Lower Similikameen Indian Band (LSIB)鈥檚 chief asked a mining executive to 鈥減resent the facts and the truth鈥� about waste spills from the Copper Mountain Mine as the company seeks to expand its operations in sm菨lqm铆x homelands.
During a community meeting last week, Keith Crow also reiterated that LSIB still 鈥渄oes not consent鈥� to , which would include extending a tailings dam in the vicinity of the Similkameen River.
Project owner , an old part of the mine, to extend the mine鈥檚 lifespan 鈥� which Crow said his community still 鈥渄oes not consent鈥� to during a community meeting on June 12 with company officials.
鈥淚t sounds like you鈥檙e moving forward already with the Ingerbelle,鈥� Crow said.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 approved yet. So what does that mean? I鈥檓 asking that question because we haven鈥檛 fully endorsed or approved 鈥� but you鈥檙e moving forward.鈥�
The mining company held a separate meeting with Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB) earlier the same week.
鈥淭oronto鈥�-based Hudbay Minerals bought the project in 2023, and became the project鈥檚 sole owner this year. It extracts more than 45,000 tonnes of copper a year from the about 20 kilometres south of 鈥淧rinceton, B.C.鈥�
Crow鈥檚 comments came after executives with Hudbay gave LSIB members an update on details of their revised expansion application.
Mine released unauthorized waste last month
But the tensest moments at the Hudbay meeting occurred when a resident asked about mine waste spills in sm菨lqm铆x homelands.
The meeting took place less than a month after the mine released waste twice without government approval 鈥� with two unauthorized discharges a week apart, on May 22 and May 29, according to the province.
The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks told IndigiNews that the May 22 incident 鈥� caused by a pump failure 鈥� dumped about 3,000 litres of mine tailings waste into an area beside the Similkameen River.
The province said it鈥檚 unknown if the waste entered the river, or was absorbed into the ground.
鈥淚t is unlikely that it reached the river, but due to the area鈥檚 difficult terrain and dense vegetation, it cannot be known with certainty,鈥� said a provincial spokesperson in a statement.
One week later, during maintenance work on a seepage collection ditch to the mine鈥檚 east by Copper Mountain Road, a pipe failed and released even more into the environment 鈥� about 5,600 litres of mine contact water, the province estimated.
鈥淭his area is not located near the Similkameen River,鈥� said the spokesperson.
鈥淏oth unauthorized discharges have been determined to be low risk to human or environmental health based on the volume, duration, and characteristics of the discharges.鈥�
For LSIB鈥檚 Crow, these two incidents 鈥渞econfirmed why鈥� there鈥檚
But when a community member asked John Ritter, vice-president of Hudbay鈥檚 鈥淏.C.鈥� business unit, about any spills from the mine in recent years, he replied that there were only six reported unauthorized mine spills since 2016.
鈥淭hat is not correct, that鈥檚 a lie. I鈥檒l say that flatout,鈥� Crow said, alleging the mine had more than six unauthorized discharge or spill events in that timeframe.
鈥淚 want the truth and I want the facts. Please present the facts and the truth. And if you don鈥檛, I will.鈥�
At the meeting, Ritter clarified that he 鈥渕eant releases, spills reported to the government,鈥� acknowledging that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot more releases鈥� beyond what鈥檚 reported to the province.
In an email to IndigiNews, Ritter said there was 鈥渟ome misunderstanding鈥� regarding his response to the question about spills at the mine.
According to Ritter, mine spills are tracked in two categories. Category one spills are 鈥渞eported releases or exceedances that received administrative penalties.鈥�
Meanwhile, category two spills are 鈥渞eported releases or exceedances that did not result in administrative penalties.鈥�
Since 2016, there have been seven category one spills, and 51 category two spills, he said.
鈥淒uring the meeting, I was specifically referencing category one incidents. Based on the information I had at the time, I cited six unauthorized releases. After reviewing additional data this morning, I can confirm the correct number is seven,鈥� Ritter said in a June 19 email.
鈥淗owever, Chief Crow was referring to both categories combined, and he is correct that the overall number is higher 鈥� which I acknowledged during the discussion.鈥�
He added that 鈥渢ransparency and environment stewardship鈥� are among the mine鈥檚 top priorities.
鈥淲e report all spills 鈥� regardless of whether they are formally reportable to the ministry to ensure we can identify root causes and implement effective mitigation measures to prevent recurrence,鈥� he said.
鈥淔inally, I would like to note that Chief Crow and I had a respectful and constructive discussion regarding continuing to work collaboratively on this important topic moving forward.鈥�
In 2024, the provincial Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy issued six fines to Copper Mountain Mine totalling $105,348.
