The Tsilhqot'in Nation has strongly rejected Taseko's revised plan for the Prosperity gold and copper mine just days after the company filed the new plan with the federal government.
The Tsilhqot'in accused Taseko of not consulting with them on the new proposal, which they characterized as equally damaging as the original proposal.
"[Taseko's] attempts to revive the mine proposal without the Tsilhqot'in Nation's input or consent is a clear signal that the company does not understand Tsilhqot'in rights and culture, and lacks respect for the environment and our communities," Tsilhquot'in Nation tribal chairman chief Joe Alphonse said Wednesday.
"The devil in a new dress is still the devil," declared Alphonse, who said the Tsilhqot'in consider the project dead.
Taseko has said the Tsilhqot'in have declined to meet them on the revised plan, which preserves 121-hectare Fish Lake that was to be turned into a mine waste storage area.
But Alphonse refuted the claim, saying the company's idea of trying to set a prescribed agenda is not consultation. He also noted that Taseko has no relationship or partnership with the Tsilhqot'in on their existing Gibraltar mine in the area. That should be a starting point for a respectful relationship, something the company does not understand, said Alphonse.
The details of the new plan won't be released until the federal government ensures the proposal is adequate, although the Tsilhqot'in received a copy the same day as it was filed with the federal government.
The First Nations says the integrity of Fish Lake (called Teztan Biny in the Tsilhqot'in language) and its surrounding environment are not saved by simply not using the lake for mine waste storage.
The First Nation cited the findings of a federal review panel, which noted the open pit and associated mining facilities would be close enough to Fish Lake to eliminate the intrinsic value of the area to First Nations even if another alternative were chosen.
The original plan called for the lake to be drained and used a storage area for waste rock and dirt. The waste rock will now be trucked to another area.
The Tsilhqot'in was joined by Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs president Stewart Philip in dismissing the revised plan.
Taseko's revised plan will add $300 million in costs to the mine, which had an original price tag of $800 million.
The company says it was able to finance the additional cost because long-term consensus gold and copper prices have gone up significantly.
The company said it has delivered a copy of the new mine plan to First Nations in the area, as well as the B.C. government, and remains hopeful that First Nations will talk to them about the revised project.
Last summer, a federal panel concluded there would be significant adverse environmental effects from the Prosperity mine on fish and fish habitat, traditional First Nations use and on potential, or established, Aboriginal rights or title. The most contentious issue surrounding the project was the use of Fish Lake, which the panel estimated would destroy 90,000 rainbow trout.
Last November, the federal government delivered its rejection of Prosperity.
However, the federal government noted that the project had been rejected "as proposed," opening up the door to a redesigned project.
The B.C. Liberal government had been pressing the federal government to approve the project, arguing the economic benefits and jobs produced by the mine outweigh environmental impacts identified in a federal review.
New Premier Christy Clark has been a proponent of the Prosperity mine moving ahead.
