Several Saskatchewan First Nations are opposed to the construction of a diamond mine unless their concerns are addressed.
The Saskatchewan government gave environmental approval on Thursday to Star Diamond Corp. to proceed with the next step in its Star-Orion South Diamond Mine project east of Prince Albert.
The province said the company must make accommodations to address the potential impacts of the project on Indigenous treaty rights.
James Smith Cree Nation Chief Wally Burns said the mine, as proposed, will adversely affect his community.
“The way things stand, everyone else gets the benefits of a mine, while we are left with all the consequences,” Burns said in a statement.
“There will be no mine until our peoples’ interests are satisfied.”
Burns said the mine will be on irreplaceable sacred land.
Robert Head, chief of the Peter Chapman First Nation, said the government failed to address their concerns over the impact the mine will have on their treaty land.
“The more we dug, the more we realized this mine will have intergenerational impacts on our people, our traditions, our very spirituality,” he said.
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Of concern to the First Nations is the footprint they said the mine and facilities will have on the Fort á la Corne Forest, roughly 65 kilometres east of Prince Albert.
They said it will impact hunting rights and deprive band members access to land linked to their culture.
The government said Star Diamond must make accommodations to address potential impacts to First Nations treaty rights and traditional land uses as it moves forward with the project.
Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said Thursday he is confident conditions imposed on Star Diamond will alleviate any concerns.
“The government of Saskatchewan has an obligation to ensure that developments undergo comprehensive assessment and proceed with appropriate environmental safeguards in place,” Duncan said.
“I am confident this project has met these requirements and the conditions of approval will mitigate environmental and community impacts.”
One condition is for a conservation area to be set aside in the forest, along with James Smith Cree Nation involvement in environmental monitoring.
Government officials said they carried out their duty to consult, and engaged with Indigenous communities during the consultation process.
The federal government previously gave a positive environmental review to the project.
The mine is expected to employ 700 people when operational.
“The project has the potential to generate billions of dollars of corporate and municipal taxed and royalities, while also providing direct employment for hundreds of people throughout the construction phase,” said Star Diamand president and CEO Kenneth MacNeill in a statement.
The company said an assessment estimated 66 million carats of diamonds could be recovered from a surface mine over a 38-year period.
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