot’in National Government. “The Province refused to acknowledge these impacts, no matter what we say; it is more concerned with handing over approvals. We’ve gone to court before, we’ve stood in front of the federal panel, we have proven over and over again how important these lands are to our people and our culture – but the Province never seems to get the message”.
Their lawyer, Jay Nelson, said: “it’s alarming that the Province didn’t take basic steps like notifying the Tsilhqot’in when it approved the drilling and road construction in this area. It handed the company this approval six weeks ago and the Tsilhqot’in are still waiting for a rationale for the decision. We all know this is a high conflict situation, and this kind of disrespect only throws fuel on the fire
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
CBC.ca | Daybreak South | The Prosperity Mine debate: can economic growth and environmental stewardship coexist?
CBC.ca | Daybreak South | The Prosperity Mine debate: can economic growth and environmental stewardship coexist?
Click on link above for audio interviews with Xeni Gwet'in Chief Marilyn Baptiste, WL Mayoralty Candidate Walt Cobb and UNBC Environmental Ethics Professor Annie Booth
Click on link above for audio interviews with Xeni Gwet'in Chief Marilyn Baptiste, WL Mayoralty Candidate Walt Cobb and UNBC Environmental Ethics Professor Annie Booth
Ervin Charleyboy: Let us all discuss the "New Prosperity" mine proposal
From the Williams Lake Tribune website:
Ervin Charleyboy, a former Tsilqot'in National Government tribal chair and a former Alexis Creek Indian Band chief, says he is in favour of working with Taseko on its New Prosperty Mine project if the project is environmentally safe.
Charleyboy made the statement Tuesday after the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said it would embark on a panel review for the revised mine project that was rejected in Nov. 2010.
"If it's (the project) going to be environmentally safe I think we should be talking to them," he said, adding his concern was for the next generation of youth.
"We've got nothing right now and we're trying to count on the forest industry but there's hardly any forest left for us. What are we going to do when we run out of forest and we've got nothing."
Charleyboy was opposed to the Prosperity project that was rejected last year due its plan to drain Fish Lake. He admits he has few specifics about the new proposal but nevertheless feels it would be worthwhile to "get together and sit down and see where this thing is going."
"If we use propaganda instead of sitting and talking with each other it's not going to go anywhere," he said.
In response to the CEAA's decision to move forward with a review panel for the revised project, the Tsilqot'in National Government released a statement saying: "This is a wrong decision that makes no sense to us and raises serious concerns, but at least the Minister of Environment recognizes these must be addressed through a public review panel that ensures full transparency and accountability."
Ervin Charleyboy, a former Tsilqot'in National Government tribal chair and a former Alexis Creek Indian Band chief, says he is in favour of working with Taseko on its New Prosperty Mine project if the project is environmentally safe.
Charleyboy made the statement Tuesday after the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said it would embark on a panel review for the revised mine project that was rejected in Nov. 2010.
"If it's (the project) going to be environmentally safe I think we should be talking to them," he said, adding his concern was for the next generation of youth.
"We've got nothing right now and we're trying to count on the forest industry but there's hardly any forest left for us. What are we going to do when we run out of forest and we've got nothing."
Charleyboy was opposed to the Prosperity project that was rejected last year due its plan to drain Fish Lake. He admits he has few specifics about the new proposal but nevertheless feels it would be worthwhile to "get together and sit down and see where this thing is going."
"If we use propaganda instead of sitting and talking with each other it's not going to go anywhere," he said.
In response to the CEAA's decision to move forward with a review panel for the revised project, the Tsilqot'in National Government released a statement saying: "This is a wrong decision that makes no sense to us and raises serious concerns, but at least the Minister of Environment recognizes these must be addressed through a public review panel that ensures full transparency and accountability."
