“TERRACE — Problems mining
“companies have in the United
: States in exploring for minerals
~.£-0n lands with protected status
. “Will .be repeated here, SayS a
_ Spokesman for a provincial
“7: ining organization, ;
ci Linda Thorstad, land use
manager. for the B.C. and
“Yukon Chamber of Mines,
*made~the prediction based on
current ‘plans: to increase the
“amount of park and protected
‘land in the province, |.
eco t““This-poticy is drafted from
.-degislation that came in in the
-» United States that EF and my
“+ as associates have examined, In
©. theory they (mining-companies)
were allowed access but in prac-

TERRACE — Mineral explora-
tion in the northwest should be
rong this year, particularly in
areas that have proven suc-
cessful From, past programs,
Says the‘atea’s mines ministry
geologist. 4 |
=. David Lefebure isn’t predic-
oc esotting a surge in expenditures as in
vo past years but believes there will
>be more. work based on those
“ “+ prior progiims, The search for
“i! gold will lead the way.
“ “**There was a downturn from
7221989 to 1990 but I’m expecting
“Eskay Creek and Mt. Milligan
“to be strong. We've had four
really good years,"’ he said.
“The Eskay Creek area north
and to the east of Stewart, part
_. OF the’ Golden Triangle of
. --anineral showings, figured pro-
‘<=... minently in- 1990 expenditures.
if eed Altogether, $51 1million: was
so: spent in: the: Golden ;Triangle
“with §29 million. oF that in the
-o: Eskay Creek area, |
“--:  Lefebure estimated that $110
“/ <i million was spent in the entire
= northwest in 1990,
“=°Close’ behind the Golden
“Triangle ‘was Mt. Milligan,

- another strong gold area, near’

 FortSt: James, |
“\t.Mineral :- exploration across
--: the.province accounted for $143
-.-million in-1990, making nor-
<othwest expenditures approx-
imately. 60 per cent of that total.
“.*. That-1990 provincial figure is
Jess. than the $150 million spent

the year before.

-.. The: 1990’ expenditures were
“ * also ‘reflected in ‘other ways.
oc) Fhere- -were. nearly 86,000
“mineral claims staked ‘up to the

“end ‘of September, a 25 per cerit’

«! Increase over 1989, and again
_ the northwest was the most ac-
“tive, 8,

: Actual mining monetary ex-

...penditures in the northwest
.- were’ higher because of more

“development work underway,
said Lefebure:
. ““Cominco’s SNIP, mine (in
/; the Iskut) is coming on and
‘there’s advanced work under-
' way.in the Eskay Creek area,"
- vhe said... \
. ... Exploration programs this
. ” year.in the. northwest also hinge
on the issue of increased access
~~ to promising areas,
-_“ Mining companies in the past
-"have-“depended upon air
~.. transport and have traditionally

eh
BEG!

_and

». . TERRACE — The prospect of
¢* fife”-under land claims set-
-c-tlements doesn't bother mining
~~: gampanies, says the president of

* the Mining Association of B.C.
Tom “Waterland, a mining
- engineer ‘and: former Social
12. Credit forests minister, said set-
-tlement of land claims will pro-
vide.a certainty about resource
oa Co
We have to be realistic. We
iqve.as much. interest :.as. the
‘natives. do,-They. want to: be a
“part “of this,’ said Waterland.
“| Part-of the realistic approach

: ' hfe
b nn ‘

healthy

tice that wasn’t the case. We
have very real concerns the
same will happen here,’’ she
said, coe

Those problems arose in get-
ting permits to work in pro-
tected arcas or refusals to allow
roads to be built in order to ex-
plore for minerals, Thorstad ad-

ed. ‘

What Thorstad sees happen.
ing in B.C. is a psychology or
mind set developing even before
additional areas have been given
park or other status. —

“Once somebody puts a
boundary on a map, it already
has a connotation of being set
aside,”” she said of the provin-
cial parks development plan.

Mineral |

followed the road networks of -

logging companies. b

‘But that’s-changing a bjt, at
least ip, the Iskut,..vith plans by
the provincial government and
two mining companies to con-
struct a road leading in from
Hwy37 at Bob Quinn Lake.

The province, Cominco ‘and
Prime Resources still haven’t
figured out how road costs will
be divided between them but the
prospect is seen as encouraging
by other companies. te

And while gold and silver will
continue to drive the search for
hew mines, Lefebure says
there’s growing interest in, base
metals, .

“There are big deposits with
lots of potential, especially Kut-
cho Creek (a large copper show-
ing),’’ said Lefebure. De

“Most companies still prefe
the precious metals, but base
metal deposits are now attrac-
tive," he said.

That base metal search is be-
ing aided with predictions of

_ Shortage of such product

around the world in the 1990s.
-“Certainly in Canada we're

seeing @ depletion in the proven

reserves of base metals. There

That plan has proposed put-

ting 10 million hectares into
pakrs or wilderness study areas.
There would be a doubling of
park and protected land in the
province if all study areas are
given some sort of status.
_ “TI guess what we want is an
opportunity to make fair com-
ment on the proposals. We see
the need to have access at the in-
itial stages of any study of an
area,”’ Thorstad continued,

She acknowledged that the
mining industry could have
perhaps moved quicker in what
she called the fast process that
was established {0 review poten-

‘tial: park. and wilderness areas,
_ - “We do understand the need

loc

for wilderness. Six per cent of
B.C, is already designated for
wilderness. What we see is a
need for some sort of
flexibility,’ Thorstad added,

She said.the mining industry
faces a particular problem in
that an area’s mineral potential
can’t be determined unless it has
been explored. .

“We need as much land as
possible in which'to explore
given the odds of finding a
mine,’’ said Thorstad.

