Tsilhqot’in Chiefs present to Williams Lake Council

TŜILHQOT’IN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

253 – 4^th Avenue North s Williams Lake, BC V2G 4T4 s Phone (250) 392-3918 s Fax (250) 398-5798

Media Advisory

Williams Lake, B.C. (December 3, 2012):  The Tsilhqot’in Chiefs will be presenting to Williams Lake’s City Council tomorrow, Tuesday December 4^th, at 6 p.m., on their Nation’s opposition to the “new” Prosperity Mine Proposal.  The Tsilhqot’in Chiefs are proud to have alongside them Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Chief Bob Chamberlin, who along with Chief Marilyn Baptiste represent the Executive from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

The Tsilhqot’in will be walking to City Hall shortly before their presentation from their offices at 253 4^thAvenue North, alongside non-First Nation citizens and groups including the Council of Canadians and Fish Lake Alliance. 

The presentation is being made days after the Federal Review Panel charged with assessing the impacts from Taseko Mines Ltd.’s proposed “New” Prosperity mine has issued a statement of ‘major deficiencies’ in the company’s Environmental Impact Statement. 

Media Contacts:

Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair:  250-305-8282, or 250-394-4212

Chief Marilyn Baptiste, Xeni Gwet’in: 250-267-1401

J.P. Laplante

Mining, Oil and Gas Manager

Tsilhqot’in National Government

253 4^th Ave North, Wiliams Lake BC V2G 4T4

Tel: 250-392-3918

Fax: 250-398-5798

Email: jlaplante@tsilhqotin.ca

Chief Marilyn Baptiste and Chief Francis Laceese

Living Democracy from the Ground Up: Part 1

Watch this new video from the Tsilhqot'in

What is at stake if we allow our voices to be silenced in decisions that affect our communities? Watch the Living Democracy from the Ground Up series, learn more & take action at: http://www.envirolawsmatter.ca

In this video, Chief Marilyn Baptiste and Chief Francis Laceese discuss their committment to preventing the "New Prosperity Mine" be built in the upper Chilko River watershed. 

Taseko Prosperity Mine Not a Done Deal

Chief Alphonse Sees Dim Future For Taseko's Prosperity Mine

BY CHIEF JOE ALPHONSE, 

VANCOUVER SUN OCTOBER 5, 2012

Re: New Prosperity will live up to its name, Sept. 20, and responsible mining begins before opening and ends long after closure, Sept. 27

The Prosperity Mine proposal and its prospects are far from a done deal.

First, the proposal is one which the company itself, and Environment Canada, initially claimed would be worse for the environment than the original plan that was soundly rejected by the federal government in 2010.

Since then, the company has tried to revise that claim. Earlier this summer, the company submitted an environmental-impact statement (EIS) which was rejected by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) and the relevant government ministries. The company received 250 criticisms dealing with major inaccuracies, omissions, failures to address issues outlined for it in February, and poor, often unreadable, drafting.

The above are all matters of verifiable public record.

Mr. Russell Hallbauer, president and CEO of Taseko Mines Ltd., says these issues have now all been addressed, but that claim has been made before and proved wrong. CEAA and other parties will review the new EIS and even if it is accepted as the basis for hearings, it will then have to stand up to public scrutiny. So will its economic claims and feasibility studies. We have analyses raising detailed specific problems with these economic reports, which at the hearings stage will not so easily be dismissed with platitudes.

Signed

Chief Joe Alphonse Tribal chair, Tsilhqot'in National Government

Alexis Creek First Nation Opposed to New Prosperity Mine

Alexis Creek First Nation Press Release:

Tsilhqot’in Leaders and Communities fully opposed to “New” Prosperity Mine

Ervin Charleyboy does not speak for the Tsilhqot’in Nation

Alexis Creek BC (October 2, 2012):  Today the elected Chief and Council of the Alexis Creek First Nation (“Tsi Del Del”), one of the six Tsilhqot’in communities, called on Taseko Mines Ltd. to halt its desperate tactics that are being employed to promote its 3^rd attempt to obtain federal approval for its proposed copper and gold mine at Teztan Biny (Fish Lake). 

In recent interviews and news releases, Taseko Mines and the former Alexis Creek Chief Ervin Charleyboy have emphasized Charleyboy’s support for the “new” Prosperity Mine proposal.  The news releases show that Taseko Mines has close ties with Charleyboy; in fact, in a press release issued by Charleyboy he praises Taseko Mine’s water management plans – plans that had yet to be publicly released or even provided to the Tsilhqot’in Chiefs. 

“With all due respect to the long years of service from Ervin Charleyboy, he is neither a spokesperson nor an elected representative of the Alexis Creek First Nation or the Tsilhqot’in Nation.  The Alexis Creek First Nation is opposed to the mine, and takes exception to Ervin’s attempts to portray young band members working on a fish habitat project for Ervin as a “youth committee” and an endorsement of the company’s mine proposal,” said Alexis Creek Chief Percy Guichon. 

“The Tsilhqot’in people have spoken loud and clear: they do not want a project of this size, with such environmental risk and in an area as important as Fish Lake.  We welcome other opportunities to develop mining projects in less sensitive areas, but the Tsilhqot’in Nation is fully opposed to this project,” said Tsilhqot’in Nation Tribal Chair Chief Joe Alphonse. 

