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20 FRIDAY, March 22, 2013
Volume 7 Issue 37
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G A L L E RY
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTED / THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
Aerial view shows former workings of previous molybdenum mining attempts at Kitsault on Alice Arm.
Gov’t gives conditional approval to Avanti By Staff Writer
THE NORTHERN CONNECTOR
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TERRACE - The provincial government has given conditional approval to Avanti Mining’s Kitsault molybdenum mine, laying out a long list of obligations for the company to undertake. The decision was made after considering the review led by British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office, which concluded that the project is not expected to result in any significant adverse effects, based on the mitigation measures and conditions of the Environmental Assessment Certificate. The Environmental Assessment Certificate includes 34 conditions and a Certified Project Description. Each of the conditions is a legally binding requirement that Avanti Kitsault Mine
Ltd. must meet to be in compliance with the certificate, said the province. Key conditions for the Kitsault Mine project that the proponent must meet include: • Water quality must meet BC Water Quality Guidelines or approved Site Specific Water Quality Objectives for mine contaminants. • Develop and implement Aquatic Effects and Marine Environment Monitoring Programs. • Develop and implement a Wildlife Corridor Management Plan. • Provide $100,000 in annual funding to support recovery of the Nass moose population and the Northwest Assessment and Monitoring Trust. • Develop and implement a Geographical Response Plan for spills and a plan describing appropriate forms of barrier pro-
tection along areas of the transportation route, which have bodies of water at risk from spills and hazardous materials. • Complete management and mitigation plans (Social and Cultural Management, Recruitment, Training and Employment, Business Capacity, Economic Closure, and Communication) in consultation with Nisga’a Lisims Government. The Nisga’a Lisims Government says the conditional approval has broken its land claims agreement with the federal and provincial governments. It had already filed notice it would use the dispute resolution portion of the treaty to press its case that the Avanti project had not been fully studied. In particular, the Nisga’a say the discharge of waste water has
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not been properly studied for its possible effects. “We are concerned that the timing of the decision to issue the environmental assessment certificate was largely motivated by electoral politics,” added Mitchell Stevens, President of Nisga’a Lisims Government, in regards to the upcoming provincial election. “We are still considering our legal options, and have followed the proper procedure under our treaty by filing a Notice of Dispute. We intend to participate in this process in good faith. However, the Nisga’a Nation will not allow the health and well-being of Nisga’a people to be put at risk for this project,” said Stevens. The province said it is satisfied that it can engage, in good faith, in the dispute resolution stages.
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