Holt says uptick in Sisson mine development expected by spring [video]

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says that an uptick of development activity is expected at the site of the proposed Sisson mine by springtime next year, and that negotiations are ongoing between First Nations and the company behind the controversial open-pit tungsten and molybdenum project.  

Holt updated reporters about the controversial project on Thursday afternoon, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the Sisson mine would be referred to the newly-launched Major Projects Office, which is mandated to speed up “nation-building projects.”

“The timeline that we have understood from the development team is that there’s some increase of work in terms of site preparation and development that you’re going to see in the spring of this coming year of 2026, where there will be more activity on-site,” she said.

Watch the full news conference:

Vancouver-based firm Northcliff Resources, which is majority-owned by Todd Minerals of New Zealand, is currently in negotiations with First Nations, according to Holt.

“There is some continued negotiation in terms of the equity partnership that the First Nations are negotiating and undertaking with Northcliff and with the Todd Group,” she said. “But we’re going to see more activity in terms of development of the site and preparation for mining this spring.”

In 2017, Woodstock First Nation signed a “cooperation agreement” with the company, and all six Wolastoqey communities signed revenue-sharing agreements with the province. Five of the chiefs later reportedly stated that they oppose the project and felt pressured to sign the agreement.

During an unrelated news conference ahead of Carney’s announcement on Thursday, a reporter asked Chief Allan Polchies Jr. of Sitansisk (also called St. Mary’s First Nation) if he believed the Sisson project had social licence from First Nations.

“What I could tell you is that the Wolastoqey chiefs will insist that all proper processes are put in place, and of course that we will ensure that the Wolastoqey rights are respected,” he said, adding that the communities were still gathering information.

The website for Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick, an advisory body for the six communities, criticizes the Sisson mine project, saying it “poses a risk to water cleanliness and fish-bearing brooks in the proposed mine location.”

It also states: “Wolastoqey communities have been consulted on the process, and will continue to advocate against similar projects.”

New Brunswick’s Liberal government has touted the mining sector as an engine of economic development, noting the presence of “critical minerals” identified by the federal government as essential for various applications ranging from weapons to EV batteries.

Tungsten carbide is known for its hardness, and its military applications include armour-piercing ammunition. Tungsten prices climbed this year as China has restricted the global supply in response to U.S. tariffs, prompting renewed interest in reserves located in New Brunswick.

The Wolastoqey Grand Council, which represents a traditional governance structure and has a grassroots constituency, opposes the development of the mine. Grand Chief Ron Tremblay insists that free, prior and informed consent is required for the project to proceed, citing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Minister of Natural Resources John Herron has indicated that he believes that the province’s duty to consult and accommodate is limited to government-recognized bands, and not the traditional grand council.

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Wolastoq grandmothers and others have maintained a presence at the site of the proposed mine north of Fredericton for years, even building off-grid cabins, although a court injunction has barred them from interfering with Northcliff’s work.

The NB Media Co-op asked Premier Holt if she’s prepared to see Elders jailed over the mine.

“That’s a hypothetical question,” she said. “We’ve been meeting with the grandmothers and meeting with the Grand Chief on the subject and keeping everybody informed about how it’s being developed, and what kinds of accommodations and benefits are being put in place, what kind of environmental protections are being put in place to meet the conditions that have been established.”

She continued: “We’re going to continue to work in that spirit of communication and listening and respecting the relationship there while also working closely with the elected chiefs on responding to their interests with this project as well.”

The greatest concern for many who oppose the Sisson project is the possibility that its massive tailings dam will breach, devastating the watershed.

A report published in 2016 by Mining Watch Canada states that the Sisson mine is expected to be between five and ten times larger than most tungsten mines, while the ore quality — meaning the percentage of tungsten and molybdenum in the ore — “is three to seven times lower.”

That means that the for each tonne of ore extracted and processed, “the Sisson Mine would produce less than 0.09 per cent marketable metal, and over 99.91 per cent waste in the form of mining residues containing many toxic substances… In other words, the Sisson low ore grades appear to make the Sisson Mine the biggest tungsten waste management project in the world.”

Asked about that grim analysis on Thursday, Holt said “I think it’s a preliminary analysis and we’re not at the point of extracting ore from the site.” She continued: “But the exploration that’s been done and the assessments that have been done have proven that this is a viable source of the kind of tungsten that our country needs. And so that’s that’s why we’re going to move forward with its development.”

Thursday’s announcement attracted immediate criticism from the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance.

“People and politicians in New Brunswick and the Atlantic region have been calling for rapid investments in renewable energy, and the grid to support it” said spokesperson Jim Emberger in an email.

“Instead, [Prime Minister Carney] resurrected a mine that’s been languishing without investment for 15 years, and only because the U.S. Department of War has recently invested in it. So much for elbows up.”

Northcliff announced earlier this year that it would receive millions of dollars for the project from the U.S. Department of Defense — which the Trump administration has sought to rebrand as the Department of War — and from the Government of Canada.

The company received environmental approvals from the provincial government in 2015 and from the feds in 2017, subject to the company meeting certain environmental conditions.

On Thursday, Holt indicated that the province doesn’t plan to undertake a renewed environmental impact assessment when those approvals expire at the end of December. “We’re not going to redo the EIA from start to finish because it’s a very exhaustive process,” she said.

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).