Skip to content

Mining company perseveres through delays, wildfires at West Kootenay site

Taranis Resources has been attempting an exploratory project at Trout Lake for years
taranis
John Gardiner and the core sample library at Taranis Mine.

After two years of permitting delays, a Canadian mining company only just got into the field this summer to continue an exploration project near Trout Lake when it was waylaid again – this time by wildfire.

Taranis Resources Inc. managed almost a month of drilling at its Thor project before the Alpha Creek wildfire swept through 75 per cent of the exploration area. The once dense, green alpine forest is now blackened and burned, with many old-growth trees succumbing to the flames.

“It happened really fast – from two hectares, to 30, to 600,” said John Gardiner, president and CEO of Taranis Resources. The same lightning storm that set Argenta and the Slocan Valley ablaze on July 17 is responsible. 

But Taranis got lucky. The fires just spared the core sample library, but the tarps protecting it are riddled with ember holes. The exploration camp and bridges also survived. One of the diamond drills sustained damage, but was quickly repaired and up and running again. 

By the end of July, after B.C. Wildfire Service spent some time flagging and felling danger trees, Taranis was back to drilling the mid-sized epithermal mineral deposit.

From the core samples so far, Taranis can tell the deposit holds copper, zinc, gold, silver, indium, antimony, and other rare earth metals, all essential minerals that people use every day. Indium is important for touch screens and solar panels. Antimony is mixed into alloys to strengthen lead batteries and some automotive parts. Copper is necessary for everything electrical. 

“But getting to this point, it’s just been one obstacle after another,” said Gardiner. “It would be an operating mine by now if not for permitting delays.”

The hold-up

The small mining company caught the wider world’s attention in October 2023 when it filed a petition with the BC Supreme Court.

Taranis had been waiting 15 months for a decision on its mining exploration permit application for the Thor project; the company believed that First Nations consultation and opposition were holding things up.

Taranis’ petition asked the court to order the chief permitting officer to make a decision on the permit application. The company also asked the court to declare that Mining Minister Josie Osbourne’s statement that First Nations are “the rightful owners of the land,” and her reference to a “Ktunaxa-declared moratorium” are contrary to law.

Taranis argued that Minister Osborne’s statement could influence the permitting officers’ decisions.

The Ktunaxa Nation Council learned of the Thor project in January 2023. In November, it declared its opposition, citing concerns around cultural, archaeological, and ecological impacts.

But in the end, there was no court hearing. In March 2024, the government issued the permit, and one of Osbourne’s colleagues filed an affidavit explaining that Osbourne’s declaration was a “political statement,” said Gardiner.

In the lead-up to permit approval, Taranis did consult with the Ktunaxa Nation Council and the Sinixt Confederacy of the Colville Confederated Tribes, who offered suggestions for protecting flora and fauna in the area. 

Based on their advice, the company hosted a plant identification course at the Trout Lake Community Hall on July 22, facilitated by Gina Le Bel of the McElhanney company based in Salmon Arm. All of Taranis’ employees attended.

“This plant ID course occurred the same day the fire was sweeping through the property, so the sad irony is that there are few plants left to identify,” said Gardiner. 

Ktunaxa and Sinixt members were invited to the course, but none showed.

“The fires obviously put a dent in inviting any First Nations out, as we had to mitigate the falling trees and play catch-up on getting the holes drilled,” said Gardiner. 

Crossed wires

The whole team at Taranis feels there’s a big disconnect between permitting and policy officers and the realities of being out in the field. 

“Someone in Ottawa dreams up a policy, but it doesn’t work,” said Gardiner. “It turns it into an adversarial relationship, when it doesn’t have to be. … Had they consulted with the mining business beforehand, they’d have heard no, it doesn’t work that way.”

Mining companies have a short window when they can be in the field, especially for firms like Taranis that work in the alpine. Permits need to be approved in the spring or beginning of summer so that work can proceed.

Atlas Drilling was contracted by another company, operating just over the hill from Taranis and following the same linear deposit trend. The company was only issued a permit in mid-September, and still wants to proceed with drilling this year.

“To be doing these kinds of jobs right now is very high-risk,” said Jami Fehr, a driller with Atlas Drilling. “But the company had to wait so long for a permit ... [Taranis] is ready to leave; these guys are just coming in.”

Mining companies have to raise money for projects that must be spent within two years, said Gardiner. Sometimes they overlook the hazards because of this. 

“If you miss one window and winter comes, that only leaves you with three or four months leftover,” he said. “But it’s a situation where you don’t want to push it, because once there’s snow on the road, anything can happen.”

With the recent wildfires, ground stability has also eroded. One big rainstorm could set off a landslide. 

The Taranis team has also found that geologists in charge of creating mining programs can be removed from those with boots on the ground.

“Lots of geologists don’t work practically in the field. They just do mapping from an office and tell drillers where to go,” said Fehr. “Which is dangerous, because they don’t understand the topography.”

Reclamation

Reclamation is a big part of mining, one of the most important, Fehr said, because companies want to minimize the impact of their presence as much as possible. 

“Mining companies have higher standards than logging, and when we’re done, we have to reclaim stuff to a way higher level than any industry in this country,” said Fehr.

Taranis has drilled almost 300 holes in its 16 years on site; every road no longer needed has been reclaimed.

If Thor eventually turns into an operating mine, Taranis is looking into using the Max Mine facility, an old molybdenum mill in Trout Lake that closed suddenly when the price of moly crashed. Because of the rapid closure, the mill wasn’t shut down properly.

Government regulations are making it tricky, but Gardiner said it seems a no-brainer for Taranis to use it. Much like Taranis will be cleaning up the ore left by Columbia Metals, it would also reclaim the Max Mine mill when it’s done. Right now, the tailing ponds are still sitting around.

When Max Mine was in operation, Trout Lake was a vibrant town, said Gardiner. When it closed, the whole town closed with it. Infrastructure is slowly being lost, and a big felt absence this summer was the fire department.

“It was pure chaos during the wildfires,” said Fehr. “The town didn’t have water. You were fending for yourself.”

“That’s one of the things that mines do for local community,” said Gardiner. “The town needs to have an economic base that can provide jobs, and help with infrastructure like water, electricity, community events, etc.,” he said.

The Trout Lake area has a long history of mining. In the 1890s, the discovery of the Great Northern and Silver Cup mineral claims brought people to the area, settling Ferguson and Trout Lake. But populations ebb and flow, and when there’s no operating mine, there’s less reason to be out there.

Gardiner said most of the people in town seem excited about the possibility of having a mine again.

In the meantime, outdoor recreation and tourism is popular, with ATVs and side-by-sides frequenting Taranis’ site, and heli-skiers enjoying the snow in the winter. Gardiner said he likes seeing people at the site; he’s not trying to hide anything.

“Ask us questions. Come for a site tour. We want to tell you about [Taranis],” he said.