Mine expansion sign of great potential

The announcement of Gibraltar Mine’s $350-million expansion is great news, not only because of the tangible benefits, but because those benefits represent just how good mining can be for Williams Lake and the region.

The expansion is expected to need 200 workers, and the mine itself will create 80 more permanent jobs once the expansion is complete.

Eighty jobs alone is a boost. Eighty high-paying mining jobs is even better.

In the same release announcing the Gibraltar expansion, Taseko Mines president and CEO Russell Hallbauer says “we are prepared to invest upwards of $800 million in our Prosperity project. We are urging the [provincial and federal] governments to move forward in the process before the opportunity to build this mine is gone as a result of a change in the metal markets, or to investment opportunities that present themselves to our company in other jurisdictions.”

In other words, the window of opportunity for the Prosperity Project at Fish Lake is closing.

And reading between the lines, it seems Hallbauer and Taseko may be forced to invest elsewhere.

We certainly don’t want that.

With capital investment of $800 million, more than $4 billion in spending, more than 500 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs over 22 years, the mine can be a great thing for the region.

And not just for miners.

The proposed project would include a mining camp, more like a hotel than a tent city, with food, laundry, and entertainment services. That will require cooks, housekeepers, security, and a host of other workers. And as the nearest accessible urban centre, Williams Lake and its residents stand to be the main beneficiaries of the jobs and their economic spin-offs.

Mayor Scott Nelson calls the news of the Gibraltar expansion “the best news for Williams Lake in a long time.”

That’s for $350 million and 280 jobs. Imagine how much better it could be for Williams Lake with $4 billion and 1,500 jobs.

We call on the provincial and federal governments to keep the environmental assessment process moving quickly. We cannot afford to have this opportunity pass us by.