WHY Still Trying to Avoid an Environmental Assessment

We wanted to provide you with an important update regarding West High Yield (WHY) Resources and the proposed Record Ridge magnesium mine. As you may recall, WHY Resources initially applied for a production capacity of 249,000 tonnes per year—just under the 250,000-tonne Environmental Assessment (EA) threshold for a quarry. They later reduced this to 200,000 tonnes per year, in an attempt to bypass the requirement to notify the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) of the full details of their project. Thanks to our persistent efforts, along with the support of many others who have shared concerns, the project was recently categorized as a mineral mine by the EAO, which has a much lower threshold of 75,000 tonnes per year. This means that the project, as currently planned, will be required to undergo an EA.

However, WHY Resources is now planning to reduce their production capacity yet again—this time, below 75,000 tonnes per year—in another clear attempt to avoid the EA process. This tactic is especially concerning, given that they have clearly indicated to shareholders that they plan to increase the size of the mine in the future. This repeated maneuvering to stay just below regulatory thresholds underscores the importance of the work we are doing to ensure this project gets the required level of scrutiny.

Our work is far from over. The location of this site is too sensitive for an open pit mine. It is extremely close to homes and recreation areas, sits within a red-listed grassland ecosystem with threatened species like the mountain holly fern, and is directly upstream of one of the largest salmon rehabilitation projects in history. We must remain vigilant as WHY attempts to move forward with this reduced-capacity project, which poses significant risks to the environment and our communities.

We continue to need your support to push back against these tactics and advocate for full transparency. If you can, please consider making a donation to help fund our ongoing efforts. Your contribution will go directly towards supporting legal support, expert advice, and further advocacy to protect our community and environment from the risks associated with this project. You can donate to our GoFundMe page here: Save Record Ridge - Stop the Open Pit Mine.

Thank you for standing with us to safeguard the future of the Record Ridge area. We will keep you updated as more information comes to light.

Sincerely,

The Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC)