EDITORIAL PAGE — Better than nothing, but not much (September 04, 1995)

It will be hard, perhaps even impossible, for some people to accept the recent compensation agreement for the 1993 expropriation of the Windy Craggy copper deposit in northwestern British Columbia.

The decision to lock up one of the province’s richest resources in a park will particularly rankle those who worked hard, over the course of many years, to explore and advance the deposit to the feasibility stage.

Those opposed to the project had argued that there were serious technical deficiencies in the mine proposal brought forward by Geddes Resources to the government for project approval. But even if one accepts this argument, which may have some merit, the government could have refused to permit the project until those deficiencies had been addressed . . . even if this meant the deposit would not be mined in this century.

Had the government taken this approach, Windy Craggy would still be a valuable mineral asset of benefit to future generations. Instead, it is a lost opportunity, and part of a park that few British Columbians will ever visit. Indeed, it is a park people will be encouraged not to visit, so as not to compromise its perceived value as a wilderness preserve.

But crying over spilt milk is an unproductive pastime. Life must go on, and the $104-million settlement agreement, while less than perfect, does breathe some new life into British Columbia’s mining industry.

The agreement sets the stage for Geddes’ largest shareholder, Royal Oak Mines, to acquire the North and South Kemess copper-gold deposits. And it means the government will fund infrastructure costs, including a powerline, to develop the mine. If all goes as planned, Kemess will produce 213,000 oz. gold and 15 million lb. copper per year over its 15-year life.

The end result is that British Columbia will have a new mine, and possibly more, if Royal Oak develops other projects, such as its newly acquired Red Mountain gold deposit near Stewart.

Finally, as the province’s mines minister, Anne Edwards, told The Northern Miner recently, this allows the government the opportunity to follow through on its promise of fair compensation for the expropriation of Windy Craggy. Granted, the deal may not please everyone, but it is better than no deal at all.