Thanks to your commitment, thousands of letters were sent to Federal Review Panel and Canadian government officials during the Panel Review of the proposed New Prosperity Mine at Fish Lake.
This outpouring of international pressure, combined with 63 days of damning testimony from youth and elders of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, government scientists, and environmental experts led Canada’s Federal Review Panel to condemn the mine proposal in their report published October 31st, 2013, noting significant adverse effects.
This is the second time the Canadian government has considered a plan for a mine at Fish Lake. The first, in 2010, was rejected after the first independent panel issued “scathing” findings about the impacts to Tsilhqot’in culture, Indigenous rights, and the environment.
Tsilhqot’in Tribal Chair, Chief Joe Alphonse, responded to the most recent report, stating:
“In 2010 TML (Taseko Mines Ltd.) and Environment Canada stated the rejected proposal was the least environmentally risky of all options, so it comes as absolutely no surprise that this latest proposal has been found to be worse…First Nations will be outraged if the federal government accepts this project after rejecting the first one. This report makes it abundantly clear that the only misinformation being put out about this project is the company’s own claims that it has addressed all the issues and that its proposal will present no problems. The federal government now has what it needs to finally put a nail in the coffin.” (See full Tsilhqot’in Press Release here)
The final decision of approval or rejection of the mine is expected to be made in February by Leona Aglukkaq, Federal Minister of the Environment. We need your help again; to make sure that this mine is rejected once and for all. Please take action in support of the Tsilhqot’in people:
Send a letter to Honourable Ms. Leona Aglukkaq and tell her to reject the Taseko Mine, again!
