The bad blood between Taskeo and the Tsilhqot'in National Government continued to boil Wednesday as a second judicial review was launched into the proposed New Prosperity open pit copper and gold mine in the Cariboo.
In a document sent to the media through a public relations firm, Taseko said it objected to what it termed a "war dance" conducted by a Tsilhqot'in medicine man when hearings into the mine opened in Williams Lake last summer. The company said during the dance medicine man Cecil Grinder began "waving a red-tipped spear in a menacing fashion at the crowd and the [Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency] panel."
In an interview Taseko vice-president of corporate affairs Brian Battison said the dance was evidence that the process that lead to the mine being rejected was unfair because it created an environment that wasn't welcoming.
"This is a public process where the public is invited to participate," Battison said.
"So when they participate and take up that invitation to participate it should be in a welcoming environment, that's part I think of the overall objective of public hearings to welcome and to be respectful of the public participation in that process."
The mining company and the First Nations group have been at odds for years about the project, near Williams Lake. Taseko said the mine will provide much needed jobs to the region, but Aboriginal leaders counter that it could cause environmental harm.
A federal review panel raised concerns about the project last year and the federal government rejected it last month. Taseko is seeking to overturn that decision through the Federal Court.
Tsilhqot'in National Government chief Joe Alphonse said he wasn't at the July 22 hearing where Taskeo said the war dance took place, but said Grinder is a member of his community's council. He said the characterization that a spear was waved menacingly is an overreaction.
"To do a prayer and a ceremonial dance to begin any process is a what we do, that's how we conduct our business," he said.
Alponse said he's not aware of any war dances in the Tsilhqot'in, but said many of his people's cultural traditions have been lost over time.
"If there is a war dance in the Tsilhqot'in that hasn't been lost, I'd like to learn it," he said.
Alphonse said the company's decision to continue with legal challenges to the government's decision is allowing disharmony in the region between pro- and anti-mine groups to fester.
"They're wasting everyone's time and they're preventing people from rebuilding the relationships that we had before they came into the picture," he said.
Say Yes to Prosperity member Len Doucette, who supports the mine, said those in the region who support the project understand that the judicial review is an uphill battle, but are staying optimistic.
"We're hopeful but at the same time there's still a lot of discontent and disappointment in our communities," he said.
