Assertions the New Prosperity Mine would pollute essential waters and turn one nearby lake into a toxic tailings pond have landed an environmental organization in B.C. Supreme Court, defending itself in a defamation lawsuit launched by the project’s proponent.
Taseko Mines Ltd. is seeking damages from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee over comments the Vancouver-based group made in 2012, while the contentious gold-copper mine project proposed in the British Columbia Interior was under environmental review.
Taseko says the comments – that toxic materials would be deposited in Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake, that the mine would pollute a major river system, and that the mine proposal itself is “crazy” – are false and libellous, and have damaged the company’s reputation, and caused it to suffer financially.
While New Prosperity does have supporters in the provincial government and in a number of Cariboo communities, First Nations in the area, the Tsilhqot’in, are vehemently against its development. The federal government turned down the $1.5-billion project, proposed in a remote location in the Chilcotin northwest of 100 Mile House, for the second time in 2014 because of its impact on First Nations and environmental risks.
Brian Battison, Taseko’s vice president of corporate affairs, says the purpose of the lawsuit is to remove “false information” from the New Prosperity debate.
“If you’re committed to the truth, which we are, then you need to defend it when the truth is violated. If you give people all the information, and you’re upfront and truthful with them about mining, they will support the project.”
In a statement, Wilderness Committee’s national campaign director Joe Foy says the court action is actually meant to stifle opposition to the project
“Lawsuits like these eat away at the very foundations of democracy and free speech, which form the basis of our society. We intend to stand our ground.”
The group has started another campaign with the slogan: “The right to speak: more precious than gold.”
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, spoke out in support of the Wilderness Committee in a statement.
“The fight to protect Teztan Biny [Fish Lake] is not just about a mine, it’s about upholding First Nations’ title and rights. The stated positions of First Nations and the carefully considered opinions of environmental groups, like the Wilderness Committee, are vital, and should never be allowed to be smothered by deliberate legal intimidation.”
Battison is dismissive of the criticism.
“Certainly everyone would defend free speech, but free speech doesn’t supersede liable,” he says.
“You can’t go around making up tales that are untrue. Nor can you make up stories and tales and untruths about a project as important as New Prosperity.”
The defamation hearing, which started on Jan. 19, is expected to last a couple of weeks. The B.C. government recently granted a five-year extension to the New Prosperity Mine Project’s environmental assessment certificate.
