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MARCH 5, 2014
One Section, 36 pages
Taseko ‘disappointed’ with New Prosperity ruling Group concerned over lack of funds 4
students head to regional Science fair 19
INSIDE
opinion 8 letters 9 entertainment 21 sports 27 community 19 classifieds 30
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DOUBLE BLADES HELP WITH BALANCE
The proposed New Prosperity Mine project, and agreed with its Gold-Copper Project near Fish Lake conclusions about the environmenhas been rejected again by the fed- tal impacts of the project.” eral environment ministry. The FRP recommended On Feb. 26, 2014, rejection of the project in Environment Minister October 2013 because it Leona Aglukkaq issued her felt environmental damage decision under the Canadian to the Fish Lake fish and Environmental Assessment fish habitat and wetlands Act. would be irreparable for the The environment minisproposed open-pit mine try press release stated: “The – about 125 kilometres Brian Minister of the Environment Battison southwest of Williams Lake. has concluded that the New Taseko Mines Ltd. viceProsperity Mine project is likely president of corporate affairs Brian to cause significant adverse envi- Battison’s reaction to the announceronmental effects that cannot be ment was disappointment not only mitigated. The Governor in Council for the company but also for the has determined that those effects are “thousands of people who supportnot justified in the circumstances; ed the project and worked hard to therefore, the project may not pro- see it become a reality.” ceed. Noting Taseko “fundamentally “In making its decision, the feder- disagrees” with Ottawa’s decision, al government considered the report Battison said the setback doesn’t of the independent [federal] review spell the end of the project. panel (FRP), which conducted a rigContinued on 3 orous review of the New Prosperity
First Nations celebrating project's rejection
First Nations groups are celebrating the federal government’s rejection of the proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Project and want to see the “end to 20-year effort to turn a pristine area into open-pit disaster.” Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s Feb. 26 decision to reject the mine proposal was welcomed by Tsilhqot’in chiefs, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief A-in-chut Shawn Atleo, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) president and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, and First Nations everywhere, according to a Feb. 27 Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) press release. The TNG now calls on this to be the end of a “costly, pointless battle that has dragged on since at least 1995, when Taseko Mines Ltd. was first told by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans not to waste
any further time or money pursuing this unacceptable project.” The mine proposal was opposed vigorously by the Tsilhqot’in Nation with the unanimous support of B.C.’s and Canada’s First Nations and received an unprecedented two scathing independent expert panel reports, which make clear the project was unacceptable environmentally and in terms of its impact on First Nations’ rights and culture, and that these impacts were immitigable, the TNG states. TNG tribal chair Chief Joe Alphonse said they are celebrating this decision to reject once again this “terrible project, which threatened our pristine waters, fish and Aboriginal rights. “We commend the federal government for not bowing to industry lobbying and instead respecting the Continued on 5
Gaven Crites photo
Two-year-old Larah Pincott was one of the young performers in a year end exhibition put on by the 100 Mile & District Figure Skating Club at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on March. 1.