Taseko Mines Ltd. has been approved by the provincial government twice to build a copper-gold mine near Williams Lake, BC (see this article). Both of these approvals, however, were rejected by the federal government. The Tsilhqot’in people of British Columbia plan to include the land on which Taseko will build their mine. If the Tsilhquot’in win this land in court, the mine will not be built. The scheduled unveiling for the “Tribal Park” is October 4th. The park will include 3,120 square kilometres of active habitat and act as a preservation area for fish and other wildlife. The land will be sustainable logged by first nations peoples to provide the first nations community with jobs. This land includes Fish Lake, a fish bearing lake which was the original site for the Taseko mine. The native population fought for the mine site to be moved and won, saving numerous fish, grizzly bears, and other animals in the area.

In 2015, the court will rule whether the copper gold mine move forward at Little Fish Lake or not. This mine will use Little Fish Lake as its tailings pond contaminating more fish habitat, and may also contaminate the upper river leading to Fish Lake. British Columbia’s provincial government believes that making this land into a Tribal Park will help to build a lasting bond with the first peoples of BC.