Environmental permitting needs more flexibility, says Yukon placer miner

A longtime Yukon placer miner says the territory's environmental regulations are dividing Yukoners when they should be building bridges.

Stuart Schmidt is reacting to concerns about placer mining's effects on wetlands in the Indian River and its tributaries, about 30 kilometres south of Dawson City.

The Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation is asking the Yukon Water Board to hold a public hearing about mining on undisturbed wetlands in the Indian River valley.

The request is part of an intervention on 5582 Yukon Ltd.'sapplication for water and land use approvals on hundreds of claims.

First Nation calls on gov't to take action

The First Nation and others have been pressuring the territorial government to take action on the issue in recent years.

The Tr'ondek Hwech'in"is not against placer mining and we support responsible mining many of our citizens make a living, directly or indirectly, from jobs within this industry,"the First Nation says in documents filed with the Water Board.

"However, we are very concerned with the cumulative effects of placer mining in the Indian River valley," it says, adding the wetlands there "may be reaching a critical stage."

The First Nation wants the water board to hold a public hearing on the issue, possibly leading to a ban on any mining of undisturbed wetlands there.

It says wetlands help protect the environment in many different ways.

Schmidt owns 25 per cent of the claims, but said theyare leased to Parker Schnabel, one of the miners featured on the television program Gold Rush.

Placer miners invest thousands of dollars in their claims before they reach the Water Board stage, Schmidt said,and in this case, work on the claims could be delayed indefinitely.

'It's hard for there to be really meaningful dialogue'

Schmidt, who grew up working claims along the Indian River, said there should be a way for placer miners and others to work out their differences early on.

"So, some of the claims could be set asidein perpetuityto not be mined, and some could be mined," he said.

Schmidt said the current system is creating divisionsbetween miners and First Nations.

"It's hard for there to be really meaningful dialogue between the proponent and the opponents of the project," he said.

Randy Clarkson, agent for 5582 Yukon Ltd. the company applying for water and land use approvals in the Indian River valley, said the company will respond to First Nation'sintervention within a few weeks.

The Water Board previously tried to temporarily block mining activity on undisturbed wetlands in the area on another matter, but lost a court challenge from the Yukon government last year over the issue.