UPDATED: Record Ridge project receives mining permit

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 West High Yield’s proposal.

On its website, WHY Resources hailed the approval as a “transformational milestone” that followed “years of rigorous environmental review, detailed technical evaluation, and extensive Indigenous and community engagement.”

“This major milestone represents years of disciplined technical, regulatory, and community collaboration,” said president and CEO Frank Marasco.

“The permit validates the strength of our project, our team, and our long-term vision. With this authorization, we are now positioned to move from permitting into construction — a transformative step for the company and all its stakeholders.”

Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie also said on the company’s website that he was pleased to see the project receive approval.

“We are demonstrating that responsible development and Indigenous economic leadership can go hand in hand,” he said. “This project brings opportunity, training, and long-term benefits for our people and the entire region. OIB will continue to work with the company and regulators to ensure the project’s impacts are managed and the environment protected.”

The government said the project “resembles a typical quarry operation” and won’t need a tailings facility. WHY Resources expects the mine to operate for up to seven months per year.

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 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. Elissa Ferguson said her group finds the granting of the mining permit  “deeply disappointing,” but “not at all unexpected.”  

She said they have been preparing for the outcome for several weeks. 

“I was hopeful that our government was going to make a decision that was in line with the act and their responsibilities, but every action that has been taken to date seems to suggest that the system is built more to approve a project than support a community who is in opposition to a project for valid reasons,” she said. 

Ferguson said they expect to file another legal challenge against the permit decision, as they feel potential impacts to human health from contaminated airborne dust and contaminated water haven’t been properly assessed. 

“Therefore, we feel we have a very strong case for a judicial review of this permitting decision,” she said. 

She added the decision to grant the permit disregards the wishes of other Indigenous nations, as well as the City of Rossland and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. 

(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly referred to the project proponent as Western High Yield.)