The provincial government has approved a mining permit for the Record Ridge magnesium project near Rossland. In a news release today, the Ministry of Mines said it has given its blessing to Western High Yield’s proposal.
However, the project still has more hurdles to clear: the Ministry of Transportation has to sign off on the use of local roads to ensure mine traffic doesn’t affect safety.
A permit is also required under the Environmental Management Act permit, governing water-management requirements. The province said it’s expected that water management will be continually monitored so long as the mine is active. The mining permit contains some related conditions, the province said.
The government said the project “resembles a typical quarry operation” and won’t need a tailings facility. WHY Resources, which is the project proponent, expects the mine to operate for up to seven months per year.
The Environmental Assessment Office previously concluded that the project doesn’t meet the threshold to trigger a full-blown environmental review.
The Save Record Ridge Action Committee is seeking a judicial review of that decision.