WL News.... Nov 8th edition
* News on 2nd Review of "New Prosperity" mine proposal was swift and predictable - see here (Globe and Mail), here (The Province), here (Statement from Union of BC Indian Chiefs) and here (The Rush)
* Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson petitions for high-speed Internet in rural parts of his riding - see here
* Local residents march last Friday in support of 'Occupy' movement - see here
* CRD Area 'G' Director Al Richmond reflects what his next term will look like - see here
* Tribune columnist Diana French looks at Remembrance Day and why the WL Council candidates are not discussing an Economic Plan 'B' - see here
* Leona Charleyboy of 150 Mile says First Nations - take advantage of your right to vote in the Williams Lake local election - see here
* Bev Atkins says voters should get informed about the 17 local election candidates for WL City Council - see here
Finally - Bob Simpson, on his blog today, looks at the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the fact Remembrance Day is Friday and whether or not we are treating Remembrance Day with the solemnity and seriousness that it deserves - see here
* Cariboo-North MLA Bob Simpson petitions for high-speed Internet in rural parts of his riding - see here
* Local residents march last Friday in support of 'Occupy' movement - see here
* CRD Area 'G' Director Al Richmond reflects what his next term will look like - see here
* Tribune columnist Diana French looks at Remembrance Day and why the WL Council candidates are not discussing an Economic Plan 'B' - see here
* Leona Charleyboy of 150 Mile says First Nations - take advantage of your right to vote in the Williams Lake local election - see here
* Bev Atkins says voters should get informed about the 17 local election candidates for WL City Council - see here
Finally - Bob Simpson, on his blog today, looks at the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the fact Remembrance Day is Friday and whether or not we are treating Remembrance Day with the solemnity and seriousness that it deserves - see here
Monday, November 7, 2011
BREAKING NEWS - 2nd Prosperity Mine proposal goes to another Review Panel
Courtesy of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency:
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) announced today that the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project in British Columbia will undergo an environmental assessment by a federal review panel.
The Minister of Environment has referred the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine to a review panel pursuant to his authority under subparagraph 29(1)(a)(ii) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The Minister of the Environment instructed the Agency to design a process that will thoroughly assess whether the proposal addresses the environmental effects identified in the environmental assessment of the original Prosperity project. He also directed the Agency to ensure that information obtained during the previous environmental assessment is used to the extent possible in order to ensure a timely decision.
The Minister indicated that the time for the Agency to complete these activities and for the panel to conduct its review, including holding public hearings and preparing its report, is to be no more than 12 months, in total. This timeline is consistent with the prescribed timeline for a comprehensive study.
The Agency will prepare the environmental impact statement guidelines that will identify the potential environmental effects to be addressed and the information that needs to be included in the proponent’s environmental impact statement to assess the project as currently proposed. The Agency will also prepare the terms of reference for the review panel.
Both of those documents will be made available for public comment prior to being finalized. The Agency will also make available funding to assist First Nations and the public to participate in the environmental assessment process.
To obtain more information on this project, including the project description, please visit the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca , reference number 11-05-63928.
Taseko Mines Ltd. proposes the construction and operation of a large open pit gold-copper mine development, approximately 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake in British Columbia.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of sustainable development.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) announced today that the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project in British Columbia will undergo an environmental assessment by a federal review panel.
The Minister of Environment has referred the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine to a review panel pursuant to his authority under subparagraph 29(1)(a)(ii) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The Minister of the Environment instructed the Agency to design a process that will thoroughly assess whether the proposal addresses the environmental effects identified in the environmental assessment of the original Prosperity project. He also directed the Agency to ensure that information obtained during the previous environmental assessment is used to the extent possible in order to ensure a timely decision.
The Minister indicated that the time for the Agency to complete these activities and for the panel to conduct its review, including holding public hearings and preparing its report, is to be no more than 12 months, in total. This timeline is consistent with the prescribed timeline for a comprehensive study.
The Agency will prepare the environmental impact statement guidelines that will identify the potential environmental effects to be addressed and the information that needs to be included in the proponent’s environmental impact statement to assess the project as currently proposed. The Agency will also prepare the terms of reference for the review panel.
Both of those documents will be made available for public comment prior to being finalized. The Agency will also make available funding to assist First Nations and the public to participate in the environmental assessment process.
To obtain more information on this project, including the project description, please visit the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca , reference number 11-05-63928.
Taseko Mines Ltd. proposes the construction and operation of a large open pit gold-copper mine development, approximately 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake in British Columbia.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of sustainable development.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Xeni Gwet'in protests decision by Victoria to allow test drill holes at Fish Lake
In a decision earlier this week - Victoria has given the green light to do test drill holes and test pits for the "New" Prosperity mine near Fish Lake
See the story at Welcome to Williams Lake here
See the story at Globe and Mail here
It'll be interesting to see how the Xeni Gwet'in First Nations Gov't responds next...
SBF
See the story at Welcome to Williams Lake here
See the story at Globe and Mail here
It'll be interesting to see how the Xeni Gwet'in First Nations Gov't responds next...
