BC’s two biggest gold projects: permitting pause and tunnel risks for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
British Columbia has paused permitting for Seabridge Gold’s C$6.4 billion KSM twin tunnels, which would move ore from the Mitchell Valley pits to Treaty Valley processing facilities, until a court dispute with neighbouring Tudor Gold over Treaty Creek claims is resolved. The conflict centres on whether Seabridge’s 2012 conditional mineral reserve grants tunnel rights across Tudor’s Goldstorm and Perfectstorm areas, where Tudor is advancing a 10,000‑tonne‑per‑day underground PEA on a 24.9‑million‑oz indicated gold resource. KSM still holds a 2.3‑billion‑tonne reserve grading 0.64 g/t gold and 0.14% copper, with a planned 33‑year life and 1.03‑million‑oz/y gold output.
Technical Brief
- BC’s ‘substantially started’ ruling in mid‑2024 locks in KSM’s environmental assessment approval for project life.
- Seabridge’s tunnel permits hinge on whether its 2012 conditional mineral reserve legally covers Tudor’s older Treaty Creek claims.
- The provincial ministry has repeatedly confirmed in writing that Seabridge’s reserve extends over Tudor ground, according to Seabridge.
- Tudor contends the planned Mitchell–Treaty tunnel alignment would physically transect the Goldstorm deposit and nearby Perfectstorm target.
- A northern reroute proposed by Tudor in October aims to avoid orebody sterilisation while allowing both projects to proceed.
- Seabridge has stated it will not commence tunnel construction until a final feasibility study and project partner are secured.
- Tudor’s PEA in preparation targets a 10,000‑t/d underground operation at Goldstorm, with Q3 delivery expected.
- Goldstorm’s January estimate reports 912.3 Mt indicated at 0.85 g/t Au, 5.07 g/t Ag and 0.15% Cu.
- Inferred Goldstorm resources add 86.1 Mt at 1.43 g/t Au, 5.22 g/t Ag and 0.17% Cu.
- Higher metal price assumptions recently increased KSM’s measured and indicated resources by 6.8 Moz Au and inferred by 12.9 Moz Au.
Our Take
The earlier piece in our database on Tudor Gold dropping its appeal over Seabridge Gold’s Mitchell Treaty Tunnels shows that, even before this latest setback, the KSM and Treaty Creek area in British Columbia was already entangled in tenure and legal complexity that can slow any C$6.4 billion-scale build-out.
Tudor Gold’s January resource numbers at the Goldstorm deposit (multi-million-ounce gold plus billions of pounds of copper) place Treaty Creek among the larger undeveloped gold-copper systems in our projects database, which likely heightens provincial and federal scrutiny of cumulative environmental and infrastructure impacts in the Mitchell–Treaty corridor.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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