Community and Indigenous support are integral to Copper Mountain’s success.

We recognize the immense privilege we have in being able to engage and build positive relationships with the people and leaders in the communities in which we operate. We achieved an “A” rating under the TSM standard for Indigenous and Community Relationships. 

Copper Mountain has participation agreements in place with the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and the Lower Similkameen Indian Band as well as support from the town of Princeton and the province of British Columbia. We aim to develop meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships within our communities through a commitment to transparency and open dialogue. Our Communities of Interest Identification and Engagement Procedure details our process for engagement.   

Our engagement plans strive to foster a dialogue with local communities to receive and respond to concerns as well as provide up-to-date information on activities and developments. A summary of our recent engagements can be found here.

Copper Mountain Mining is committed to hiring people and procuring goods and services from our neighboring communities. Our commitments and approach are reflected in our Local Community Business and Employment Engagement Policy.

Towards Sustainable Mining

The TSM’s Indigenous and Community Relationships Protocol consists of five performance indicators that seek to confirm:

• Processes are in place to identify communities of interest, including Indigenous communities and organizations.
• Processes have been established to support the development and maintenance of meaningful relationships with communities of interest.
• Mining facilities are actively building meaningful relationships and implementing engagement and decision-making processes with Indigenous communities.
• Processes have been established to mitigate adverse community impacts and optimize social benefits generated from facilities.
• Processes are in place to respond to incidents, concerns, and feedback from communities of interest.

The revised protocol raises the bar on facility performance by strengthening performance criteria. It also features new indicators on effective Indigenous engagement and dialogue as well as community impact and benefits management.

 Among other criteria, good practice under the new TSM protocols include:

• A demonstrated commitment to obtain the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of directly affected Indigenous peoples for new projects and expansions where impacts to rights may occur.
• Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92 iii, which calls for the corporate sector to provide education and skills-based training for managers and staff in areas such as Indigenous history and intercultural competency.
• Implementation of leading engagement processes designed to build meaningful relationships.
• Stronger commitments to collaborate with communities of interest, including in the management of impacts and benefits, engagement processes, and other areas.