SBF
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Rafe Mair on Prosperity Mine and Boss Power
From the Common Sense Canadian Website (see here):
There are two mining stories out of last week in Lotusland.
For openers, let’s deal with “Prosperity” Lake which, before the corporate flacks got involved, was called Fish Lake.
The short story is that this is a mine prospect held by Taseko Mines. While the Provincial government approved it, it was turned down by the feds who then gave the company time to put in a new proposal, which they did. With the speed of light the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency received the new application last February and hasn’t yet decided anything. This delay brought a fire and brimstone editorial from the Fraser Institute’s house paper, the Vancouver Sun, which threw unsourced "facts" at us, including a promise of 71,000 jobs with 5,400 new residents for the nearby town of Williams Lake. We’re not told where those figures come from but clearly they’re from the large sack of extravagant statements the Fraser Institute keeps on hand for whenever their definition of capitalism is called to account.
Since the Sun doesn’t state otherwise, we must assume that the 71,000 jobs are for construction of the mine, which is preposterous. Whatever jobs it does take will, based upon long experience, come from outside the province. And are these 5,400 new arrivals necessary to run a mine?
Mr. Mihlar, the Fraser Institute’s editor of The Sun, the think tank’s poodle, should visit an operation of a modern, computerized mine before throwing numbers around.
A neat line in the editorial refers to outside agitators, I can only hope that I and fellow environmentalists are amongst them. The thought that environmentalists are outside agitators brings a sense of deep pride; how rewarding it is to be compared to the "freedom fighters" in the American South in the Sixties.
It’s so much like the Fraser Institute’ poodle, the Sun, to pretend they are not "outside agitators".
The Sun’s call for putting the Taseko Prosperity Mine on the fast track is code for "approve at once" and ignores the fact that First Nations people and we outside agitators have yet to be heard from on the new proposition.
If I were able to cross-examine the company and their flacks my question would be: Why didn’t you submit your amended proposal in the first place? (The proposal existed, in fact, but the company insisted it wasn't "economically viable", before suddenly changing its tune the day after the first proposal was rejected). Can we assume that if you’re turned down for proposal #2, you have “proposition 3” in your ass pocket?
It’s interesting that Mr. Milhar doesn’t deal with the environmental concerns that remain, with attention be paid to the threats of damage to other waters especially to migrating salmon streams. Even though the company's latest proposal seeks to avoid destroying Fish Lake, it still threatens Fish Creek, Taseko Lake and the Taseko River - important salmon habitat that eventually connects with the Fraser River.
It’s also interesting that the Fraser Institute/Sun combination believes that where development and the environment clash development must carry the day.
This infomercial of Mr. Milhar should help us start the great debate, namely, what do British Columbians want to be – one of the blessed lands where commercial intrusion is secondary to environmental preservation or a place where when a conflict occurs, industry holds all the trumps?
Then there’s the Boss Power case – a uranium property which has cost the taxpayers $30 million to settle. If the Liberals had continued the no uranium policy brought into force by the excellent Environment Minister in 1979 (name provided upon demand) this issue would not have come up.
As Mike Smyth of the Province stated in a column last week, this case has the same stench the BC Rail case had – gross negligence of staggering proportions that, as with the BC Rail case, best not let a judge with an open courtroom sniff around.
There is another angle to this story not given sufficient attention.
First a bit of background.
Ministers have the right to have their policies implemented by the public servants however much they may not want to; what ministers cannot do is interfere with a public servant who’s doing as a statute compels him to do. Registrars under various different statutes are usually under a statute which sets the rules he must administer – he has no options.
For a minister to try to influence the administration of a statutory obligation would, in a decent government, be forced to resign.
In this case the company was making an application to The Chief Inspector of Mines for a permit to drill. The chief inspector has a statutory obligation to receive and pass judgments – ministerial interference is highly improper.
The then Minister of Mines, Kevin Krueger, instructed the Inspector to ignore the company’s application to drill. This is so improper that the minister should have resigned or, failing that, been fired forthwith.
What this case shows is that the Campbell/Clark government has the morality of an alley cat (with apologies to the feline community). Read alongside the BC Rail cover-up we see tawdry, sloppy ministers with no clue about what ministerial impropriety means and with a contempt for process an integral part of their modus operandi.
These two stories, read together, show an alarming disinterest in real values and respect for the public’s right to know the facts and the ability to be heard. The Vancouver Sun editorial, when you think on it, takes the breath away – process means let’s get on with it! Corporation “facts” must be considered holy writ and the process an ill-disguised sham - a quick, pro forma minor nuisance.
