2014 — Fraser Basin Council

The impacts of climate change – such as an increase in extreme weather events and long-term changes to temperature and precipitation patterns – pose challenges for Canada’s mining sector.

In 2013-2014 the Fraser Basin Council prepared several climate change adaptation case studies in the mining sector, in partnership with the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO) of Sudbury and its parent organization, the Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources (OCCIAR).

This case study focuses on the Galore Creek project, a large copper-gold-silver open pit deposit approximately 200 km northwest of Stewart, BC.

In 2011 the project area was subject to an extreme rainfall event that resulted in flooding, damage and need for remedial action.

This case study offers insights from Galore Creek Mining Corporation into the issues faced at the project site, and what work is underway to address weather and climate-related challenges in future. Challenges include significant variations in precipitation over relatively small areas of rugged terrain, which makes it complex to design robust water management infrastructure; transport of people, equipment and supplies to and from the site; glacial recession and lack of historical climate and hydrological data in proximity to the site.