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Three Rivers, YTG and the wilderness traveller

This past summer, a consistent refrain from river travellers on the Three Rivers was: “boy oh boy it was beautiful, but there sure was a lot of helicopter and mining exploration activity.” And indeed there was.

Recent upticks in the price of metals and increased access to financing have spurred mining exploration into the far reaches of the territory. With some money in hand, junior mining companies have launched exploration programs in the Three Rivers area of the Peel watershed: Equity Engineering’s Werneckes project; Signet Minerals’ Curie Project; and two Archer Cathro and Associates (1981) Ltd. projects – the Lumina-Delores project and the Igor Uranium project. (Cash Minerals and 27 Capital Corporation hold interests in the Lumina and Igor Uranium projects.)

All four projects were screened by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) and were then approved by the Yukon Territorial Government (YTG)’s Director of Mineral Resources. All four projects relied on helicopter support.

We don’t know which company or which project was responsible for the high level of helicopter activity in the area. But we can tell you that Archer Cathro was required by Yukon Energy Mines and Resources (EMR), Mining Land Use to meet the following conditions:

• “The proponent shall avoid disturbing or harassing wildlife.”
• “Helicopter activity shall be minimized or avoided, if possible, within one (1) km of sheep and caribou activity.”

Equity Engineering was required to meet these conditions:

• “The proponent shall avoid flying low level directly above the river whenever possible.”
• “All possible effort shall be made to avoid disturbing river travelers in the area with helicopter and ATV use.”

Signet Minerals was required to meet these conditions:

• “The proponent shall limit air craft use around wildlife whenever possible.”
• “The proponent shall avoid flying low level flights directly above the River when ever possible.”

YESAB believed that these mitigations “will successfully eliminate, reduce or control potentially significant, adverse effects of the proposed project in relation to tourism.” For its part, YTG concurred and EMR Mining Land Use accepted responsibility for ensuring compliance with these conditions.

Did EMR do its job? According to those who experienced an abundance of helicopter disturbance, YTG’s measures were not mitigating the impact of helicopter overflights, at least on river travellers and Yukon wilderness guides.

Moreover would EMR even know of these impacts, much less whether or not they were being mitigated? Perhaps not!

Yukoners learned in mid-November that EMR Lands did not know that Bonnet Plume Outfitters had built a camp and a substantial lodge overlooking the Bonnet Plume River. The Bonnet Plume is one of Canada’s premiere wilderness rivers and a Canadian Heritage River at that – a river that is supposed to receive a higher standard of care than other wilderness rivers – and EMR evidently was unaware of the lodge’s existence. While local media have been quick to point out the failings of the outfitter, EMR’s dereliction of duty received scarcely a mention.

And what about the mining companies? Were they carrying out their activities with due diligence? In a wilderness setting, we rely on land users, like mining companies, to behave responsibly and to do what they say they will do. Did they?

If EMR has difficulty monitoring and enforcing the simple and straightforward terms and conditions of a mining land use permit, can the public have confidence that the department is capable of properly managing Yukon lands? EMR’s line is that there is no need to keep industry out of sensitive wildlife habitat because they will apply appropriate terms and conditions to land use authorizations.

Because EMR sets the bar, establishing the conditions with which it believes mining companies must comply, it has an obligation to ensure that companies measure up.

If it can’t do its regulatory job properly, maybe our government needs to be much more “prescriptive” about where companies are allowed to operate, and what they can and cannot do. Protecting key habitat and magnificent wild landscapes is one way to ensure that future generations enjoy our natural heritage; heritage at serious risk if EMR continues to drop the ball.