Barkerville Gold Mines, owned by Osisko Development Corporation has been granted an operating permit under the Mines Act for its Cariboo Gold Mine in Wells.
It’s an underground mine that will employ approximately 634 people during construction and see an initial investment of $137 million and another $918 million over the life of the mine.
The project will have the capacity to process approximately 1.1 million tonnes per year of gold-bearing ore and will include underground mining over 16 years.
It will include ore milling at the Quesnel River Mine approximately 58 kilometres southeast of Quesnel, storage of waste rock at the Bonanza Ledge Mine near Barkerville, and a transmission line from the Quesnel area to the mine.
In a release from the Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals it stated a permit under the Environmental Management Act (EMA) for the Cariboo Gold project is under consideration with a statutory decision-maker in the Ministry of Environment and Parks and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.
The permit would provide authority for the company to introduce wastes into the environment while protecting public health and the environment.
The Ministry stated this is the first project entirely assessed under the new 2018 Environmental Assessment Act that has been granted a Mines Act permit.
The Environmental Assessment Office completed its assessment of the mine project with extensive consultation from experts, First Nations, including the Lhtako Dene, Xatsull, and Williams Lake First Nations, government agencies and the public.
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