Permit pending to allow Gladiator Metals to drill within Whitehorse city limits

The City of Whitehorse has confirmed it has received and is actively reviewing a development permit from mining exploration company Gladiator Metals.

The Yukon government last month approved a class 1 exploration permit allowing Gladiator Metals to do up to 10,000 metres of diamond drilling around the Whitehorse Copper Belt.But in order to drill within the Whitehorse boundary, the company will need approval from the city.

Last year, Gladiator entered an option agreement to acquire claims in the area, south of the city's core, and committed to $12 millionin exploration expenditures.

The B.C.-based company has been engaged in exploratory drilling in areas just outside the city since April.

On Nov. 16, Gladiatorannounced the discovery of a "significant" unmined copper deposit in a site it refers to as Middle Chief, near the historic Little Chief mine, which was active between 1967 and 1982. The site is near the Copper Haul Road and McLean Lake Road, 120 metres underground.

And last week, Gladiator announced a newly-foundzone of copper mineralization in the area,in what's called Cowley Park.

"The recent drill results from Cowley Park are highly encouraging for Gladiator's early stage of exploration and highlight the need for further work to fully understand the size and economic potential of the Copper deposits in the local area," said Marcus Harden, Gladiator Metals president, in an email to CBC.

Harden also wrote of the need for significant amounts of copper to facilitate the green energy transition. He added that the high grades of more than twoper cent copper verified at the site would mean less need for refining and "be one of the greenest copper deposits in Canada."

The company is also interested in exploring several sites directly to the west of Whitehorse, near the neighborhood of Copper Ridge.

For the company's president, the proximity of the site to the city of Whitehorse is one of the project's strong points.

"The proximity of Cowley Park to established infrastructure and a skilled local labour force also means significantly less carbon footprint if the project were ever approved to be developed," said Harden.

"Existing roads and rail mean there is already access to accommodation, supplies, [and] labour which eliminates the need for jet-fuel burning travel and additional construction and land disturbances associated with building new infrastructure from scratch."

But many living in those areas feel differently about the project's proximity and its potential for positive environmental impacts. Concern over drill programs conducted by Gladiator Metals has been building for months.

Skeeter Wright is a board member of the McLean Lake Residents' Association.

"The idea of having a heavy industrial project going on within sight of my place is completely untenable," said Wright.

For Wright, many live in Whitehorse for the same reason it's referred to as "the wilderness city" the quiet forests and mountains.

"I don't know how many folks have actually seen a heavy industrial site, but an underground or open pit mining operation has got a massive amount of infrastructure, noise, heavy equipment running close to 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

He's also worried about potential contamination. Many in his neighborhood rely on well water.

Company fined for infractions at site near Whitehorse

In August, Gladiator Metals was fined $43,700 for a number of infractions that included failure to contain drill fluids in a sump and tree clearing that exceeded the scope of its permit.

"We sincerely regret and apologise for the concerns raised from the community," company spokesperson Leneath Yanson wrote at the time.

Yanson said the company has since updated its plans and procedures for future exploration.

A spokesperson from the city of Whitehorse has shared that a decision on the company's new application is expected within days.

"As with all development permits, the application is currently under review to ensure it complies with the city's official community plan, bylaws and policies," said Oshea Jepson.