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The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) says it now supports the Wheeler River uranium project in northern Saskatchewan after reaching an agreement with Denison Mines Corp., the company behind the development.
The First Nation had filed for a judicial review of the provincial environmental assessment approval for the project, but says that application has now been withdrawn.
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“This agreement is about making sure our people are part of the work happening on our lands,” Chief Peter Beatty said in a news release. “Our members know this territory, and they have an important role to play in protecting it.”
As part of the agreement, PBCN says its members will have access to financial benefits, employment and business opportunities connected to the project.
The First Nation will also run a community-based environmental monitoring program, funded by Denison, to oversee impacts tied to development in its traditional territory.
PBCN says further engagement with Denison addressed its concerns about potential impacts from Wheeler River, leading the Nation to formally provide its consent and support for the project’s development and operation.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued Denison a licence in February to prepare the site and construct the Wheeler River project, about 680 kilometres north of Prince Albert in the Athabasca Basin.
The licence allows site preparation and construction, but not operation of the mine. A separate approval would be required before production could begin.
Denison has said site preparation and early construction work began in March, with first production targeted for 2028.
Wheeler River includes the Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits. Denison has described Phoenix as Canada’s first in-situ recovery uranium mine, a method that uses wells to dissolve uranium underground and pump the solution to the surface for processing.
Denison Mines president David Cates said while in-situ recovery has been commonly used globally, this will be the first Canadian mine to deploy the technique with a high-grade deposit.
“We will not generate conventional tailings because we’re not excavating the rock, we’re dissolving the uranium in ground at depth, and we’re processing a solution that has dissolved uranium in it on (the) surface that helps us with our economics,” Cates explained.
He said the project has lower capital and operating costs, an essential part of how the project has been able to advance before the increase to the price of uranium.
PBCN says more details on the monitoring program, including eligibility and how members can apply, will be released as planning continues.
— with files from CJME News
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