Mining in Northern British Columbia

There is news in the Vancouver Sun today about consultation between a mining company and local First Nations in north-central British Columbia. It relates to the Kemess North mine. What interests me about the news story is the prominent position native traditional knowledge is given in the negotiations. From the article:

Northgate Minerals Corp. said Wednesday it has reached a compensation agreement with native trappers that enables planning for its Kemess North project to go forward …

The company said its agreement with members of the Fort Connelly First Nation in Bear Lake who hold trapping rights in the Kemess region will provide annual compensation for disruption caused by the mine.

Northgate added that the trappers have agreed to participate in the environmental review, in an agreement similar to the one covering the 1990s development of the Kemess South mine, which produces 300,000 ounces of gold annually.

“We look forward to working closely with them during the environmental assessment process to ensure that their local and traditional knowledge and concerns are incorporated into the development plans for Kemess North,” stated Ken Stowe, president and CEO of Northgate.

The stated role of trappers is also interesting given the long history of regulating native trapping and traplines in the province.

Perhaps this is an example of increasing consultation between resource developers and First Nations encouraged by recent court decisions (and here).

(Thanks to Don at the Yahoo Protecting Indigenous Knowledge Discussion Group for the head’s up.)

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