A proposed open-pit gold and copper mine could be given the go-ahead as early as Friday, despite opposition from First Nations and findings by a federal review panel that it would pose significant harm to the environment.
The Taseko Mines Prosperity project slated for the Nemiah Valley, about 160 km southwest of Williams Lake in British Columbia, would span 35 square km and include an access road, a mill, and 125-km-long power transmission line.
The $800 million project would drain pristine Fish Lake—renowned for its rainbow trout, use Little Fish Lake and Fish Creek as tailings ponds, and contaminate other nearby bodies of water.
The project has already passed a provincial environmental assessment and now hinges on the federal government’s decision.
