A Vancouver based mining company plans to refine waste rock up on Skw’aakw’unu also known as Mount Sicker and remediate the former mine site.
The mountain has had multiple historical mines with activity happening as early as 1895.
The problem was there were not many rules about reclaiming sites at old mining operations says Pete smith CEO of Sasquatch Resources.
“When the miners finished, they literally kind of dropped their shovels and left.”
Smith says along with the waste rock that they want there are many unseen hazards on the mountain.
“There’s actually a number of potentially life-threatening hazards that that have been left behind, and it’s by sheer luck, I would suggest that we haven’t had somebody kind of discover some of these hazards the hard way,” he said to North Cowichan Council at their August 21st meeting.
Smith says the former mineshaft is “essentially a dump” and part of their plans would see the site restored and hazards removed. This would include removing large piles of waste rock, recontouring the terrain and putting up fences around any exposed mineshafts.
He adds Sasquatch is in talks with Cowichan Tribes and that they will not “put a shovel in the ground” without their approval of the plan.
The company plans to use a mobile refinery to process the waste rock and haul any rocks that need chemical processing down the mountain.
