The ripple effects of the Eagle Gold Mine disaster have reached other mining companies. The Casino Mining Corp. has delayed submitting an important report to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB).
The corporation released a statement Monday outlining its new plans for its massive Yukon mining project south of Dawson City.
“Casino Mining Corporation (Casino) has submitted an updated and refined Environmental and Socio-economic Effects Statement (ESE Statement) schedule of submission for the proposed Casino Project to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB) Executive Committee,” the statement reads.
“The ESE Statement will form the basis of the Company’s assessment proposal by YESAB Panel Review, the highest level of assessment in the territory. Casino anticipates submitting this ESE Statement in, or around, July 2025; an update from the previously estimated submission timeframe originally outlining the second half of this year.”
The Casino Project is a copper, gold, molybdenum and silver deposit located approximately 300 kilometres northwest of Whitehorse.
In the statement, Casino CEO Sandeep Singh says “we look forward to completing the hard work and science that has already gone into the project and moving steadily towards submission.
“We also continue to closely monitor the situation following the Eagle Gold Mine failure and welcome the proposed investigation of the failure. We believe Casino’s assessment timeline will more than allow for the incorporation of lessons learned through that process.”
The Eagle Gold Mine, north of Mayo, has been closed since a major heap leach pad landslide occurred on June 24.
Late last month, Premier Ranj Pillai announced that no more heap leach facilities, such as the proposed Casino project, will be licensed in the territory until an official investigation into the Eagle disaster had been carried out.
The Yukon Chamber of Mines said it “continues to monitor Casino’s progress with great interest.
“The project has attracted major investment, and is the first to enter into a YESAB panel review, the highest level of environmental assessment ever undertaken in the territory,” the chamber said.
“We are pleased to see Casino taking the time they need to prepare their submission, and expect all parties to the YESAB process to ensure timelines are adhered to in order to provide the much-needed certainty our mining industry requires to continue to attract world-class attention.”
Kate White, Yukon NDP Leader and MLA for Takhini Kopper-King said, “I don’t think this comes as a surprise to anyone, with the recent mine failure at Eagle Gold and the current situation in the territory”.
“Casino’s heap leach facility is proposed to be almost four times the size of Eagle Gold’s when it slid. What we believe is needed is a conversation with Yukoners about the future of heap leach mining in the territory “
The statement from Casino added “our ongoing review of YESAB’s Revised ESE Statement Guidelines, issued on Sept. 13, 2023, followed by updated work planning with our technical teams and further dialogue and the development of engagement plans with Yukon First Nations, has resulted in refined timelines to produce and submit our ESE Statement.”
Singh said the company is “confident that the proposed Casino Project can be a sustainable critical minerals asset for the Yukon and can be the type of mine that helps improve the territory’s mining legacy to the benefit of all Yukoners.
Having “re-entered” the Yukon’s environmental assessment process, the company said, “Casino is seeking permission to construct, operate, close and reclaim the proposed mine using today’s environmental, social and governance best practices.”
