The British Columbia government has approved an amended environmental assessment certificate allowing blockcaving at the Red Chris copper and gold mine, shifting the operation toward underground mining. The approval carries 27 binding conditions, including ongoing monitoring of water and air quality and ground stability. The change follows a July 2025 incident in which three workers were trapped more than 500 metres underground during exploratory drilling for the transition but were rescued more than two days later. The Canadian Press reported the decision was based on a review by the Environmental Assessment Office and consent from the Tahltan Central Government.

The Cat Lake and Lac Seul First Nations in northwestern Ontario have granted conditional approval for First Mining Gold’s Springpole gold-and-silver project after completing a four-year, Indigenous-led impact assessment process known as ALIA. The project sits 40 kilometres east of Cat Lake and is in the final stages of coordinated federal and provincial environmental reviews. The communities also reached a permanent, all-season road agreement, with First Mining Gold committing $4 million to start early engineering and permitting work this summer.

Vault Minerals has submitted an amendment to the Sugar Zone mine’s closure plan to Ontario’s Energy and Mines ministry, a key step in restarting the White River-area underground gold operation centered on building a new tailings storage facility. The company is aiming for approval this month so it can begin underground development next month, with the new tailings dam expected to be completed by October 2027 and gold production starting in November 2027. The restart plan calls for annual output of 50,000 ounces over a seven-year mine life, and drilling has lifted ore reserves to 2.3 million tonnes at 5.4 g/t for 389,000 ounces. The mine sits 30 kilometres north of White River and was originally developed by Harte Gold before being acquired in 2022 through Silver Lake Resources, a predecessor company to Vault Minerals.