IAAC File 83495 - Spanish Mountain Gold (SMG) Mine proposal Comments on Early Engagement/Initial Project Description

Preliminary concerns from Doug Watt, Likely BC

1. The SMG slide presentation started with some pretty pictures of lakes and animals, but should also include pictures of the massive development that will occur with heaps of waste rock, tails dams and industrial roads that will be the ongoing legacy of the proposed mine.
2. It has been at least 8 - 10 years since there SMG held a public meeting for the residents of Likely, and to suddenly spring this time-limited comment period with no prior warning is inappropriate and disingenuous of the proponent. I don’t want to hear the “covid excuse” as SMG has apparently been meeting with the First Nations community.
3. SMG did not even provide local communities with postal notices until I suggested it to Doug Ramsey after I became aware of the impending EA process had commenced.
4. There are many seasonal residents of the area who will have had no knowledge of the EA process commencing or opportunity to provide comments.
5. I understand that the Likely-Xatsul Community Forest, local forest tenure holder within which the SMG is located, has not had any meetings or information from the proponent prior to this EA process commencing.
6. Prior to the Virtual Information sessions, which I was not able to attend, I requested from IAAC by email, that they be made available on-line for streaming later. I never received a reply. The SMG presentation is available, but what about the question and answer sessions (if there were any)?
7. The proposed SMG minesite is nominally located about 6 Km from Likely, but in fact it’s effective area of impact will stretch from Likely Gulch/Likely Airport for about 8 Km towards Winkley Creek, from the eastern shores of Quesnel Lake’s West Basin to beyond Spanish Lake. The residential and business areas of Likely extend for at least 8 Km, from the Likely Bridge in the north to beyond Cedar Point Provincial Park in the south.
8. Slide 28 shows a satellite photo of the proposed SMG mine, but you can also see the part of the Mount Polley Mine tails pond on the left side of the photo. Now just imagine the 8 Km by 4 Km SMG minesite on the east side of Quesnel Lake, with both minesites bracketing both sides of Likely and Quesnel Lake.
9. Beyond Cedar Point Park the roads continue to Winkley Creek with its many permanent and seasonal residents, how will these be impacted.
10.  SMG construction and operations will affect almost every stream and ground water system draining the proposed occupancy area, and directly impact on all residents and businesses south and east of the Likely Bridge.
11.  The Cedar Creek watershed will be dammed for the Tails Storage Facility (TSF), which will directly impact Cedar Creek flowing through Cedar Point Provincial Park into Quesnel Lake.
12.  Spanish Lake as well as numerous other lakes in the vicinity are popular recreational destinations, including a number of BC Forestry Campsites.
13.  Much more heavy industrial traffic will impact the Likely Road from 150 Mile House, including crossing the Likely Bridge and travelling through downtown Likely to access the SMG minesite at Spanish Lake. We already have a hard time getting the BC Government and its contractors to maintain the safe road conditions in an appropriate manner.
14.   New power transmission lines are proposed which will require more clear-cutting of right-of-ways with ugly power poles.
15.  The Mount Polley Mine (MPMC) is situated on the west side of Quesnel Lakes west basin, and while not directly visible to Likely (though it is from further down the lake), we can hear the equipment engines roaring and horns blowing quite often, and pit blasting is loud and can shake the windows of our home at times.
16.  With SMG so close to Likely area, the operational dust and noises (engines, horns, alarms, pit blasting, etc.) will likely be felt and even more noticeable to residents and businesses in the area than MPMC.
17.  What are the visual and viewscape impact for Likely and from Quesnel Lake, even from the Likely Road descending down towards the Likely Bridge. Spanish Mountain is quite visible from many locations around the area. Access roads to existing recreational sites and lakes will be impacted by industrial roads and the waste rock piles.
18.  There are a number of businesses in the area that depend upon the pristine environment for a livelihood…this will for sure be ruined with another mine development so close to Likely.
19.  In addition to the direct stream and groundwater impacts mentioned above, what will be the effects on water quality on sources directly impacted as well as the Quesnel Lake and River Watershed. There are already 2 mines in the watershed that have had leaks and spills from their TSFs (Mount Polley Mine breach in 2014, and the QR Mine tailings cyanide solution seepages), and of course Mount Polley continues to dump their untreated effluent directly into the lake.
20.  Of major concern is another mine that uses cyanide (CN) in this watershed, with it’s known toxic effects on aquatic and terrestrial life.
21.  What will be the cumulative environmental and water quality effects on the Quesnel Lake/River watershed of another mine discharging into the environment.
22.  How are mitigating cumulative effects of the mines and other industrial development going to be inclusive of not only SMG but also MPMC and QR, which already have operating permits.
23.  I am also concerned with the BC government request to substitute the federal impact assessment process with the BC assessment, as I am not sure, based on past performance, that BC regulators are as independent from possible political interference. Considering how much this proposal could affect the local residents and the environment, the more independent levels of review the better.