JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Board (YESAB) has resumed its review of Western Copper and Gold Corporation subsidiary Casino Mining Corporation’s (CMC’s) Casino project, in Canada, after the process was put on hold at CMC's request as part of a settlement agreement with the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation (LSCFN).
CMC and LSCFN had since completed the consultation programme outlined in the agreement and had entered into further agreements to continue consultation throughout the YESAB assessment process.
Also in accordance with the agreement, LSCFN had informed CMC that it had withdrawn the petition it had filed with the Yukon Supreme Court seeking judicial review of YESAB's decision that consultation with LSCFN, prior to CMC filing its project proposal, was adequate.
“We are pleased about the restart of the YESAB review. This hold period has allowed us to further consult and develop our relationship with directly affected First Nations and has given us time to develop a comprehensive reply to questions raised during the first part of the YESAB review,” commented CMC president Paul West-Sells.
The Casino project had now been submitted for screening by the executive committee of the YESAB, which would provide recommendations to the decision bodies in respect of whether or not the project be allowed to proceed or whether it required a review before making a recommendation.
The Casino project was one of the world's largest copper, gold, silver and molybdenum deposits, located in Yukon.