The Province and the Tahltan Central Government today entered into a bilateral agreement that establishes an engagement framework related to the ongoing construction, operation and closure of the Red Chris Mine.

The bilateral agreement was signed by Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett and Tahltan Central Government President Chad Day.

(flickr.com)

Key elements of the bilateral agreement include:

• Provides the Tahltan with a formal venue through which they can raise matters pertaining to the mine and work with the Province to develop appropriate actions to address these matters. 
• A formal engagement framework between the Province and the Tahltan for permit and Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) amendments for provincial authorizations pertaining to the Red Chris Mine. The framework does not extend to decisions related to potential mine expansions.
• Specifies the Tahltan’s role in compliance and monitoring requirements. This includes providing the Tahltan with the opportunity to directly participate in environmental, geotechnical and reclamation inspections. 
• In addition, the Province will provide the Tahltan with relevant information on an annual basis to assess and track the status of all permit conditions, EAC conditions and other provincial requirements.
• Identifies emergency intervention procedures for the Province and Tahltan to ensure the health, safety, and security of personnel and to address any immediate, ongoing harm to the environment.

This bilateral agreement fits within the broader reconciliation agreement that the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation is currently negotiating on behalf of the Province. The Province also signed a mining related revenue sharing agreement with the Tahltan Nation in 2015, which provides a portion of the mineral tax revenue collected from the Red Chris Mine to the Tahltan.