Image Credit: Contributed by Teck Highland Valley Copper

The planned expansion of a massive mine near Logan Lake is caught in the crossfire as First Nations in the region claim rightful title to the land.

Highland Valley Copper, Canada's largest open-pit copper mines, is poised for expansion as it works through the province's environmental assessment process. It would add 758 hectares to the nearly 7,000-hectare site and extend its lifespan from a 2028 closure to 2040.

The province has brought in a third-party lawyer to manage Indigenous land claims to the area after Kamloops-area First Nations filed a dispute on Nov. 29, according to provincial government records.

Stk’emlupsemc te Secwépemc Nation, an organized entity between Tk'emlups te Secwepemc and Skeetchestn Indian Band, called for dispute resolution, but it wasn't without objection.

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Although the process is now started, other First Nations in the region have met with provincial officials several times from November 2023 to October 2024 to outline "outstanding issues" related to the mine expansion and "continued infringement" by the Secwepemc Nation, according to a letter issued to the BC environmental assessment office.

In a letter dated Nov. 22, the Secwepemc land claims were criticized as "erroneous misrepresentations," according to the Citxw Nlaka'pamux Assembly. It's a Merritt-based group which combined eight participating Bands in 2013, including Ashcroft, Boston Bar and Cook's Ferry Indian bands.

The letter also gave conditional approval for the expansion as long as Highland Valley and its parent company Teck adhere to compliance and reporting requirements.

Two other Nlaka'pamux bands, the Kanaka Bar First Nation and Lower Nicola Indian Bands, are not part of the assembly and separately sent letters to the environmental assessment office.

Lower Nicola hasn't come to a decision yet on the environmental impacts of the mine, but it did claim to be the "most significantly impacted" nation by mine expansion. Kanaka Bar, meanwhile, gave approval with conditions, including stipulations that the ministry and Teck keep the band informed, while the mining company should also work with its manager for land stewardship.

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The dispute filed by the Secwepemc Nation started a process for which the province had to assign a third-party facilitator to settle the dispute between it and Teck over its potential environmental impacts.

According to its letter to the province, the Secwepemc Nation found "significant non-consensus and differences" between its own report and the assessment office's "with respect to impacts of the (expansion) on (the Secwepemc Nations's) Aboriginal Rights and Title."

In its own report published in November, the Secwepemc Nation said the land and lakes near the mine are historically significant to Secwepemc culture, while risks of pollution threaten the environment and waterways. The safeguards and shutdown plans were not adequate to address the environmental risks, especially with the tailing ponds, according to the Secwepemc Nation report.

Its letter to the province asked that the federal government, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, be included in the assessment.

The province tapped Aaron Bruce, a Squamish lawyer, who specializes in Indigenous rights law. According to his website, he also participates in committees that advise several government groups, including BC's environmental assessment office.

In preparing to get approval for the expansion, Teck consultation with First Nations at the end of 2022. By that time it had gone through four years of preliminary work for the environmental assessment.

The mine employs more than 1,300 people and fills 70 commercial truckloads per day with ore that is sold overseas to be smelted. If approved, the mine would likely only hire more people for construction as its footprint is expanded.

Highland Valley Copper has seven pits, but just three of those are currently being mined. More than 1,800 hectares of the mine area has already been closed and re-vegetated for more than two years.

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