RAVEN is honoured to express our utmost support to Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation in their exercise of Free, Prior and Informed Consent with regards to the proposed Ajax mine project.

By withdrawing Free, Prior and Informed Consent to the development of the lands and resources at Pípsell (Jacko Lake and Area) for the purposes of the Ajax Mine Project, Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation is exercising its sovereignty on the territory in accordance its own laws, traditions, customs and land land use objectives. We acknowledge the many months of work that went into the thorough assessments conducted by Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation in relation to the Ajax project, as presented in the Pípsell Report and SSN Panel Recommendations Report. We honour and recognize the foundational principles that guided the assessment process, including Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation laws and traditional governance; cultural perspectives and collective knowledge; Walking on Two Legs perspective; the inclusion of long-term intergenerational impacts and the legacy of harm Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc people have faced since the establishment of Canada and B.C. We appreciate the inclusion and thorough examination of “intangible” impacts to spirit and culture that are currently missing in the B.C. and Canadian environmental processes. As such, the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc assessment process is a model that all Canadians can learn from.

We note, with appreciation, that Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc decision to preserve and sustain Pípsell is for the long-term benefit of all Canadians and serves to further reconciliation.

As an organization serving the vision of a country that honours the ancestral laws, rights and stewardship values of IndigenousPeoples and their equitable access to the justice system within a thriving natural environment, RAVEN is proud to be standing in support and solidarity with Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation.