It’s hard to imagine especially in the summertime, when people flock to lakesides everywhere across the country to swim and enjoy the coolness of water, but the federal government thinks that we Canadians don’t really need so many lakes. Did you know that Fisheries and Oceans allows the mining industry to use lakes as tailing ponds – places to dump their toxic waste?
This seems like a short-sighted option, especially when scientists are predicting greater water shortages in the future due to climate change. For many First Nations, their lakes are their source of drinking water and food. This is the case for Tetzan Biny Lake also known as Fish Lake situated about 125 km southwest of Williams Lake.
Vancouver based Taseko Mines is planning to mine the area nearby for copper and gold. The problem is that these deposits are porphyry, which means that they would have to mine millions of tonnes of ore in order to get a small amount of copper and gold. Quoted from Taseko Mines own evaluation of the project: “…As discussed … Option 1 will affect three watersheds, Option 2 will affect four watersheds and Options 3, 4, and 5 will each affect one watershed. All five options affect the Fish Creek watershed …”
The Teztan, Nabas, and Jididzay, Tsilhqot’ First Nations need your help to turn things around. Please visit their website and see more photos of this beautiful and fragile lake and sign their petition.
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For people moved by this – the Tsilhqot’in National Government and the Xeni Gwet’in have launched a legal action to fight this. But it costs money that the band does not have. You can donate through a registered non-profit – RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) at http://www.raventrust.com. 100% of the funds collected will be directed to assist the Tsilhqot’in in fighting to preserve this pristine ecosystem. For more information please visit the website.