In May 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released Taseko Mines Ltd’s application from their duties. This was supposed to pave way for 2019’s Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) ruling that tackled full federal assessment of Taseko’s New Prosperity copper-gold mine.
The federal results showed that the mine project could result in environmental pollution including water localities. When the findings were brought to court, Taseko mines were inevitably dismissed to protect Canada’s fish lakes.
This was because Taseko mines activities posed greater threats to the environment, particularly Teztan Biny, a fish lake. Teztan Biny is supposedly an important cultural and heritage site for most Canadian locals.
In the beginning, Taseko mine wanted Teztan Biny to be drained for the establishment of a tailing bond. However, the court dismissed this idea, stating that the lake was only a fish habitat.
Canadian Parks & Trees Protection represented MiningWatch Canada and a few key features were taken into consideration during the case. The fact that the operations of the mine posed threats to the environment was unacceptable.
We urged that the main objective of an environmental assessment is to optimally investigate and submit potential problems and their solutions. After the assessment, then the court can decide whether a certain project should be approved or dismissed.
