Progress Forward?It's been a minute since my last post but here are a few thoughts and hopes for 2023.
Stakeholder and FN's - A good step forward getting Dr. Weaver on board to help forge a new working relationship with the First Nation communities and other stakeholders.
Regulatory Process - unfortunately not a lot of anything happening here. Management has not reached out to the BC EAO or Federal agencies to discuss advancement of the project, required process, and what environmental data remains valid. There are very qualified people that are available to help but no one has been recently contacted to get things started. Very few, if any of the BCEAO project people involved with the earlier aspects of the project are still employed there. This is a good opportunity to restart the project with fresh faces and new working relationships.
The "New" Federal critical minerals program headlines a "One Process" statement that if you read the details is more virtue signalling than anything of substance. Government agencies will be set up, programs that already exists will receive funding, etc., etc.
There's always been a "combined" process with the Province and the Federal agencies where the data, analysis, and impact assessment are utilized in a harmonized or substituted manner to reduce duplication. I can't see much, if anything, changing with existing processes.
What's required is to demonstrate a good project with the key values of this new program to get the much needed attention of the government and get it in the spotlight. Meetings need to be held with the BCEAO followed by meetings with the Federal agencies ASAP, and of course, advancement of a good working relationship with the FN communities.
Collecting additional water samples and hoping the government will magically provide an approval isn't going to get the project anywhere other than lower the bank account.
I'm interested in hearing from you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.