Five organizations back Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in call for reversal of Imperial Metals’ Tranquil Creek permits

VICTORIA / UNCEDED LEKWUNGEN TERRITORIES — Environment groups comprising the Clayoquot Sound Conservation Alliance (CSCA) condemn the recent permits issued by the BC NDP provincial government to clear forest and build exploratory drill pads in unceded Tla-o-qui-aht territory in Clayoquot Sound.

These permits were given to Imperial Metals last month, and allow for 22 drill pad sites, six trenches, and three helipads in the Tranquil Creek watershed, which is designated as a Tribal Park by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.

The CSCA, which includes Canopy, Friends of Clayoquot Sound, Sierra Club BC, Stand.earth and the Wilderness Committee, is calling on the BC NDP government to rescind the permits and commit to honouring the land use vision of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.

“Clayoquot Sound is no place for mining, and it’s absolutely shameful for the government to approve exploration in a Tribal Park against the wishes of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.” — Associate Director for the Wilderness Committee, Torrance Coste.

He adds, “The BC NDP is choosing the interests of mining corporations over rights and title, and that’s unacceptable for any government, let alone one that claims to care about reconciliation.”

BC NDP must change course

Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation has declared mining as a non-permissable activity within its tribal parks, and has opposed the renewal of these exploration permits, which were originally granted more than a decade ago. Previously, the BC NDP took steps to respect the land use visions of the Tla-o-qui-aht and other First Nations in the Clayoquot Sound, most notably through a series of conservancies finalized in 2024.

“These permits undermine the tireless work of generations who have defended rainforests, clean water and salmon to support prosperity without industrial exploitation,” said Jens Wieting, Senior Policy and Science Advisor for Sierra Club BC. “British Columbia has made far‑reaching commitments to uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples, protect the environment, and modernize land‑use planning in ways that support both, and decisions like this erode those commitments. The province needs to change course, starting in Clayoquot Sound.”

Permits Granted to Mount Polley Company

CSCA organizations support Indigenous-led conservation and the ability of First Nations Rights and Title holders to manage their territories, and will continue to work in support of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and others to protect their territories from old-growth logging and mining.

“It is disrespectful to First Nations and endangers local livelihoods for the B.C. government to issue work permits for Imperial Metals, a corporation responsible for the Mount Polley disaster that polluted prime salmon habitat in the Fraser River watershed with 25 billion litres of toxic mine tailings,” said Jeh Custerra, Director with Friends of Clayoquot Sound. “We are sending a clear message to the B.C. government to do the right thing and cancel these permits.”

The groups are calling on the BC NDP to prioritize and invest in supporting Indigenous-led conservation in Clayoquot Sound and across B.C., in order to advance reconciliation and efforts to protect biodiversity and fight climate change.

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• The Climate Emergency Crossroads: Forest Protection or Forest Fires?

• 30 Years After the Clayoquot Blockades Old Growth Forests Still Need Protection

• United for Old Growth March & Super-Rally Seeks Results for Forest Protection

• At the Expense of Wild Salmon, During the Wild Salmon Emergency: DFO Allowing Salmon Farms to Expand in Clayoquot Sound?

• Skookum John’s Salmon Story: Protecting Salmon for the Next 7 Generations

• Hands Across the Sand: Demands Action to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies

• Big Profits for Big Oil? Time to Make Big Polluters Pay

• “Dear Josie… Help Update the Mineral Tenure Act & Ban Mining in Clayoquot Sound!” #IMPERIALNOMORE

Read online here!

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Friends of Clayoquot Sound organized the recent Hands Across the Sand community action and beach clean in collaboration with Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks, Surfrider Pacific Rim at Yaaqsis / Long Beach. Together we stand for a clean energy future to protect the coast and all life on the planet. There is a global consensus that we are living in a critical decade to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. As forest fires burn across Canada, even burning the coastal rainforests here on Vancouver Island, Canada needs to take climate action to protect all life from climate destabilization by stopping investing taxpayer money in fossil fuels!

To continue subsidizing fossil fuels means more forest fires and droughts in the summer, bigger and more costly storms in the winter, in addition to more oil spills, including slow motion oil spills in the form of plastic that we end up cleaning up on the coast. As a society, we must understand the devastation that is caused by continuing to subsidize fossil fuels development including tar sands, liquefied natural gas fracking, offshore drilling, tankers, and fossil fuel export terminals. The political and business leaders today hold the greatest responsibility.