British Columbians must decide what sort of place they and what values they hold. And since the next major decisions will be pipelines and tankers, the sooner the better.
There are two mining stories out of last week in Lotusland.
For openers, let’s deal with “Prosperity” Lake which, before the corporate flacks got involved, was called Fish Lake.
The short story is that this is a mine prospect held by Taseko Mines. While the Provincial government approved it, it was turned down by the feds who then gave the company time to put in a new proposal, which they did. With the speed of light the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency received the new application last February and hasn’t yet decided anything. This delay brought a fire and brimstone editorial from the Fraser Institute’s house paper, the Vancouver Sun, which threw unsourced "facts" at us, including a promise of 71,000 jobs with 5,400 new residents for the nearby town of Williams Lake. We’re not told where those figures come from but clearly they’re from the large sack of extravagant statements the Fraser Institute keeps on hand for whenever their definition of capitalism is called to account.
Since the Sun doesn’t state otherwise, we must assume that the 71,000 jobs are for construction of the mine, which is preposterous. Whatever jobs it does take will, based upon long experience, come from outside the province. And are these 5,400 new arrivals necessary to run a mine?
Mr. Mihlar, the Fraser Institute’s editor of The Sun, the think tank’s poodle, should visit an operation of a modern, computerized mine before throwing numbers around.
A neat line in the editorial refers to outside agitators, I can only hope that I and fellow environmentalists are amongst them. The thought that environmentalists are outside agitators brings a sense of deep pride; how rewarding it is to be compared to the "freedom fighters" in the American South in the Sixties.
It’s so much like the Fraser Institute’ poodle, the Sun, to pretend they are not "outside agitators".
The Sun’s call for putting the Taseko Prosperity Mine on the fast track is code for "approve at once" and ignores the fact that First Nations people and we outside agitators have yet to be heard from on the new proposition.
If I were able to cross-examine the company and their flacks my question would be: Why didn’t you submit your amended proposal in the first place? (The proposal existed, in fact, but the company insisted it wasn't "economically viable", before suddenly changing its tune the day after the first proposal was rejected). Can we assume that if you’re turned down for proposal #2, you have “proposition 3” in your ass pocket?
It’s interesting that Mr. Milhar doesn’t deal with the environmental concerns that remain, with attention be paid to the threats of damage to other waters especially to migrating salmon streams. Even though the company's latest proposal seeks to avoid destroying Fish Lake, it still threatens Fish Creek, Taseko Lake and the Taseko River - important salmon habitat that eventually connects with the Fraser River.
It’s also interesting that the Fraser Institute/Sun combination believes that where development and the environment clash development must carry the day.
This infomercial of Mr. Milhar should help us start the great debate, namely, what do British Columbians want to be – one of the blessed lands where commercial intrusion is secondary to environmental preservation or a place where when a conflict occurs, industry holds all the trumps?
Then there’s the Boss Power case – a uranium property which has cost the taxpayers $30 million to settle. If the Liberals had continued the no uranium policy brought into force by the excellent Environment Minister in 1979 (name provided upon demand) this issue would not have come up.
As Mike Smyth of the Province stated in a column last week, this case has the same stench the BC Rail case had – gross negligence of staggering proportions that, as with the BC Rail case, best not let a judge with an open courtroom sniff around.
There is another angle to this story not given sufficient attention.
First a bit of background.
Ministers have the right to have their policies implemented by the public servants however much they may not want to; what ministers cannot do is interfere with a public servant who’s doing as a statute compels him to do. Registrars under various different statutes are usually under a statute which sets the rules he must administer – he has no options.
For a minister to try to influence the administration of a statutory obligation would, in a decent government, be forced to resign.
In this case the company was making an application to The Chief Inspector of Mines for a permit to drill. The chief inspector has a statutory obligation to receive and pass judgments – ministerial interference is highly improper.
The then Minister of Mines, Kevin Krueger, instructed the Inspector to ignore the company’s application to drill. This is so improper that the minister should have resigned or, failing that, been fired forthwith.
What this case shows is that the Campbell/Clark government has the morality of an alley cat (with apologies to the feline community). Read alongside the BC Rail cover-up we see tawdry, sloppy ministers with no clue about what ministerial impropriety means and with a contempt for process an integral part of their modus operandi.
