Record Ridge is just outside of Rossland, B.C. Photo by Brett Wildeman

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Some Rossland, B.C., residents opposed to a magnesium mine project in their community are hoping to have their concerns ringing in the public’s ears via the Record Ridge Mixtape.

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The 16-track recording features songs and spoken-word works by Rossland residents ages seven to 79, as well as by some concerned citizens who used to call the city home.

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“You have to use the materials and skills that you have in front of you to build a campaign like this, because there is no bigger organization backing it,” local musician and producer Brett Wildeman said of the project, which sees proceeds go to the Save Record Ridge Action Committee Society (SRRACS).

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“The DIY ethos is appropriately expressed in something like the mixtape, which came together out of concerned individuals wanting to be heard.”

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Concerns related to West High Yield Resources’ Record Ridge project — which range from habitat damage for the threatened mountain holly fern to air and water quality damage due to factors such as airborne asbestos and silica particles found in the serpentinite rock — were part of the arguments put forward in a lawsuit filed by SRRACS and Sinixt Confederacy.

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On June 11, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gordon Weatherill rejected the lawsuit calling for more scrutiny of the mine project.

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The provincial Environmental Assessment Office has already ruled that the project won’t require an environmental assessment certificate, as the proposed annual extraction of 63,500 tonnes of ore falls below the automatic threshold that launches such an assessment. The SRRACS website claims that the annual tonnage was amended from 200,000, which would have triggered an assessment.

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In his decision, Justice Weatherill acknowledged that, should the mine increase its annual production, it would not require an environmental assessment. SRRACS is planning to appeal the case.

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In a response to the ruling posted to their website, the mining company’s CEO and President Frank Marasco said they were pleased with the court’s decision and the “careful consideration” given to the project.

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“The decision removes a key legal barrier to commencing construction of the Record Ridge Project, subject to completion of the remaining permits, authorizations, and regulatory requirements, which will then allow us to move forward on the project development to honour the definitive offtake agreement that the Company signed with Galaxy Trade and Technology,” said Marasco. “West High Yield remains committed to responsible development, environmental stewardship, meaningful Indigenous partnerships, and creating long-term economic opportunities for the region.”

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Record Ridge Mixtape album cover by Eva Gifford & Morgan Bialkowski. Photo by Eva Gifford & Morgan Bialkowski /Brett Wildeman

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Wildeman said the inspiration for the project came to him after cross-country skiing in the proposed mine location.