Wildsight is resuming efforts to obtain an emergency order for the endangered mountain holly fern, after learning last week that B.C.’s environmental assessment office (EAO) won’t require the proposed Record Ridge magnesium mine, near Rossland, to undergo an environmental assessment (EA).
In its August 18 report, the EAO confirmed that the mine, proposed by West High Yield (WHY) Resources, would have detrimental impacts on both the federally-listed fern and Indigenous rights. Yet, it ultimately concluded those potential effects weren’t great enough to justify an EA.
“To suggest this project doesn’t warrant an environmental assessment ignores the very principle of the Environmental Assessment Act, which is to protect endangered species through informed decision-making” said Simon Wiebe, Mining Policy & Impacts Researcher for Wildsight.
“Record Ridge would harm one of only five sites in Canada where the mountain holly fern is known to occur, as well as a red-listed grassland ecosystem. On top of that, the EAO has acknowledged this mine would ‘likely’ affect Indigenous rights. If those impacts aren’t serious enough to meet the EAO’s requirements, we should be having a hard look at what those requirements are based on,” said Wiebe.
Seeking an emergency order
Wildsight initially submitted an emergency order petition for the mountain holly fern in 2023. In 2024, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) informed Wildsight that an imminent threat assessment wouldn’t be undertaken until more information about the Record Ridge mine’s timeline, and its specific impacts on the fern, was made available, referring to the EAO’s then-ongoing review.
In its recent report, the EAO cited advice it had received from ECCC that up-to-date mapping of the mountain holly fern should be acquired to inform its decision. The report goes on to state that, in 2024, surveys confirmed that the mine would indeed impact a known population of the endangered species.
“After reaching the conclusion that Record Ridge would pose a direct threat to the mountain holly fern, the EAO’s report proceeds to completely ignore the matter, neither exploring how the fern could be protected, nor referencing it in its conclusion,” said Wiebe.
Opposition to Record Ridge
The proposal for an open pit magnesium mine just 7.5 kilometres from Rossland has been met with widespread opposition. Both the Save Record Ridge Action Committee Society (SRRACS) and the Sinixt Confederacy asked for the proposed mine to undergo an environmental assessment, citing threats to community wellbeing, tourism, ungulate habitat, cultural plants and archeological sites, Indigenous rights and water quality. In addition, the EAO acknowledged that it had received 184 submissions from the public, most of which supported an environmental assessment.
The City of Rossland, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, and local residents have also voiced opposition based on threats to tourism, recreation, drinking water, and community health from asbestos-laden dust, truck traffic, and industrial noise.
“The province cannot keep green-lighting projects like Record Ridge while claiming to support reconciliation and sustainability,” said Wiebe. “Decisions like this support the growing public perception in the wake of Bill 15 that B.C. wants to drive forward industrial expansion with little regard for long-term community and environmental effects.”
“All of this for a mine based on a magnesium extraction process that has never been used at scale — or even outside of a lab.”