LandKeepers News Archive
Catface Mine Faces Long, Expensive Road To Reality
September 17 2008 | News Articles | Westcoaster
By Keven Drews
TOFINO — Developing a copper mine on a Clayoquot Sound mountain could be a very long, complex and expensive process, says a provincial government spokesman.
Ron Bronstein, a Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources manager, told about 40 members of the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night that companies can spend more than 10 years and $1 billion taking a project from a mineral anomaly to a functioning mine.
“It’s a pretty big risk,” he said. “It’s becoming a challenge for some of these projects to move forward.”
Invited by the chamber of commerce to address its members, Bronstein spoke generally about BC’s mining industry and specifically about plans for copper exploration on Catface Mountain.
This past August, Selkirk finished exploratory drilling on Catface Mountain, which is located about 13 kilometres northwest of Tofino and in the traditional territory of the Ahousaht First Nation.
The company set up five drilling pads and took samples from two drill holes at each pad.
The chamber of commerce has already announced it would oppose Selkirk’s plans.
As part of the presentation, Bronstein outlined the regulatory process – including dozens of provincial and federal laws – companies must meet.
He said since 2002 BC has approved only nine projects: four coal mines, two aggregate mines and three other mines in northern BC.
He also reminded the crowd about the financial risk.
Mines, he added, are dependent on world markets and commodity prices and financing often comes through equity markets – a sector now facing some difficulty.
He said companies “generally” don’t receive compensation if their plans fail.
If a mine is ever approved for Catface, he added, the mountain’s complex geology could make processing any ore very expensive.
Chamber members, however, wanted some specific questions answered.
Eileen Floody, of Tofino, asked if the provincial government takes socio-economic questions into consideration.
Bronstein said those questions are answered during the environmental-assessment stage.
Michael Tilitzky, the chamber’s general manager, asked if there was any way people could trigger the socio-economic assessment now.
He said the community could lose out on tourism development because of the mine’s “overhanging threat.”
He said the community was not divided in its opposition to the mine.
Bronstein said he understands the community’s angst but Selkirk’s plans for Catface are still in the exploratory stage.
He told Tilitzky there are other communities in Clayoquot Sound, too.
Maryjka Mychajlowycz asked when the community could get the results of Selkirk’s exploratory work.
Bronstein said Mychajlowycz should ask the company. He said he doesn’t know when the ministry will receive those results. Once it does, he added, the ministry can’t release them for one year because of an embargo.
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