, which occurred between 2019-2022, all relate to the mine鈥檚 unauthorized seepage and discharge of toxic waste from its tailings pond into the surrounding waterways of the Similkameen River and Wolfe Creek.
In 2021, the mine at one point exceeded the legal limit of copper waste discharged from its tailings pond into Wolfe Creek by more than 4,500 per cent.
鈥榃e have a lot of work to do,鈥� says mine VP
Hudbay submitted its revised application in March, which is now being considered by the province鈥檚 Mine Review Committee, as well as USIB and LSIB. A technical review of the proposal is also expected to go through several rounds of evaluations this summer and fall.
鈥淚 just want to be clear, at this moment, we do not consent,鈥� Crow said. 鈥淲e have more work to do to get to that point. And then we have to provide that information to our members, and take it to a vote.鈥�
The LSIB leader added that, if and when his community decides to vote on the mine expansion, 鈥淚f it鈥檚 a no, it鈥檚 a no,鈥� he warned.
鈥淲e have to stand behind that 鈥� but if it鈥檚 a yes, it鈥檚 a yes, and we move forward. But there鈥檚 a lot for us to get to that point.鈥�
While a potential community vote wouldn鈥檛 take place until later this year, Crow said Hudbay has 鈥渕ajor hurdles鈥� to go through if it wants to get either communities鈥� approval.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a long way for them to go,鈥� he said.
Ritter said getting the First Nation鈥檚 approval of the proposal is a 鈥渃onsent-based process.鈥�
If the community votes against it, he said, the company has a 鈥渄ispute resolution mechanism鈥� within its process.
鈥淪o it would go to the dispute resolution,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd then from there we鈥檒l see what happens.鈥�
Located on sm菨lqm铆x homelands in syilx territory, the area now known as Copper Mountain Mine has seen mining operations since 1923.
Different companies have passed around ownership of the project throughout the last century, with the mine experiencing intervals of on-and-off activity.
During the June 12 company presentation, Ritter and other Hudbay staff detailed what the approved revival of the Ingerbelle Pit would entail for the mine鈥檚 operations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to press here that we鈥檙e not finished,鈥� Ritter said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to give the impression that we are finished 鈥� we have a lot of work to do.鈥�
Expanding the mine would not create any new mill or processing facility, he said, but the existing tailings management facility would need to be expanded.
LSIB, USIB and several conservation groups have all called on the provincial government to order an environmental assessment for the mine expansion 鈥� citing concerns about its size, towering tailings dam, and proximity to the Similkameen River.
But the province decided last year no such review is required.
鈥极辫别苍&苍产蝉辫;蹿辞谤&苍产蝉辫;产耻蝉颈苍别蝉蝉鈥�
Hudbay also plans to build a bridge over the Similkameen River to connect the Ingerbelle Pit to the rest of its mine operation, as well as new water management infrastructure to collect surface water leaving the mine site from the Ingerbelle Pit.
Ritter also revealed Hudbay now has full ownership over the operation, after buying out Japanese giant Mitsubishi Materials鈥� 25 per cent share of the project.
鈥淭hat really gives us a lot more control,鈥� said Ritter. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need to ask for permission.鈥�
If the Ingerbelle proposal is approved, the New Ingerbelle project would add 10 years of mining to the overall operation, extending its life to 2037, according to Hudbay.
But if the proposal is rejected, mining operations could end as early as 2027, the firm said, although it could process low-grade ore for 鈥渟everal additional years.鈥�
Asked if there are any entrepreneurship opportunities at the mine, Ritter said his company is 鈥渙pen for business.鈥�
鈥淸On] behalf of myself and the team, we are committed to working together,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need your collaboration to make this a better project and journey very forward.鈥�
Of the nearly 830 people employed at the mine, only 27 are members from either USIB and LSIB, according to Hudbay.
Ritter pointed to what he called the project鈥檚 鈥減urpose statement,鈥� which he described as 鈥減rotect the people, the communities and the planet.鈥�
But increasing the size of the mine鈥檚 tailings dam to accommodate the expansion remains a top concern for many in downriver First Nations.
In 2022, the Colville Confederated Tribes of what might happen if the Copper Mountain Mine鈥檚 tailings dam were to fail.
According to the report, if a breach happened it 鈥渃ould release a debris flow鈥� exceeding 10 metres deep, 鈥渟everal times greater than the largest flood ever recorded in the town of Princeton.鈥�
Simulations conducted for the study estimated such a flow of debris would bring 鈥渓ife-threatening peak flows鈥� to the town within just a few hours.
Asked about such concerns over possible fatalities from a potential dam breach, Ritter replied that 鈥渘o people are going to die.鈥�
Two public open-house meetings regarding Hudbay鈥檚 proposed Ingerbelle expansion will be hosted in USIB and LSIB next month, on July 8 and 9.
