More than a month has passed since Ottawa rejected Taseko Mines’ (TSX:TKO) plan to build the Prosperity mine near Williams Lake, but the town isn’t giving up on the project.
“Until the proponent says, ‘it’s over’ and they walk away, we’re holding out hope,” said Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook.
In an interview with Business in Vancouver, Cook explained the recession and the downturn in the forestry sector has been devastating for her region’s economy in recent years, and Prosperity would have been a major boon to the people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
In 2009, Cook said, Williams Lake lost a third of its workforce, which meant a loss of $1 million per week to the local economy.
Unemployment rose to 12% from 6.5%, consumer bankruptcies were up 70%, vacancy rates climbed 700% and there was a 500% to 600% increase in the number of families accessing the local food bank.
Hard times in Williams Lake were largely the result of the downturn in the forestry sector, which has long been the backbone of the Cariboo-Chilcotin economy.
“For a healthy community, we need a healthy economy and jobs and opportunities,” she said. “That’s the reason why Prosperity was such a positive for our community.”
Check out next week’s edition of BIV for the third part in a four-part series about Prosperity, this time focusing on what the massive copper-gold mine would mean for B.C.’s economy.