Secwepemc dispute with Highland Valley mine active as province speeds up reviews – Infotel.ca
A First Nations land dispute with an expansion at BC’s biggest copper mine is still active despite the province’s attempts to speed up permitting.
Faced with the threat of a U.S. trade war, the provincial government announced more than a dozen mineral and energy projects facing environmental assessments would be fast-tracked, one including Highland Valley Copper near Logan Lake.
The expansion would extend the mine’s lifespan from 2028 to 2040 if approved, but Stk’emlupsemc Te Secwepemc Nation intervened to claim rights to the land, initiating the province’s first under a new dispute resolution process that came into effect last summer.
