Victoria Gold Corp VITFF

Heap leaching should be banned

[KenoHillYT]

Heap leaching should be banned for any and all proposed new mines whether they are on slopes, holes in the ground, inverted or on the back side of the moon!

People are starting to realize it's an unacceptable large environmental and monetary risk whether the heap is on a slope or not is irrelevant. If the membrane leaks/rips/tears/punctures it's going to contaminate, who cares about why or the reasons.

Heaps are so a few gamblers (oops speculators) can make extra profits, possibly pollute the area with millions of liters of introduced cyanide contamination and then what?  Kick the company into receivership?

Are management is going to be charged for this "loss of containment" ?

 Well guess what then better start charging a long long long list of people, corporations and government  that were involved making money over like what the last 20 years?  Including the latest pond constructor?  Probably not going to happen.

The recent reclamation pond leak that used a liner is just proves that this is not acceptable.

This was a simple lined pond and  no it was not built on a slope.  This was the pond that's supposed to remediate not contribute to the potential for more ground or surface water pollution with cyanide and copper.

I'll give another example that this potential groundwater pollution by lined ponds is NOT just applicable to mining.

Those into farming that have to deal with cow manure and urine know the only thing a lot of municipalities allow is a manure pit built out of concrete.  Not dirt, not a liner!  They insist on concrete. 

Why because they don’t want you to drink  the effluent out of your nice aquifer. (BYW it's not your normal residential ready mix).

I've said this before and I'll say it again I am not against mining and fully support it by investing but not to a bunch of "blue sky" junior miner incubators with the hope that they want a major to take them out.  That's a good part of the game.

BTW the take out doesn't always work out, just ask ALEXCO shareholders.  Clint was great at "blue sky", just like John was great at raising capital. 

I got out of ALEXCO six months before it was game over, there was no way anyone understanding the workings and  "blue sky" couldn't see what was happening to the financing and that the mining process was a non starter.

 Now VGCX was a slightly different story, no one could see the date and time of the loss of containment, not even the cat skinner and he was right on top off it. 

What was obvious is that things were happening to the mine right under the guidance and reports of consultants and YTG.  VGCX worked on some of the deficiencies paid the fines and moved on.
 
Was that right or wrong, I don't know, but for sure companies will carry on unless there is a STOP WORK ORDER issued.

For those that are still invested in mining in The Yukon be aware there are changes afoot (link below) and these changes will most likely NOT speed up the approval process nor will the hint of anymore heap leach processing  in the proposal endear themselves to the regulators, consultants or First Nations by showing them some more "great" data models.
In fact First Nations will most likely be given a bigger say in what is allowed and the monies they expect to receive for working in their territories.

It might be like 10 years before another mine is opened and put into production.  And yes right now I don't see any reason to place a nickel into Yukon mining ventures until the current issues are resolved.


New minerals legislation.

 https://yukon.ca/sites/default/files/emr/new_minerals_legislation_what_we_heard.pdf