Western Copper and Gold (TSX: WRN) announced it has submitted its environmental and socio-economic effects statement (ESE statement”) for the proposed Casino project to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB). The Casino project is a proposed copper-gold-molybdenum-silver mine located in west-central Yukon, about 30 km northwest of Whitehorse.
This submission advances the panel review process under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA) and marks a key step forward in Casino’s permitting.
The ESE statement assesses potential project-related and cumulative environmental and socio-economic effects on valued environmental and socio-economic components (“VESECs”). After applying a comprehensive set of environmental management measures — including mitigation actions, management and monitoring plans, and an adaptive management approach — the company assessed Project-related residual effects and any cumulative residual effects as not significant across all VESECs.
Shena Shaw, vice president of environmental and community affairs, commented: “Our submission represents years of careful planning and collaboration and demonstrates that Casino can be advanced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, with generational benefits for all Yukoners. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ongoing collaboration with affected First Nations, local communities, and the broader public – an approach that has been foundational to reaching today’s milestone.”
Sandeep Singh, president and CEO, commented: “Submission of the ESE statement is a major achievement. I commend our team and our external consultants for their diligence in completing this extensive and critical body of work,”
He added: “We enter this next phase of assessment with a tremendous amount of scientific research underpinning the Project, the highest environmental and socio-economic standards, and an unwavering commitment to responsible resource development in the Yukon. We commit to continuing that rigorous analysis and deepening our collaboration with all Yukoners as we advance through the regulatory process. Casino is positioned to play a pivotal role in improving the legacy of mining in the Yukon, enabling benefits that can serve the territory for decades, and becoming a pillar of economic growth and prosperity in the North.”
YESAB will publish the ESE statement to its online registry after a short review period. The board’s executive committee will then perform a sufficiency check to confirm the ESE statement meets the ESE statement guidelines, and YESAB will take preparatory steps to formally establish the panel of the board that will conduct the comprehensive project assessment.
Western retained MNP, a Canadian accounting and consulting firm, to update economic impact modeling quantifying Casino’s direct, indirect, and induced effects across Canada.
For more information, visit www.WesternCopperandGold.com.
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