She said the mining industry
can't predict what types of
metals will be in demand years
into the future and so it doesn’t
make sense to -freeze “certain
areas from mineral exploration.

‘Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 27, 1981 — Page AS

“Less than one in 5,000
mineral claims ever become a
mine. And less than .1 per cent
of all the land in B.C. is disturb-
ed by mining,”’ she continued.

Thorstad said the chamber of
mines is still working on its
parks planning position paper
but feels it already has proven it

‘can work in the wilderness,

“We want-to see some reason
here. Our industry already has
to meet stringent conditions in
exploration and in develop-
ment. Work programs need per-
mits. Bonds are required. We've
come a long way in the past
10-15 years.”'

‘We've been making big
steps in the environment, Bet-

ween 1985 and:1989 the mining
industry has put $7 million in-:
to research in. environmental
issues. That’s a real commit-
ment,”' she said.
One possibility that the

‘chamber may bring forth is the

idea of a land exchange should
exploration in one area find
there is enough minerals upon
which to base a mine,
“Things that we have done
and are doing lend credence to
our case, We are trying to be a
responsible citizen. We're not
perfect but we are rectifying
problems and we're moving
quickly to a belter awareness of
environmental issues,’’ said
Thorstad. ,

. MAJOR EXPLORATION PROGRAMS
1990

~~ NORTHWESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

wae — Highway

sescssett Mine Road:
Base Metal
Polymetaliic. .:
Caal cles
Placer
Other

Honda ex rmeit

Precious Molal Prospect

“SCALE
100 -

.
Eskay Creek McConnell ;

Limestone

200

Dollars. (millions)

250
2007

150+

YUKON .
‘tn’. 5 :

Pavey \ B.C. x } a

: . ; Midwa :
7p* tin Ruffner | loway ; 7 * 7
Pinelode ad vgiiy
Erickson; Ne

x Tulsequah dae, I

\

ats Cheni Go

Creek®

Civek yew

plead sit TEC a YR Be a
. Pa cksacky Moun

- Parrott

id Mines

fe

Granisle

[mis

bi g Grouse Mountain
Pele grter. b fork tram bt?

tM.

New, ‘Eric Equity Silver Mine

«
'
«

ee

Rhub-Barb

hasn’t been a lot of work in that
area,”' added Lefebure,
He said low base metal prices
in the mid-1980s contributed to
the declire in development in
that area.
“You have to remember that
it takes four to five years of lead

100+ &

PEE

sot

LELEREA ILE
PARE CE Pp te

ENTE:
CE gene
pares
geeee

MINERAL EXPLORATION expenditures in the northwest have been
heaithy the jast four years as marked on the bar graph on the left. A
regular pattern of northwest spending forming a major part of pro-
vincial spending has emerged. At tap, the map outlines some of the :
more active mineral search areas in the northwest. Particularly hot }
are the Golden Triangle, which takes in the Eskay Creek area, and
Mt. Milligan, near Fort St. James. More work, especially that which

- , ty is the same,”” said Waterland

-, -Waterland has helped. organize
several * meet etings between’ in ;

time to develop a mine. That
means a lot to a company if
prices for the metal are low
because it has to make a
profit,”’ said Lefebure.

the world,”

“We're used to dealing ‘in
jurisdictions where natives have
much more control over
resources,"’ Waterland said.

He used the example of
Australia where aboriginal peo-
ple there have vast lands under
their jurisdiction,

“Having a different landlord

.. is nothing new. The only thing
' is we want to know exactly what .

is going on,”” said Waterland,
“We just want to know who

has jurisdiction. and we want .
people to understand the nature :
of our business,” he continued: 4,

“By and large the positign of...

unity and: th

the native co
ing commiunl.

- Interest of the

Over. the: past: three”

MER Northwest

Year
R89 aritish Columbia

dustrial leaders in B.C. and
native leaders,

The result of those discus-
sions has shown him that
agreements can be struck bet-
ween -native groups and in-
dustry, .

“The common thread is that
they (natives) want to play a
role in the economic develop-
ment of. regions. They want a
bigger role. I feel that glso ex-

- tends to non-natives in those
_ Yegions,’ said Waterland.

ia! We have no problem with
‘change as tong as it is change
iat is final. There shouldn't be
any :-overlap of authority or

"jurisdiction," he continued.

. Watetland’s efforts to con-
tect the mining industry with
ives has not only caused him
help ‘organize meetings bet-
een the two groups but to ask

claims don't present

the government to become more
involved,

He's suggested to the provin-
cial native affairs. ministry that
it set up prospecting and other
similar programs for natives.so
{hey can gain an appreciation of
the mining industry,

An agreement three years ago
between the Tahltan Tribal
Council. and the Golden ‘Bear

gold mine west of Dease Lake
called for 20 per cent ‘of the»
mine’s workers to come from »

the native community,::\,..
Waterland welcomed : that
kind of agreement, saying it is a

good exaniple of the ktfid of co- -

operation that can happen bet-

ween. industry an ative
BOUPS. ee oe
**T think that in mining and in.

"exploration. there. ie’ much that.
can be sald for local ‘employ.

develops encouraging findings of recent years, are planned for

1991.

a problem |

ment,’* he said.

And although the Tahltan did
block the road leading from
Dease Lake to the mine site pen-
ding a deal on having a Tahltan
company maintain the road,
Waterland conceded that such a
move does draw attention,

Yet averall, Waterland said
road blocks and other tactics,
don’t give rise to a lot of con-
cern in the mining community.

““ hear very few comments
about that. It’s part of the
theatrics. What's going on is
deeper than the surface impres-
sion,” he said.

’ Waterland has been asked to
sit as the Mining Association of

"BC, representative on the new

provincial committee formed to

‘give the government advice on
‘land claimy matters, “