British Columbia: Nuxalk Nation issues eviction notice to Juggernaut Exploration

Published by MAC on 2021-08-21
Source: The Star, The Canadian Press, Juniorminingnetwork

“They are looking for gold and other precious metals and are breaking Nuxalk law”.

Nuxalk Nation issues eviction notice to mining company operating on unceded territory

Odette Auger, Windspeaker.com

The Star

Aug. 18, 2021

Notice has been served to Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. demanding it cease mining operations and leave Nuxalkulmc (Nuxalk territory) in Bella Coola, B.C. The eviction comes from both the elected and ancestral governing bodies.

On Aug. 16, two letters were issued. The Nuxalk Stataltmc (ancestral governance) calls for Juggernaut to cease operations, return core samples, and remove equipment. A second letter from the elected chief and council was sent in support of Stataltmc.

“We understand the risks of industrial resource extraction in our territory, especially mining,” said elected Chief Samuel Schooner in a Nuxalk Nation press release. “Any type of mining operation is extremely dangerous to the wellbeing of our territory and our people.”

The Nuxalk Nation has never ceded rights and title to its territory, nor has it entered into any treaty negotiations with the Canadian government.

“At no time has the British Crown, Canada, or the Province of British Columbia ever had jurisdiction over we, the People of Nuxalk,” reads the letter from the Stataltmc.

Juggernaut is a Vancouver-based mining exploration company, which has been conducting test drilling at two sites on Nuxalkulmc lands.

“They are looking for gold and other precious metals and are breaking Nuxalk law,” reads the Nuxalk press release.

The province of B.C. issued Juggernaut permits for two sites that they call Goldstandard and Goldstar.

On Nov. 16, 2020 Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. received its five-year advanced exploration permit for drilling for the Goldstandard site, and received Goldstar’s on March 11 this year.

Hereditary leadership made it explicitly clear in a May 2020 formal letter informing the province and Juggernaut that Nuxalk did not grant consent to be in the territory.

“We started hearing and seeing the helicopters ramp up, to and fro the past several weeks,” said Nuskmata, Jacinda Mack. That’s when people in the valley, both Nuxalk and non-Indigenous, became activated.

Organizing swiftly, the Ancient Roots Collective, comprised of Bella Coola community members supporting the Nuxalk Stataltmc and the stewardship of the unceded lands of the Nuxalk people, called Nuskmata home to help.

Nuskmata is of both Nuxalk and Secwepemc ancestry. She knows the potential damage from mining, having seen it first hand from the 2014 Mount Polley mine disaster in her Secwepemc home territory.

With her experience as natural resource manager for the Soda Creek area, she assisted with the response to the Mount Polley Mine tailings breach, when about 17 million cubic meters of supernatant and tailings pore water and 8 million cubic meters of tailings/materials spilled into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake.

“A lot of people in the community have said ‘we don’t want another Mount Polley.’ We need to get in front of this before it advances to any further stages and we need to be really proactive and let mining companies know that they’re not welcome in our territory,” says Nuskmata.

“One only need to look at the Mount Polley Mine disaster of 2014 in our neighbouring territory of the Secwepemc to see the devastation mining can cause,” said Chief Schooner.

Juggernaut is 100 percent owned, meaning it will be easier for the Nuxalk to target one company versus a syndicate ownership, Nuskmata said.

“But really the fight isn’t with the company. It’s the province issuing those licenses where they have no authority,” she says.

“With all of the promises for reconciliation and for adopting UNDRIP (the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and then continuing to hand out licenses without any consent. And they are trying to make it seem like they followed all of the proper avenues, despite knowing that they have a letter from our hereditary chiefs from last year that explicitly states that there is no consent for mining in our territory.”

B.C. mining law is outdated, she said. In colonial terms it is aligned with the terra nullius (empty or unoccupied lands) premise, said Nuskmata.

“They’re archaic, really written during the time of the 1850s, the gold rush.

“So this isn’t a new story. We’ve been dealing with the impacts of the gold rush for the last 170 years. And, this is the same fight, with the new generation picking up the fight, picking up the work.”

Nuxalk leadership has sent out calls for support from allies, saying they welcome letters of support.

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B.C. first nation gives gold mining company 2 days to leave Nuxalk territory

The Canadian Press

August 16, 2021

The Nuxalk Nation on B.C.'s northcentral coast has given a Vancouver mining company until Wednesday to quit mining exploration in the region and leave Nuxalk territory.

