�ȵ����

VICTORIA — The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has approved an amendment to the Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine environmental assessment certificate, authorizing it to increase production and continue operations until 2035.

The EAO undertook a nine-month review of Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.’s application to continue mining at the site. The review examined potential effects on nearby communities and First Nations, water and fish habitat, air quality and noise, and considered safety risks, First Nations rights and cumulative effects, a release reads.

“As a priority project, the EAO integrated its assessment of the complex project amendment with permitting reviews by the ministries of Mining and Critical Minerals and Environment and Parks into one review,” it adds. “Through this co-ordination, regulatory agencies were able to share expertise and reduce duplication, shaving more than a year off the usual timeline for provincial reviews, while upholding environmental protections and consultation obligations with First Nations. Permitting decisions are expected soon.”

If issued, the permits would include additional requirements for mitigation measures to address the expansion related to waste-rock management, surface and groundwater, air and sound pollution, safety protocols, closure and post-closure water quality, and reclamation requirements.

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. operates the Mt. Milligan copper-gold mine, which is approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Fort St. James. The environmental assessment certificate for Mt. Milligan mine was issued in 2009.

The mine employs approximately 600 people in the region. If all other authorizations are approved, the expansion will generate additional jobs during construction and expanded operations and contribute as much as $450 million in additional economic benefits to the region, the release adds.