Some Whitehorse residents raised their concerns to city council about rules that allow mining exploration in city limits.
John McCleod spoke on behalf of the group Yukoners Concerned. McCleod identified himself as a mining professional with decades of experience. He detailed how rules enacted in recent years to prevent mining claim staking in Whitehorse city limits do not apply to historic claims kept in good standing.
“Few residents expected that in 2023 a mining company would purchase the claims with the intent to explore for a global class copper mine within city limits,” McCleod said.
McCleod said that the result is a brewing conflict over land and water use that results from “procrastination” on the Yukon government’s part in developing new regulations. He suggested that conflict would continue unless the claims in city limits are surrendered to the territorial government.
McCleod’s group has stated that their main emphasis is trying to ensure that mining in or near Whitehorse not be allowed to happen. Before council at the city’s Nov. 20 standing committees meeting, McCleod said the group he represents has concerns about exploration or the effects of mining works on property values and water quality. He also spoke of complaints from nearby residents about noise and environmental damage.
The work that has incited the complaints to city council is exploration work undertaken by Gladiator Metals Inc. this summer near the Cowley Creek subdivision and now approximately five kilometres southwest of downtown Whitehorse, exploring what company materials are calling “the Arctic Chief Trend.”
A Nov. 2 notice from Gladiator Metals states that class 1 exploration including 10,000 metres of diamond drilling was scheduled to begin in mid-November on the Arctic Chief Trend. It also refers to a second drilling campaign at Cowley Creek set for completion earlier this month.
In a public engagement plan shared with the News, Gladiator Metals emphasizes that it is “not a mining company” but rather is working to evaluate the claims in the Whitehorse copper belt for possible future development.
There had previously been copper mining near Whitehorse but McCleod said things have changed, noting that Whitehorse had a population of about 14,000 people when Whitehorse Copper was last operational. The population nears 30,000 now and it is growing fast.
He posed several questions to the council members present including how they plan to protect city ground and surface water from past, current and future mineral exploration activities.
“Will the city work with the territorial government to resolve the historic mining claim issue which will only get worse if it is not addressed immediately?” he asked.
Council also heard from Angela Sabo, speaking on behalf of the same group as McCleod, who spoke to risks due to radon, a radioactive gas and known cause of cancer, that are posed to the city in general due to geological features nearby. She suggested that the kind of deep drilling permitted for mining exploration can increase these risks.
Along with its presentation to the city, the Yukoners Concerned group has met with Gladiator Metals and say they have a meeting scheduled with territorial government Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com