These two stories, read together, show an alarming disinterest in real values and respect for the public’s right to know the facts and the ability to be heard. The Vancouver Sun editorial, when you think on it, takes the breath away – process means let’s get on with it! Corporation “facts” must be considered holy writ and the process an ill-disguised sham - a quick, pro forma minor nuisance.
British Columbians must decide what sort of place they and what values they hold. And since the next major decisions will be pipelines and tankers, the sooner the better.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Joe Alphonse: Trip to Ottawa "Worthwhile"
Courtesy of the Rush:
Tl’etinqox-T’in Chief Joe Alphonse says a trip to Ottawa this week to lobby against Taseko’s Prosperity Mine Proposal was a worthwhile venture.
He says it was worthwhile because it gave his people a chance to tell their side of the story.
Alphonse was in Ottawa with a delegation of First Nations Chiefs from the west Chilcotin and says he met with a number of government agencies, environmental and first nations groups.
He says the group failed to convince the government to cancel Prosperity’s upcoming environmental assessment though.
Alphonse says government bureaucrats indicated their hands were tied and that Taseko is within their rights to re-apply.
That assessment is due to begin no later than November 7th. Taseko’s first application ended with a rejection by Ottawa last year.
Tl’etinqox-T’in Chief Joe Alphonse says a trip to Ottawa this week to lobby against Taseko’s Prosperity Mine Proposal was a worthwhile venture.
He says it was worthwhile because it gave his people a chance to tell their side of the story.
Alphonse was in Ottawa with a delegation of First Nations Chiefs from the west Chilcotin and says he met with a number of government agencies, environmental and first nations groups.
He says the group failed to convince the government to cancel Prosperity’s upcoming environmental assessment though.
Alphonse says government bureaucrats indicated their hands were tied and that Taseko is within their rights to re-apply.
That assessment is due to begin no later than November 7th. Taseko’s first application ended with a rejection by Ottawa last year.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Taseko Mines on upcoming environmental review (2nd Prosperity Mine proposal)
From the Rush:
Brian Battison, V-P of corporate affairs with Taseko Mines, says he’s disappointed first nations leaders continue to oppose the latest prosperity mine project.
In fact Battison says Taseko has reached out to first nations leaders, albeit unsuccessfully. He does point out however that many people in the First Nations community don’t agree with their leadership.
Battison says for example that “many First Nations people come to our (Taseko’s) office, talk about the need for this project out in their community, the kinds of opportunities it will bring and mean for their people.”
He says the new mine would create thousands of jobs, new opportunities for business and new revenues for government all of which he says will boost the economy and help fund essential public services.
Ottawa has indicated an environmental assessment of the latest Prosperity Mine proposal will start on or before November 7th.
First Nations leaders are in Ottawa this week in an effort to lobby politicians to scrap the environmental assessment.
Brian Battison, V-P of corporate affairs with Taseko Mines, says he’s disappointed first nations leaders continue to oppose the latest prosperity mine project.
In fact Battison says Taseko has reached out to first nations leaders, albeit unsuccessfully. He does point out however that many people in the First Nations community don’t agree with their leadership.
Battison says for example that “many First Nations people come to our (Taseko’s) office, talk about the need for this project out in their community, the kinds of opportunities it will bring and mean for their people.”
He says the new mine would create thousands of jobs, new opportunities for business and new revenues for government all of which he says will boost the economy and help fund essential public services.
Ottawa has indicated an environmental assessment of the latest Prosperity Mine proposal will start on or before November 7th.
First Nations leaders are in Ottawa this week in an effort to lobby politicians to scrap the environmental assessment.
Joe Alphonse and 2nd Prosperity Mine Proposal
From the Rush:
First nations groups are in Ottawa starting today to try and pressure government officials into cancelling an environmental review of Taseko Mine’s latest Prosperity mine proposal.
Tl’etinqox-T’in Tribal Chair and Chief Joe Alphonse says he and others will be meeting with various government people, the Assembly of First Nations, various environmental groups and media outlets.
Alphonse and his colleagues are not pleased Ottawa has decided to review another mine application. In fact he calls the latest proposal “a joke, a farce, and a manipulation of government process.”
Ottawa recently announced they would start a new environmental review process no later than November 7th.
