Yukoners Concerned has put forward the petition, which will make its way to the territorial legislature this month Yukoners Concerned wants heap leach mining banned from the territory. The advocacy group is bringing a petition into the halls of the territorial legislature this month. Their multiple demands include a ban on heap leach mining until the introduction of new minerals legislation. The petition also throws support behind the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun’s calls an investigation into territorial mineral governance as well as the completion of land use planning between the First Nation and the territorial government. The News has not been able to see a copy of the petition. Heap leaching is a process in which a chemical solution, often containing cyanide, percolates through crushed ore to extract metals, like gold. Donald Roberts, the chair of Yukoners Concerned, told the News the current mineral legislation is inadequate when it comes to addressing modern-day mining. He also said that the government had failed to hold Victoria Gold accountable for issues leading up to the landslide in June 2024. “So that’s why, with a ban, if we could get the government to realize that we’re out of control right now, that we don’t need any more Victoria Gold catastrophes, this is what we have to do,” said Roberts. “To find the successful mine in the Yukon, it’s almost impossible, because Minto had gone bankrupt. They again, left a mess. Wolverine was, again, another one that went bankrupt and again, left a mess. So they’ve all, they all leave messes, but there’s no funds there to clean up the messes,” said Roberts. “There are funds there for rehabilitation once they finish the mine operation. And so that’s part of the problem. Now we’ve got to start putting in place cautionary funds to make sure that when things go wrong, that they’ve got money there to pay for it.” The petition is being supported by the Yukon NDP. Party leader Kate White told the News the petition was easy to get behind as it echoes previous demands from the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and NDP. “If we go back in time, Yukoners were always told that heap leaching was a safe way to extract minerals. We were told that we didn’t have to worry, that the regulatory process was sufficient and robust enough to prevent any kind of any kind of mishaps,” said White. “But obviously, with the 2024 catastrophe at Victoria Gold, with the Eagle Gold Mine, we know that’s not the case.” The Yukon Chamber of Mines told the News demands to ban heap leaching are premature as the findings of the independent technical review haven’t been presented. As reported by the News last November, the results are expected to be available this summer. Jonas Smith, the chamber’s executive director said there are currently no mines in the territory using the heap leach method, but some future projects may consider it. He named the Coffee Mine as one such project. “Depending on the nature and the grade of the deposit, heap leaching is often the most economic way to extract the gold from the host rock,” said Smith. “Economics are certainly a large part of why it’s selected in certain cases anyway,” he told the News. Copies of the petition are available to sign at the NDP office at Yukon legislative building, according to Roberts. Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
Petition calls for ban on heap-leach mining in the Yukon
