Tahltan Nation applauds Province’s Moratorium on Jade Extraction
Press Release
May 24, 2024 – The Tahltan Nation applauds Premier David Eby, and two of his core Ministers, Minister Josie Osborne, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation and Minister Nathan Cullen, Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship, for working with the Tahltan Nation to establish an immediate Environment and Land Use Act order prohibiting jade mining activities on new tenures in Tahltan Territory, thereby demonstrating and honouring the Province’s commitments to reconciliation and to the environment.
The Tahltan Nation has a long history of working with those in the exploration and mining industry who follow our laws, principles, and practices, including protecting our wildlife, fish, environment, and culture.
The exploration and mining industry in Tahltan Territory is highly regulated and provides benefits to the Tahltan Nation and the citizens of BC, including generating hundreds of millions of dollars of tax benefits.
The extraction of Jade, on the other hand, is quasi-unregulated and performed only on a seasonal basis with minimal seasonal workers. It extracts millions of dollars of resources from Tahltan Territory and the Province of BC with zero benefits going to the Tahltan Nation and negative benefits to the Province of BC; indeed, the cost of permitting and regulating the extraction of Jade in Tahltan Territory costs the Province of BC more than it gets in return. What is more, in many instances the environmental liability left behind by these operators will be a future financial burden for all BC taxpayers.
“The Tahltan Nation supports the moratorium issued by the province on May 10th which is a clear message to those extracting Jade in Tahltan Territory that their old ways of doing business are no longer acceptable and that the right side of history is free, prior, and informed consent.” Heather Hawkins, acting President, Tahltan Central Government
Determining the future of jade extraction requires thoughtful consideration of its historical performance, challenges, benefits, risks, and evaluating the feasibility of adopting a fresh approach rooted in reconciliation.
ABOUT THE TAHLTAN NATION
The Tahltan Central Government (TCG) is the administrative governing body of the Tahltan Nation. The Iskut Band and the Tahltan Band continue to govern Tahltan interests with respect to the Indian Act in the communities of Iskut, Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek. The TCG is the representative government of the Tahltan Nation with respect to the inherent and collective Aboriginal title and rights shared by all Tahltan people.
The Tahltan Nation’s Territory spans 95,933 square km of Northwest British Columbia or the equivalent of 11 per cent of the province. Tahltan Territory includes 70 per cent of BC’s Golden Triangle – a world-class mining jurisdiction with a thriving mineral exploration sector. For more information, visit: www.tahltan.org.
For further information, please contact:
Communications Advisor
Tahltan Central Government
604-351-0726
communicationsadvisor@tahltan.org
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