I regret profoundly Mr. Alphonse's comments and I would have hoped that he would allow the federal review process to go forward to review Taseko Mines's 2nd Prosperity Mine proposal and postively engage himself and the TNG (Chilcotin National Gov't) in that review
First nations groups are in Ottawa starting today to try and pressure government officials into cancelling an environmental review of Taseko Mine’s latest Prosperity mine proposal.
Tl’etinqox-T’in Tribal Chair and Chief Joe Alphonse says he and others will be meeting with various government people, the Assembly of First Nations, various environmental groups and media outlets.
Alphonse and his colleagues are not pleased Ottawa has decided to review another mine application. In fact he calls the latest proposal “a joke, a farce, and a manipulation of government process.”
Ottawa recently announced they would start a new environmental review process no later than November 7th.
I regret profoundly Mr. Alphonse's comments and I would have hoped that he would allow the federal review process to go forward to review Taseko Mines's 2nd Prosperity Mine proposal and postively engage himself and the TNG (Chilcotin National Gov't) in that review
Monday, August 15, 2011
2nd Public Environmental Public Review for New Prosperity Mine proposal by October??
On Taseko Mines website, I noticed the following:
With the revised project description in hand, we expecte that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) will confirm its adequacy. The Federal Government then has up to 90 days to: coordinate with the Province of British Columbia, prepare a detailed background document, including project scope, and launch the Environmental Assessment review. The Company expects the Environmental Assessment review to commence by October 2011.
It seems the above suggests a possible Joint Environmental Review (Provincial/Federal) for the "New Prosperity" mine project. If this can be done with local First Nations, then I believe it would be a huge step forward. If not - then we may see a repeat of the public input brought forward in 2009/2010 for the original Prosperity Mine proposal.
For the record - I still support this mine being allowed to move forward past the environmental review stage and being allowed to commence operations
SBF
With the revised project description in hand, we expecte that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) will confirm its adequacy. The Federal Government then has up to 90 days to: coordinate with the Province of British Columbia, prepare a detailed background document, including project scope, and launch the Environmental Assessment review. The Company expects the Environmental Assessment review to commence by October 2011.
It seems the above suggests a possible Joint Environmental Review (Provincial/Federal) for the "New Prosperity" mine project. If this can be done with local First Nations, then I believe it would be a huge step forward. If not - then we may see a repeat of the public input brought forward in 2009/2010 for the original Prosperity Mine proposal.
For the record - I still support this mine being allowed to move forward past the environmental review stage and being allowed to commence operations
SBF
Friday, July 29, 2011
End of Week News...
In Quesnel:
* Quesnel City Councillor Mike Cave explains his views on the recent censure motion against Quesnel Councillor Sushil Thapar and the issue around paving Anderson Drive - see here
* Quesnel resident Victor Hegan explains his personal opposition to the HST - see here
* Quesnel Cariboo Observer columnist and former CRD Area 'B' Director Andy Motherwell looks at the legacy of a farm family - see here
In Williams Lake:
* Debate on HST in "Letters to the Editor" - pro-HST letter from Tolko CEO Brad Thorlakson (see here) and anti-HST letter from Summer McFayden of the BC Fed of Labour (see here)
* Tribune columnist Dean Fulton says a recent report by the Northwest Institute looking at the two environmental reviews processes (BC + Canada) on the recently failed Prosperity Mine project "lacks credibility" - see here. Also - West Coast Environmental Law has an "interesting" take on this situation as well - see here
* Community Grant Review Panel visits Williams Lake on August 18th - see here
* Reconstruction under way at Husky's on Highway #97 - see here
* Quesnel City Councillor Mike Cave explains his views on the recent censure motion against Quesnel Councillor Sushil Thapar and the issue around paving Anderson Drive - see here
* Quesnel resident Victor Hegan explains his personal opposition to the HST - see here
* Quesnel Cariboo Observer columnist and former CRD Area 'B' Director Andy Motherwell looks at the legacy of a farm family - see here
In Williams Lake:
* Debate on HST in "Letters to the Editor" - pro-HST letter from Tolko CEO Brad Thorlakson (see here) and anti-HST letter from Summer McFayden of the BC Fed of Labour (see here)
* Tribune columnist Dean Fulton says a recent report by the Northwest Institute looking at the two environmental reviews processes (BC + Canada) on the recently failed Prosperity Mine project "lacks credibility" - see here. Also - West Coast Environmental Law has an "interesting" take on this situation as well - see here
* Community Grant Review Panel visits Williams Lake on August 18th - see here
* Reconstruction under way at Husky's on Highway #97 - see here
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