The Lhoosk’uz Dené First Nation has signed an agreement officially supporting the Blackwater Gold Mine in the Cariboo region.
The agreed-upon terms include ongoing collaborative work, as well as a government promise to share provincial mineral tax revenue.
35% of the collected mineral taxes will be distributed among directly impacted First Nations.
The Province says the revenue shared while the mine is operational could climb to over 200 million dollars.
According to the company behind the project, New Gold Inc., it will be an open-pit gold and silver mine and will occupy 4,400 hectares.
The mine received both Provincial and Federal environmental assessments last year.
Lhoosk’uz Dené also entered a separate agreement with New Gold Inc. which offers them direct participation in the mine.
Another BC group, the Ulkatcho First Nation, has also signed onto the agreement.
The Black Water Gold Mine is expected to create 1,500 jobs during construction and 495 during operations. It is anticipated to operate for 17 years.
The Lhoosk’uz Dené said that they believe the agreement is a good model for balancing First Nations concerns and industry.
More details are available online.