Prime Minister David Eby has presented his plan to accelerate mining development in northwestern BC to boost the provincial economy. But the announcement was eclipsed by the growing opposition to a controversial law that will accelerate infrastructure and resources projects.
Eby says that it has a plan to allow the province to accelerate the mining development in the northwest of BC, while respecting the rights of the first nations and retains the sensitive BC ecosystems.
“The high environmental standards and associations with the first nations do not disagree with the development of resources,” Eby said at a press conference over the port of Vancouver on Monday.
“Here in British Columbia, economic development, precious water and land conservation and association with the first nations go together.”
“The northwest is rich in critical minerals and metals that are the basic components of much of the technology in which we trust our lives today, and are also essential for new technologies that will boost our lives in the future. From cars and electric batteries to wind turbines and solar panels, we cannot do it without these resources.”
At stake, he says, it is almost $ 50 billion in economic potential and tens of thousands of high jobs in payment.
The key to the Government’s Economic Growth Plan is the bill 15. It is a controversial proposed legislation that would give the cabinet the power to accelerate public infrastructure projects such as schools and hospitals, and “provincially significantly significant” private resource projects such as critical mineral mines.
Indigenous leaders, environmental groups and the union of the municipalities of BC say that the NDP government is being able to promote resource projects with limited consultations or ecological safeguards.
The head of the first nations of Tartlip, Don Tom, called EBY a “snake oil seller” whose promise to the first nations that will be consulted on important projects that equals “trusting us, brother.”
“Trust has broken between the first nations and the government of David Eby,” Tom said.
“All the promises they made during the campaign the past fall have gone out the window. They say damn the environment, at full speed.”
All points of the West7:43The Tartlip chief says that bill 15 of the province is a government overreach and decreases associations with the first nations
The head of Tartlip First Nation, Don Tom, is raising the concerns of his community with the new infrastructure project law of the province (Bill 15), which could be used to accelerate the main projects from schools to pipes. He spoke with the guest presenter Kathryn Marlow.
Eby says that government economic plans for mining are not related to the proposed law.
“There is no connection between bill 15 and today’s announcement,” he said.
That, despite the fact that the mines are a key example cited at the EBY press conference on May 1, when he announced the bill.
Eby acknowledged that a mining project could be considered “provincially significant” and, therefore, accelerated under that same bill.
“We theoretically, if the bill passes, opportunities under bill 15,” Eby said in response to a CBC News question. “But even if the bill 15 did not exist, we would still be making this announcement today.”
The Mineral Exploration Association said in a statement that so that the strategy proposed by the province for mining exploration is successful, “it must be an open and transparent process that includes the mineral exploration sector at the table with the government, the first nations and other partners.”
“We want to see our lives change for better,” said Beverly Slater, president of the Central Government of Talhtan.
In 2023, the Central Government of Tahltan and the province reached a cooperation agreement at the Red Chris Gold and Copper mine located in the Tahltan territory.
However, none of the leaders of the first nations at the press conference wanted to speak publicly about bill 15 when CBC News asked him.
The MLAs are ready to vote in the final stage of the bill this week.
Don Tom says that if it happens, the groups of the first nations are prepared to launch legal actions.
