Government not blocking road to potential gold mine after losing judicial review

Environment Minister Graham Letto says the provincial government is comfortable with an access road continuing constructionnear a wilderness reserve, despite no full environment assessment being done.

The project was initially greenlit by the Progressive Conservative government in 2014 without an environmental impact statement [EIS], but was hampereda year later when the Liberals took office and demanded more testing.

Letto's comments come days after a man chained himself to the gate at the head of the road, and five months after the Liberal government lost its bid in Supreme Court to force the company into a full assessment.

"The verdict squashes the decision for an EIS and reinstated the October 2014 release from further assessment decisions, so that's where we stand today,"Lettosaid."Nevertheless, all the due diligence has been done and we feel this project can proceed."

Letto said the company, EagleridgeInternational Inc., is being "pretty strict" with the project, as it clears a pathtowards the site of futuregold exploration.

I understand his passion- Graham Letto on protester Mike Cooze

Despite being spared from a full EIS, Letto said the project was released under several environmentalconditions, and the company has to follow a monitoring plan.

The 2014 approvalwas for the construction of the road andfor drilling exploration at the site. If a mine were to be constructed, Letto said an entirely different EIS would be ordered.

Locals unhappy with road

Mike Cooze has been an outspoken opponent of the project since it first came up in 2014.

Early Friday morning,Coozetied himself and some protest signs to the gate just off the Salmonier Line. Despite opposing the project for years, he said it was the first time he'd taken drastic action.

He was removed from the site by the RCMP and taken back to his home without charges, police said.

Letto said he's met with Cooze before, and understands his stance on the project.

"Any time you have activity in sensitive areas, and people would consider this a sensitive area I guess, I understand his passion," he said.

Letto said Eagleridgeis about halfway through the 11-kilometre road and hasn't raised any red flags yet. As a result, he said government is not standing in the way anymore.

"This company has lived up to the conditions of the release and we see no reason why this project cannot proceed," he said.