YESAB inefficient and inconsistent, says Yukon Chamber of Mines

The YukonChamber of Mines says the territory's assessment boardis flawed and needs fixing.

"YESAB desperately needs improvements in the areas of efficiency, consistency and procedural fairness," said Samson Hartland, chamber president.

"There are systemic flaws."

The Yukon Environmental andSocio-EconomicAssessmentBoard (YESAB)reviews and makes recommendations about development projects in the territory.

It recently sent two projects for higher levels of review: the massive Casino mine project northwest of Carmacks, and the Northern Cross oil and gas exploration projectnear Eagle Plains.

Hartlandsaid the chamber accepts YESAB's decisions, but not the amount of time ittakes.

"To spend two years, or upwards of two years, in the adequacy review process [for the Casino project], as well with the Northern Cross decision spending two years in the assessment process and then essentially having a decision to kick it to another levelshould take nowhere near that long to arrive at that conclusion."

YESAB started an adequacy review of Casino's proposalin January 2014, but the reviewwas put on hold for six months in May of that year, at the request of the companyand the Little SalmonCarmacks First Nation.Anadequacy review determines whether aproposal containssufficient informationto begin an assessment.

When the adequacy report was released on Jan. 27, 2015, YESABsaidCasino's application was "inadequate." Itissued a 158-page report to the mine, with 449 questions.

There have beenseveral exchanges between Casino and YESABover the past 13 months. Then onFeb. 18,YESAB announced it was sending the project forscreening by a Panel of the Board.

Hartlandargued YESAB's timelines and "ground rules" need to be more clear for proponents.

Hesaidthe chamber will push government to make changes.

YESABdid not want to comment onthe statements made by Hartland and the Chamber of Mines.