A quick history of B.C.’s Red Chris mine where three workers are trapped underground

The eyes of many are on a northern British Columbia gold and copper mine as rescue efforts are underway to free three contractors trapped underground. This is not the first time the Red Chris mine has been in the spotlight.

In its decades-long history, the property 80 km south of Dease Lake, B.C., has been the focus of a hostile takeover, a Supreme Court of Canada decision, a months-long blockade, and a more recent provincial plan to combat U.S. tariffs.

Here’s a look at the mine’s background:

Acquisition and Supreme Court of Canada case

In 2003, Red Chris was under the control of bcMetals Corp., but it would eventually be taken over by Imperial Metals in April 2007 at a cost of $68.6 million

The mine was the focus of a landmark decision in the Supreme Court of Canada in 2010. The top court ruled that the mine could go ahead, but said that the federal government needed to do more to ensure its environmental assessment laws are followed.

At the time, the government had decided that it only needed to evaluated a proposed tailings pond at the site, without considering the rest of the project.

Justice Marshall Rothstein ruled that the government is obligated under the Environmental Assessment Act to consider proposed mining projects in their entirety.

The ruling did not stop the mine because the court said the non-profit organization that brought forward the case, did not have a direct financial interest and it didn’t challenge the project’s approval — only the way it was carried out.

Protests and production

In 2014, protesters from the Tahltan First Nation held a months-long blockade at the mine site in response to the catastrophic collapse of a tailings pond at Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine in August that year.

The First Nation later instigated an environmental review of the mine, and then signed on to co-manage the mine with Imperial Metals.

The mine’s operator said in a letter earlier this year that Red Chris has 220 Tahltan employees and spends more than $100 million annually with the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation.

The required permits were in place by 2015.

Then-mines minister Bill Bennett said he was confident the mine wouldn’t experience a similar breach to the Mount Polley mine because the Red Chris tailings storage facility has undergone three independent reviews.

A post from Imperial says 2020 production at Red Chris was 88.3 million pounds copper and 73,787 ounces gold.

Expansion and tariff fight

The mine is currently undergoing an expansion project involving a transition from open-pit to a block-cave mining method.

Imperial and Newcrest Mining Ltd. formed a joint venture for the operation of the mine in 2019, with Newcrest acting as operator. Imperial retains a 30 per cent interest.

The company said the new deal would “leverage Newcrest’s unique technical expertise in block-caving operations.”

Newcrest was acquired by the mine’s current operator, Newmont Corporation, in 2023.

In response to U.S. tariffs, the B.C. government announced earlier this year that the mine’s expansion would be among 18 mining and energy projects that would be fast-tracked through some type of permit or approval from the province.

Premier David Eby said the goal was to diversify the economy, assuming there would be “four years of continual on-and-off tariff threats” from the United States under President Donald Trump.

A letter from Newmont’s general manager at Red Chris to the Tahltan Nation in February says the provincial decision to prioritize the block-cave project does not change Newmont’s approach.

“We fully respect the Tahltan consent decision, and we are committed to building a strong partnership with Tahltan Nation based on trust, transparency, mutual benefit, and a shared vision for the future that respects Tahltan values and a Tahltan way of life,” it says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press