YNLR and Belmont Resources partner in Athabasca exploration agreement

Belmont to launch two-year drilling project near Uranium City, exploration agreement will ensure lands are respected says YNLR rep

Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan

Daily Herald

Belmont Resources has announced the signing of an agreement with Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources (YNLR) for resource development in the Nuhenéne, “the traditional territory of the Athabasca First Nations located in Treaty 8 and Treaty 10 territories.”

The two groups announced the agreement in a news release on Thursday. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to partner on mineral exploration, according to the news release.

Belmont plans to launch a drilling project in their “Crackingstone Uranium property, which is located six kms from Uranium city.

The proximity to Uranium City gives the company “easy access to essential infrastructure and logistical support for drilling operations,” reads the news release.

The company submitted a permit “for 40 drill holes, totalling up to 10,000 metres over the next two years. 

While the proposed project involves uranium exploration, it also involves Belmont “geologists also examining high-potential rare earth targets … The dual focus on uranium and rare earth elements underscores the strategic importance of this exploration effort in Saskatchewan’s uranium-rich Athabasca Basin region.”

The next step in the for the potential project involves waiting on a final permit approval from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.

Three First Nations and four municipalities of the Athabasca came together to form Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources Office (YNLR) in 2016.

“Our mission is we’re committed to balancing sustainable development, focusing on protection of traditional lands, while at the same time, fostering economic growth for the benefit of future generations,” Kathy Hay, manager of YNLR Corporate Affairs, said in an interview with the Daily Herald.

YNLR established a Trust that involves, when they partner with companies, a portion of the funds from the companies goes into the Trust “for the benefit of the future generations of the Athabasca Region,” she said.

One of the ways YNLR works to protect the land involves the employment of what Hay referred to as Community Land Technicians (CLT) in four of the communities, Uranium City, Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation, Black Lake Denesuline First Nation and Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation. 

The role of the CLT involves environmental monitoring.

“We work very hard. We include provisions for environmental and cultural monitoring and that basically means that community members, including our CLTs, play a direct role in making sure that these activities are respectful of our land and heritage,” Hay said.

For example, CLTs make site visits, “while the exploration is happening,” to ensure regulations are being followed, and the exploration sites are being cleanup appropriately, chemicals are being stored properly, and garbage is cleared up appropriately.

They also ensure companies are not going into protected areas and more.

YNLR is designed to bring economic development into the north in the form of jobs and business opportunities for residents of the north.

Under the Agreement YNLR commits to ensure that northerners will have the first chance at jobs involved in the related projects.

“They will be hiring geologist and drillers, so those types of jobs, the Athabasca residents have priority,” Hay said.

They have a data base “that connects employees looking for work within the region with these companies,” she added.

YNLR includes such elements as training opportunities, cultural and environmental protection, business development under the agreements they engage in, such as the Belmont Resources Agreement.

Business development can involve the use of existing businesses, such as the use of local transportation companies, “that are out of the north … really just growing businesses that already exist,” Hay said.

YNLR is owned by Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation, Black Lake Denesuline First Nation, Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, Northern Settlements of Uranium City, Wollaston Lake, and Camsell Portage.

“Belmont Resources has assembled a portfolio of highly prospective copper, gold, lithium, uranium, and rare earth projects located in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Washington and Nevada,” reads the news release.

“Collaborations like this one reflect our commitment to protecting the land, fostering opportunity, and strengthening our communities. By working together with Belmont Resources, we are ensuring that exploration in our traditional territories benefits our people and aligns with our values,” Mary Denechezhe, YNLR Board Chair, said in the news release.

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

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