New gold and silver mine officially opens in central B.C. as premier faces backlash for fast-track plans

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 10:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A caller 44-square kilometre golden and metallic excavation has officially opened successful the province's cardinal Interior. 

Blackwater mine, located 112 kilometres southwest of Vanderhoof, B.C., westbound of Prince George, volition beryllium operated by Vancouver-based Artemis Gold and is expected to make much than $13.2 billion, including $2.3 cardinal successful provincial revenue, implicit its lifetime, the institution said.

"British Columbia is going to beryllium the economical motor of the caller Canada," Premier David Eby said successful remarks astatine the opening, citing the province's "amazing resources."

Eby was joined astatine the opening by Minining Minister Jagrup Brar, arsenic good Acting Chief of the Lhoosk'uz Dené Nation June Baptiste and Ulkatcho Councillor Corinne Cahoose.

The excavation was approved aft the state signed an economical and community improvement statement with the Lhoosk'uz Dené Nation and Ulkatcho First Nation — connected whose territories Blackwater is located — to stock mineral taxation gross from the mine.

The state says the nations person been engaged successful each aspects of the project, from exploration, to permitting and biology assessment, while the mine's owners and some nations person a task information statement successful place.

Artemis says 400 radical are already employed astatine the excavation site, astir a 4th of whom are Indigenous, with employment forecast to turn to 800 during operation of signifier two, which volition make an further 170 imperishable jobs.

Premier addresses backlash

At the opening, Eby acknowledged the disapproval his authorities has faced successful caller days from First Nations implicit authorities aimed astatine fast-tracking caller economical improvement projects, including mines, which critics interest volition override biology safeguards and the request for Indigenous consultation.

"If we privation to determination rapidly we're not going to beryllium capable to bash it without beardown partnerships with Indigenous radical and we're not going to bash it astatine the disbursal of our biology commitments," helium said.

"That volition ever beryllium the lawsuit arsenic agelong arsenic I'm premier."

The opening came connected the aforesaid time that British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee withdrew from an upcoming commercialized ngo to Asia implicit the province's transition of bills 14 and 15, aimed astatine fast-tracking assets projects.

"How tin we enactment successful commercialized missions to beforehand assets improvement erstwhile this authorities has conscionable rammed done authorities that tramples our rights and threatens our territories" Teegee asked successful a written statement.

"During uncertain times, it's imperative that First Nations actively signifier economical relationships that interaction our lands, peoples, and futures."