Canadian exploration company Spanish Mountain Gold and the Xatśūll First Nation committed in 2012 and 2021 to support negotiations toward a relationship agreement on the company's proposed gold mine, in British Columbia, however, the Xatśūll First Nation has terminated the 2012 Protocol Agreement in addition to the 2021 engagement protocol having been terminated in April.

Xatśūll First Nation is part of the larger Secwepemc Nation in the Cariboo region of British Columbia near Williams Lake.

According to Xatśūll First Nation, the project has undergone significant and fundamental changes, with the prior agreements no longer reflecting the proposed project or providing the framework necessary to support a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship between the parties.

“Spanish Mountain is a place where Xatśūll members continue to gather foods and medicines, camp with family, access the land for recreation and cultural well-being, and maintain living connections to spiritually and culturally significant places,” said Kúkwpi7 Chief Rhonda Phillips.

“Xatśūll supports sustainable resource development that upholds First Nations rights and protects the lands and waters that our people have stewarded since time immemorial. We will be intentional about how industrial activity proceeds in an area that holds such significant cultural, spiritual and ecological importance to our Nation," Phillips added in a statement issued on October 1.

A preliminary economic assessment on the Spanish Mountain gold project, which was published in September, envisions a conventional openpit mining and milling operation with a 25-year mine life to produce 3.3-million ounces of gold.

Between March and August, Spanish Mountain said it had been working closely with British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to secure environmental authorisation for the project. The company planned to deliver an updated draft detailed project description during the fourth quarter and formally submit the detailed project description during the first quarter of next year.

Spanish Mountain ultimately aims to reach a construction decision on the mine in 2028.