A potential gold mine near Smithers, which has been in the works for well over a decade, has not been granted approval by the ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
Pacific Booker Minerals (PBM) Incorporated for the Morrison Copper/Gold Project was not issued an environmental assessment certificate by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
The company proposed an open-pit copper gold and molybdenum mine and ancillary facilities with a project footprint of 2,028 hectares and production of 30,000 tonnes per day, located approximately 65 km northeast of Smithers.
The proposed mine site was located on the territory of the Lake Babine Nation and upstream of the territories of the Gitanyow and Gitxsan First Nations. A portion of the proposed transmission line was on the territory of Yekooche First Nation.
The company first applied for an environment assessment certificate in 2010, which was refused by ministers in 2012 on the recommendation of the executive director of the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).
Then it was determined that there was potential to affect a unique wild sockeye salmon population that contributes to the Skeena River sockeye and potential for long term liability for the province and the risk to the environment was not acceptable in this case.
There was also insufficient data about Morrison Lake and the potential diminished long-term water quality in Morrison Lake was not an acceptable risk.
The company then initiated a judicial review of the of the decision and in December 2013 the B.C. Supreme Court set aside the 2012 decision and directed that the application for an environmental assessment certificate be reconsidered.
This was because PBM did not have the opportunity to review and comment on the EAO executive director's recommendations that were provided to ministers for decision.
On July 7, 2015, following the reconsideration process, the ministers ordered the project to undergo further assessment to collect additional baseline information and analysis to ensure a thorough and accurate analysis of the project's risks to water quality, salmon and the broader environment.
The further assessment order laid out the information PBM would need to provide to continue development of the project.
Between 2016 and 2021, the company submitted three drafts applications which did not meet the requirements of the order.
To address the lack of progress, the EAO proposed options for progressing or completing the further assessment process and engaged with PBM, Lake Babine, Gitanyow, Gitxsan and Yekooche First Nations.
The consensus option with all parties was a preference for or a non-objection to the Further Assessment Order being rescinded. The Further Assessment Order was rescinded on Dec. 2, 2021, and the decision materials from 2015 were resubmitted to ministers for a decision on whether to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Morrison Copper/Gold Project.
However, because the company has not submitted additional information to demonstrate that risks to water quality and fish can be suitably mitigated by the Morrison Copper/Gold Project the ministers have decided not to issue an environment assessment certificate.
