YESAB recommendations 'sterilize' miner's Dawson City claims, says agent

Yukon's environmental assessors say a Dawson City miner should be allowed to work his gold claims along the Dome Road, but not disturb the community's cross-country ski trails.

But a spokesperson for miner Darrell Carey says that's simply not possible — and that Carey's claims are largely worthless if the recommendations from the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) are accepted.

"It's a bit of a shame. It would have been better, I think, if YESAB had just said not to allow mining in the area. Their recommendations are the equivalent of that," said Carey's agent, Randy Clarkson.

Carey himself declined an interview with CBC.

Carey had applied to the assessment board to operate a placer mine over 34 claims on the east bench of the Dome. YESAB had already recommended against an earlier application from Carey, saying in 2016 that his proposal would interfere with the community's cross-country ski trails.

Carey re-submitted his bid with some changes, and YESAB has recommended the new plan be approved — with some conditions, including a mandatory 50-metre buffer zone around all ski trails, where "no mining activity of any kind shall take place."  

It also recommends a 150-metre buffer around any settlement lands, or surveyed land parcels.

Clarkson said the conditions amount to "sterilizing" Carey's claims.

"Some of that 50-metre buffer extends into his existing workings," Clarkson said. "YESAB basically has denied Mr. Carey the right to mine on his claims."

"I feel very sorry for the man, because he has invested all of his life's savings in mining — both the eastern and western side of the Dome Road — and now he's basically out of luck on the eastern side here."

'You might be a little upset'

Clarkson said the ski trails likely wouldn't even be where they are, if not for Carey's claims. He says they were developed on old exploration trails, and now seem to be considered "sacred."

"You can imagine if you owned a farm, and someone started a ski trail on the corner of your farm — you'd probably think nothing of it. But when you wanted to expand and make that into a field of potatoes, and suddenly you weren't allowed to, you might be a little upset."

Dawson mayor Wayne Potoroka, however, thinks YESAB's recommendations are fair and reasonable. He said the ski trails are an important community resource that need to be protected. 

"We don't have an undisturbed flat area that we can drive to for that sort of recreation activity. It's there, and that's it. So when it's gone, it's gone," Potoroka said.

YESAB's recommendations now go to Yukon's minister of energy, mines and resources. The government can accept, reject or amend the recommendations.