Vancouver Police look on as members of the Tsilhqot'in national government protest a proposed mine in their territory outside the Taseko headquarters in Vancouver, B.C. Friday, June 1, 2012. The proposed open pit mine is expected to drain the waters of Fish Lake. The two sides are now working with the B.C. government to find a solution.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Taseko Mines and the Tsilhqot’in Nation are working with the B.C. government to find a solution to a years-long conflict over the proposed New Prosperity gold and copper mine.
A statement from the Ministry of Mines says the two sides have agreed to pause certain litigation and regulatory matters while discussions are underway to reach a long-term solution.
While the details of the process are confidential, the ministry says the province has agreed to consider a request from both parties to extend the project’s current environment access certificate for one year.
The mine is within Tsilhqot’in territory southwest of Williams Lake, but outside of the declared title area designated in a Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2014.
The statement says all parties involved in the process acknowledge Taseko’s commercial interests and the opposition of the Tsilhqot’in Nation to the project.
The proposed mine has been the subject of numerous legal actions, including a decision Thursday from the Federal Court of Appeal that dismissed an application for judicial review of a federal panel’s ruling that the project was likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.
The long-running dispute between the First Nation and company revolves around Fish Lake, also known as Teztan Biny, a site the Tsilhqot’in considers sacred and says would be damaged by a mine.