Big Profits for Big Oil?

Time to Make Big Polluters Pay

Big oil has known the climate impacts of fossil fuels since the 1970s. The fossil fuel industry spent a fortune on lobbying and disinformation campaigns to deliberately deny and discredit the science to keep the billions rolling in as long as possible. In 2022, the town of Lytton, B.C. burned to the ground due to extremely dry and hot conditions. Meanwhile, big oil’s profits last year tripled from an average of $1.5 trillion in recent years to over $4 trillion, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In response, the United Nations (UN) are developing a Climate Solidarity Pact through an all-hands-on-deck Acceleration Agenda Summit in September. The price of entry includes stopping the licensing and funding of new oil and gas development and halting expansion of existing oil and gas reserves. The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, released in March, emphasizes that drastic political action is needed to avoid climate breakdown. The key actions recommended are stopping all new fossil fuel development and phasing out existing fossil fuel usage, accompanied by increasing renewable energy investments.

While the planet burns (the highway to Tofino closed down in June due to forest fires) and household budgets are shrinking, the fossil fuel industry is feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits. The climate reality is that Canada still gives billions in tax breaks, grants, financing, and other supports to the oil and gas industry every year — totalling over $20 billion taxpayer funds in 2022 (and over $100 billion if the cost of climate impacts are included). Canada’s parliamentary budget office estimates that a windfall tax extended to the oil and gas industry would generate an additional $4.4 billion in revenue over five years. It’s time to make polluters pay for their climate impacts.

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Collectively, we are standing up for a clean energy future to protect the coast, the ocean, and all coastal life. There is a global consensus that we are living in a critical decade to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. As a society, we must be aware of the climate devastation that would be caused by continuing to invest in expanding fossil fuel development including tar sands, liquefied natural gas fracking, offshore drilling, tankers, and fossil fuel export terminals. Our generation, and specifically the political and business leaders today, must take bold climate action or feel the increasing power of destabilized climate and ocean systems. This is the reality of our time.

At 12:00pm on Sunday, May 21st stand with us at Yaaqsis / Long Beach near C̓ašiiwa / Incinerator Rock.

Our event builds on the intent of the Hands Across the Sand movement to bring people together on beaches around the world to stand in solidarity hand-in-hand with one another along coastal communities. We’re encouraging everyone to carpool or bike to the event if possible, and bring your personal beach clean-up equipment if you’d like (but buckets and gloves will also be provided). Don’t forget to bring your own mug for complimentary coffee and a water bottle to stay hydrated, and banners or signs that reflect this movement!

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Tofino’s Josie Osborne was elected as MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim in 2020. As a long time resident of Tofino, she first moved here to work as a Fisheries Biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and later as the Executive Director of Raincoast Education Society. From 2013-2020, Josie served as Mayor of Tofino.

Since being elected to the B.C. Government, she has served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister for Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship. In December 2022, Josie was appointed Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation. Considering all the roles and responsibilities Josie has held working for the benefit for the region and the people, we all understand the significance of this moment with her new portfolio as a big opportunity to protect Clayoquot Sound and the planet.

Within Clayoquot Sound, Imperial Metals continues to pursue developing a gold mine, called the Fandora project, within the unceded territory of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, as well as an open-pit copper mine on Catface Mountain in Ahousaht First Nations unceded territory. Both local Nations have been adamant that mining will not be allowed in their territories. Josie now has the opportunity to lead the B.C. Government in recognizing the mining bans of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations in law in B.C. to permanently ban mining in Clayoquot Sound.

It is horrific to imagine Imperial Metals doing to Clayoquot Sound what the mining corporation did to the Fraser River watershed with the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond disaster which flooded 25 billion litres of toxic tailings into the Fraser River watershed in 2014. Now is the time to modernize the B.C. Government’s mining tenures to reflect the Land Use Plans of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations that ban mining in Clayoquot Sound. We can never let Mount Polley happen here!

Tell Josie you want the B.C. Government to ban mining in Clayoquot Sound! Let her know @ 250-720-4515 / emli.minister@gov.bc.ca

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