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B.C. Prosperty mine find like a 'needle in a haystack'

Cariboo-Chilcotin mine environmental review was flawed and Stephen Harper needs to recognize jobs lost as a result

I wonder if the Conservative government of Stephen Harper realizes what the consequences will be owing to the flawed environmental review that has prevented the billion-dollar Prosperity mine from proceeding.

Mining exploration, and the economic benefits we derive from that activity as British Columbians, is all about finding a needle in a haystack. Can you imagine how rare it is to find such a lucrative underground mineral deposit as the Prosperity mine? Yet, once found, a mineral deposit like that can result in scores of jobs and a big shot in the arm for the lingering malaise of our economy.

Finding that needle in the mineral haystack is truly an amazing thing, and thousands of British Columbians, ranging from a variety of professionals and specialists in Vancouver office buildings to field geologists literally walking around and exploring the thousands of hectares of land throughout the province, are all gainfully employed in the search for the mineral needles in our provincial haystack.

For the sake of all those employed in the mineral and mining sector, and to continue attracting and developing homegrown and international investment for this vital activity, we need to ensure that the Prosperity mine proposal gets a fair shake.

The federal government needs to order a review of the flawed environmental assessment process around this mine proposal and ensure that the errors are never repeated again.

This mine, the jobs it will create, and the environmental protections the company has committed to all point to getting this mine project back on track. Stephen Harper needs to know this and he needs to act.

Jesse McClinton

Victoria