The chief and council of the nation issued a statement today saying Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. is conducting unauthorized test drilling on two sites within Nuxalk territory for the past several weeks.

The statement says “any type of mining operation is extremely dangerous to the well-being of (the) territory,” and Juggernaut has until Aug. 18 to cease operations, remove equipment, return the core samples, and leave.

A release from Juggernaut in March said the company has permits for the area and on Aug. 3 it said work was beginning at two “newly discovered extensive high-grade gold-silver zones” on the northcentral coast -- but the company has not said if the work has Indigenous support.

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Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. Commences Drilling of Two Extensive High-Grade Gold-Silver Targets in Northwest B.C.

Juniorminingnetwork

Aug. 03, 2021

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: JUGR) (OTCQB: JUGRF) (FSE: 4JE) (the “Company” or “Juggernaut”) is pleased to report it has commenced inaugural diamond drill programs at each of its 100% controlled GoldStandard and Goldstar projects. Drilling is designed to test newly discovered extensive high-grade gold-silver zones to depth. These projects are situated in the prolific mineralized terrain of northwestern British Columbia and are located in close proximity to infrastructure providing for cost effective exploration.

GOLDSTANDARD PROPERTY:

GOLDZILLA HINGE ZONE DRILL TARGET #1

100m long by up to 20m wide Hinge Zone containing high grade gold mineralization of up to 6.00 g/t AuEq over 12m including 5m of 13.03 g/t AuEq and 1m of 31.66 AuEq (schematic of hinge zone). The Hinge Zone is part of the larger Goldzilla orogenic system that has been traced on surface for 938m with 320m of vertical relief and remains open along strike and at depth (hinge zone image). Drilling is designed to test the Goldzilla Hinge Zone to depth.

The GoldStandard property is situated in the central coastal region of British Columbia Canada, only 4km from major infrastructure and 1km to tidewater and logging roads providing excellent, cost-effective exploration. Approximately 67% of Canadian gold production comes from orogenic type deposits.

GOLDSTAR PROPERTY:

GOLDILOCKS ZONE DRILL TARGET #2

Goldilocks Zone is demarked by multiple outcrops that daylight in glacial talus containing high-grade gold and polymetallic mineralization with grab samples assaying up to 40 g/t AuEq. The zone is defined by veining and altered host rock over an area of 190m by 20m and 160m vertical relief and remains open in all directions. 2019 channel sampling within the Goldilocks Zone included a 3.75m cut to partially test a 10.5m wide section of exposed outcrop. This cut returned 7.86 g/t AuEq over 3.75m true width starting in 9.01 g/t AuEq and ending in 10.79 g/t AuEq. Juggernaut thinks this zone remains open in all directions. Importantly, gold mineralization occurs in host rocks (pyritic chlorite schist) that assayed 1.13 g/t AuEq over a 1-meter interval inside the 3.75-meter channel (link to video). To date, 84% of rock samples collected at Goldilocks assayed greater than 1.0 g/t gold suggesting continuity of gold mineralization (link to image). Drilling is designed to test the discovery outcrop to depth (link to map).

The Gold Star Property is situated on the central coast of BC and is located approximately 5.5km from logging access roads and lies within 4.5km of tidewater providing for good access to infrastructure. The Gold Star Property is a virgin discovery with no previous recorded work in the area. Approximately 67% of Canadian gold production comes from orogenic type deposits.

Dan Stuart, President and CEO of Juggernaut states:

“Juggernaut is in the unique position of being fully funded to undertake inaugural drilling at two virgin bedrock discoveries, GoldStandard (link to video) and Goldstar (link to video). In previous seasons’ work, Juggernaut confirmed the presence of high-grade gold-silver-polymetallic mineralization over significant extents at both projects. With drilling now underway coupled with only 40M shares outstanding, no debt and over $6,000,000 in the treasury, Juggernaut provides an excellent opportunity for investors to participate in these exciting exploration stories, in a strengthening precious and base metals bull market.”

Dr. Quinton Hennigh Geologist

“Juggernaut has a youthful, aggressive team working on their highly prospective early stage gold projects in BC,” commented Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to the Company. “It is great to see first pass drilling commence at these two most advanced targets, but the Company has also been busy conducting systematic prospecting across its extensive land holdings, work that will likely yield many more such drill targets. The Company is well cashed up and is in a great position to undertake this work. We look forward to soon seeing what drilling delivers.”

Qualified Person

Rein Turna, P. Geo is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43- 101, for Juggernaut Exploration projects, and supervised the preparation of, and has reviewed and approved, the technical information in this release.