There are few things as enjoyable as a good story. That’s probably why stories these days are often monetized: books, magazines, social media, songs, and Netflix series, for example.
BC has its own monetized story: mineral claims. Lands staked for mineral exploration.
Most people understand that old-growth forests and wildlife habitat need to be protected to prevent species loss. But if those lands have been staked, it makes protection much more difficult. Often the mineral claim holders want to be compensated by the provincial government, even when there’s little chance of the claim becoming a profitable mine.
That’s because in BC, the value of a mineral claim is not based on the likelihood of a profitable mine. Instead, its value is sometimes based on how good a story its owner can tell.
That’s why I call BC mineral claims “storylands.”
Silverdaisy Mountain, surrounded by Manning and Skagit Provincial Parks, is a twisted tale of a great story on top of some lousy claims. Since the early 2000s, there have been a number of battles against clearcut logging of spotted owl habitat and other special forests in the mineral claim area at Silverdaisy.
Joe Foy on top of Silverdaisy
BC Timber Sales, the provincial government’s logging agency, was the main culprit. Mineral claims kept the area from being protected, and BC’s logging agency walked in and took advantage.
For over a century, Silverdaisy’s various owners dug tunnels and drilled core samples, but never made one red cent of profit. It hardly mattered. They told great stories that attracted a lot of investment money. Some of the owners made money, workers made money, the government taxed the payrolls, savvy investors bought low and sold high, and those in the dark or just plain unlucky got a bit of hope and joy from the stories they got in return for the money they lost.
How much are crappy mineral claims with great stories worth? In the case of Silverdaisy Mountain, north of $20 million was paid to the owners in 2022 to relinquish their claims so the area could finally be protected.
There are many such storylands lurking in the dark corners of the province. Fire Lake is located near Garibaldi Park and century-old mineral claims that never produced a profitable mine. But with claim names like “Money Spinner” and political leaders talking about “critical minerals” and eliminating environmental reviews – well, you get the story.
At stake are old-growth forests and spotted owl habitat surrounding Fire Lake that should have been protected long ago. They are now pending approval for logging by – you guessed it – BC Timber Sales. Once again, looks like the door was held open by a mine that’s never going to happen, and the BC government’s own timber agency is waltzing right in.
I’m thinking that critical habitat is far more rare, precious, and deserving of protection than any storyland hole in the ground or government-run logging show ever could be.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Joe Foy is the protected areas campaigner for the Wilderness Committee.
