North American Groups Express Concerns about Canadian Mining Project

A multinational alliance made up of environmentalists, businesses and more than 200 indigenous groups have announced their opposition to a mining plan that may severely affect the environment.

Imperial Metals recently applied for an exploratory permit from the British Columbia government that would allow the company to drill for gold around the Skagit River’s source, which is near the American border. Opponents of this project, which exist on both sides of the border, argue that if the exploration for gold is permitted, mining will follow, which will heavily pollute the river while also harming local communities as well as the North Cascades national park.

According to a letter sent to the British Columbia premier from 109 conservationists and elected American officials, the exploratory drilling has also demonstrated that copper is released during the process. Copper is deadly to aquatic invertebrates and fish in small concentrations, with recent studies showing that copper has a considerably poisonous effect on fish.

The cultural and natural resources policy representative for the Upper Skagit tribe, Scott Schuyler, stated that his community was alarmed and concerned about the threat of a mine destroying the work they’d done to not only improve the decreasing salmon stocks but also preserve the river. He added that this could also impact the resident orcas in the south, with some of them starving, noting that they depended on the river’s salmon for food.

The Skagit Valley has been occupied by Schuyler’s community for 10,000 years. He explained that in 1855, his ancestor had signed a treaty with the United States, dubbed the Treaty of Point Elliot, in which lands were given up in exchange for entitlements such as assured fishing rights.

Additionally, in October 2020, a formal resolution noting that Imperial Metals’ proposal was hazardous to salmon recovery in addition to being destructive was approved by the Swinomish Indian tribal community. The resolution also drew attention to the company’s track record, emphasizing how the company was behind one of Canada’s worst recent environmental disasters, in which millions of mine tailings and waste were spewed into lakes and streams in central British Columbia following the 2014 collapse of the Mount Polley mine.

In addition to this, studies on the Elk River Watershed in British Columbia have found that mining of coal in the area is seeping selenium into the tributaries down the stream. Selenium is a trace element that has been found to cause ecological damages which include malformations in fish. The groups have requested that the project halted.

Aside from the issues on the Canadian border, many mining companies enjoy a good relationship with the communities in which they operate, with activities progressing unhindered. For instance, GoldHaven Resources Corp. (CSE: GOH) (OTCQB: GHVNF) acquired a total of seven mineral-rich properties in Chile last year. One of those properties is the Rio Loa Project, barely 25km from another site at which deposits containing 5 million ounces of gold were found.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to GoldHaven Resources Corp. (CSE: GOH) (OTCQB: GHVNF) are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/GHVNF

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