File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds)

By James Peters

Yellowhead Mine

Simpcw, province working on regulatory matrix ahead of Yellowhead Copper mine approval process

Mar 11, 2026 | 3:36 PM

CLEARWATER, B.C. — Simpcw First Nation officials have started negotiations with the province ahead of regulatory processes for a Clearwater-area mine proposal.

In a news release, the province’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) says the two government bodies are working together to formulate a decision-making matrix for the proposed Yellowhead Copper mine.

The effort is being made under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) and the Environmental Assessment Act.

The parties say Taseko Mines, the company behind the Yellowhead proposal, supports the negotiations.

“The consent agreement, made possible through the ongoing partnership between Simpcw and the EAO, would provide regulatory clarity for the proposed Yellowhead mine and potential future mining projects in Simpcw territory, while ensuring efficient, co-ordinated assessments by the EAO and Simpcw,” says the release.

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Taseko says the open-pit mine near Vavenby could produce up to 180 million pounds of copper annually.

The employment possibilities are significant, with 2,000 jobs expected during the two-to-three-year construction phase and 600 permanent jobs during the initial 25-year mine life.

“Simpcw developed its own independent assessment process so that our community can evaluate the potential effects of projects according to our own priorities, values, and land stewardship directives,” said Simpcw Kúkwpi7 George Lampreau.

Speaking to CFJC Today last July, Clearwater mayor Merlin Blackwell said an approved mine could result a population explosion in his community.

“We could see a doubling of the population of this town. We’re estimating [an increase] taking us from 2,500 into the 4,000-5,000 population range over ten or 12 years. That would mean an increase in businesses in town, the need for more schools, for more doctors, for more nurses, and all those extra businesses around town just to service that new population to town.”

You can learn more about the mine proposal here.