Chad Day was just five weeks into his new job as President of Tahltan Central Council when he learned of the tailings pond breach at the Mount Polley mine – and got a crash course in crisis management.
The mine, near Williams Lake, is more than 1,000 kilometres by road southeast of Tahltan territory. But the accident raised alarms in Mr. Day's communities because the company that runs Mt. Polley, Imperial Metals, is building an even bigger tailings pond at the Red Chris mine near the Tahltan village of Iskut.
In promoting the Red Chris project, Imperial assured the Tahltan of the project's safety by referring to the great track record the company had at Mt. Polley. Then suddenly, last August, 24 million cubic metres of tainted water and sediment were spilled into Quesnel Lake, raising the spectre of a similar accident at Red Chris, on the headwaters of the Iskut and Stikine Rivers.
Tahltan members reacted by blockading the Red Chris mine site, and a cry went up demanding Mr. Day take action.
"It was madness," said Mr. Day, 28, of how the protest exploded.
The Tahltan, he said, were "outraged," and he was supposed to fix everything, fast.
Surprisingly, he did, by negotiating a deal that gave the Tahltan Central Council (TCC) environmental oversight of the copper and gold mine.
In April, just eight months after they manned the barricades to stop Red Chris, the Tahltan voted overwhelmingly in favour of a co-management agreement between the Tahltan and Imperial.
"I'm proud of that," said Mr. Day. "We took a situation where we have our own people and people from other nations blockading this project … And then, a few months later, by renegotiating the terms and having a broader communications strategy within the Tahltan Nation, we were able to get 87-per-cent support. I don't think anybody could have imagined we'd accomplish that in that amount of time."
Mr. Day's ability to weather a crisis, and negotiate a settlement acceptable to both the Tahltan people and Imperial Metals, should encourage resource companies. It shows that even in the wake of a disaster, a company and a First Nation can reach a deal if both sides are flexible.
But resource executives shouldn't think for a moment that the Tahltan, who have a history of blockading projects they don't want, have suddenly become pro-development under Mr. Day's leadership.
"I think we understand that mining is a necessary activity in society that we all take advantage of, and that we're [open] to certain mining ventures," he said. "But it all depends on the location, the benefits, the impact on the environment, and how our elders and our Nation ultimately feel about a particular project."
A few weeks ago, Mr. Day joined a group of elders in a protest that shut down a drill rig being operated by Doubleview Capital Corp. at a site in the Sheslay Valley, 95 km southwest of Dease Lake. The company had all its government permits in order, but Mr. Day said drilling had moved into an area considered sacred by the Tahltan.
"We'll do everything we can to protect places like the Sheslay," said Mr. Day, who considers the valley a "no-go area" for mining.
Recently he also complained to the government about the activities of jade miners around Dease Lake, some of whom have been running heavy equipment through ecologically sensitive areas.
"It's a major concern. It's one of those situations where you feel you are playing Whac-a-Mole," said Mr. Day of the jade-mining activities. He's calling for tougher regulations and more enforcement.
One of his key goals in the year ahead is to improve communications between the TCC and resource companies.
"I want to get to the point where I know the CEOs and presidents of every company that's wanting to do development in Tahltan territory," said Mr. Day.
Not everyone is going to like what he says when he calls. But ignoring him can only lead in one direction – back to the blockades.
Mark Hume