Chief Alphonse: “Ervin is free to speak his mind.  He is entitled to his opinion.    But he should not be confused as a spokesperson for our communities.  He is not.  There is overwhelming opposition in our communities to this mine, and it is shameful that the company is stooping to quoting one individual’s support in its press releases.” 

Chief Guichon:  “The Tsilhqot’in are participating in good faith in the federal. environmental panel review.  We are confident that this new Panel will see through the company’s desperate tactics and its version of the mine already deemed worse for the environment.  What is clear to us from all of this is that Taseko Mines Ltd. lacks a social license to operate, and is desperate enough to seize on individuals acting alone to advance an illusion of community support.”

Media Contacts: Chief Percy Guichon:      250-267-2507 (cell)          250-481-3335 (alternate)             
Chief Joe Alphonse:        250-305-8282 (cell)          250-392-3918 (alternate)

MiningWatch Canada Flags Prosperity Mine Risks

Prosperity Mine Too Risky for Investors

MiningWatch Canada today issued a statement that Taseko Mines' proposed Prosperity Mine is at too great a risk of not being approved to be a good investment.

MiningWatch Canada put forward the following points to back up its claim:

1. Taseko's New Prosperity Project continues to face major challenges in obtaining necessary environmental approvals. 

2. The New Prosperity does not have and is unlikely to get a social licence to operate from the affected First Nations communities and Aboriginal governments. 

3. The New Prosperity capital and operating cost estimates do not include key factors that will affect the economic viability of the project and share price volatility is likely to continue. 

4. Political support from provincial and federal governments for the New Prosperity Project is uncertain.

5. The fierce opposition to this project from Aboriginal peoples and environmental organizations may result in lengthy litigation and could have implications for the future of other extraction projects in BC.

The site mentions that Taseko Mines has over 55% of its net assets listed in the Prosperity Mine project, which still faces an environmental review process that it has failed once already.

The Canadian Pension Plan holds about $4 million worth of Taseko Mines shares and MiningWatch Canada is in the process of notifying them of their analysis.

Teztan Biny Supporter Fundraising

Tsilhqot'in National Government Seeks Donations

This just in from J.P. Laplante at TNG:

Dear Teztan Biny Supporters,

I’m writing to ask you to consider donating in support of the Tsilhqot’in effort to protect Teztan Biny, and to share this email and web-link with others who may be like-minded.

Last month, we were added to the “Small Change Fund”, which is an organization and website that highlights specific grassroots fundraising efforts.  The full description of the project we are fundraising for can be found here:  http://smallchangefund.org/projects/saving-fish-lake-from-open-pit-mining-raise-our-voices/
 Through the Small Change Fund, we are fundraising for a media-training workshop to initiate a Tsilhqot’in youth film contest.  We had intended to deliver this workshop at the 2012 Teztan Gathering, but due to constraints we were unable to do so.  Regardless, we continue to fundraise to deliver the workshop and contest in the fall and winter.  Our objective is that the videos produced by Tsilhqot’in youth can act as a means to get their voices heard on the issue of Teztan Biny/Fish Lake, as well as other important topics that face Tsilhqot’in youth today.  As demonstrated at this year’s Gathering, the youth have an important and powerful role to play in protecting their own future, and you can assist by making the workshop and contest a reality. Chief Marilyn Baptiste has already donated $1000 as prize money for the contest. We now need to fundraise to deliver the workshop and the contest.  We are also looking for workshop facilitators (film-makers, technicians) and volunteers to help in the organizing.  My contact information is below if you have any questions. Please consider sharing this with others who may be interested in helping!
Best,

J.P. LaplanteMining, Oil and Gas Manager
Tsilhqot’in National Government
253 4^th Ave North, Wiliams Lake BC V2G 4T4
Tel: 250-392-3918Fax: 250-398-5798Email: jlaplante@tsilhqotin.ca

Taseko Mines New Prosperity Website

Is Taseko Mines' New Prosperity Medium the Message?

Taseko Mines has a new website for the "New Prosperity" Mine proposal. I reached it by clicking on a Google Ad from a Google Search page.

It's green and glossy, kind of like Enbridge's Gateway Pipeline videos and websites, although they really go overboard showing scenes like this:

The Taseko Code

What I really found interesting though is in the code of the site. I know this is geeky but look at the keywords Taseko is using to attract web searchers to their site:

meta name="description" content="Taseko mines, Taseko, prosperity mine, prosperity, Aboriginal mining, Aboriginal, Gold & copper mining, Gold mining, Copper mining Gold, Copper, mining British Columbia." 

Ok, it's probably easier to look at them this way:

New Prosperity's Keywords

• Taseko mines, 
• Taseko, 
• prosperity mine, 
• prosperity, 
• Aboriginal mining, 
• Aboriginal, 
• Gold & copper mining, 
• Gold mining, 
• Copper mining Gold, 
• Copper, 
• mining British Columbia

Note the use of "Aboriginal" and "Aboriginal Mining".  I suppose they are hoping that people searching for linkages between Aboriginal people and mining will find their site.

The site has discussions going on the mine, question and answer stuff. Below is a clip of some of the comments and responses:

The site also makes the claim that it is good for Aboriginal people:

I always find it interesting when one group claims it knows what is good for another. Commenters on the New Prosperity website state unequivocally that First Nations never even went there (ever) until the lake was stocked 20 years ago.

Everyone has a right to disagree with a mine like Taseko Mines' Prosperity project. And if it's your backyard you have even more of a say. If it's a spiritual place for you and your community, well no one can take that away or disavow it.