Red Chris Mine

Project: Red Chris Mine Expansion
Location:  Northern British Columbia (18 km south of Iskut)

Purpose: To transition from an open-pit to an underground block-cave mine to increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15%

Cost: $2.6 billion 

Distribution of Ownership: 

• Newmont Corporation 70% (American);
• Imperial Metals 30% (Canadian).

From PMO Office: as it presents opportunities for critical minerals development, clean power transmission, Indigenous project leadership, and a potential new conservation area the size of Greece.

This mine is part of the proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor. 

Subsidies, Tax Relief, Loans, Infrastructure, Regulation Amendments:

• Government of Canada ($61 million);
• Strategic Innovation Fund ($41million);
• Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (up to $20 million);
• Transferable Royalty Tax Credits: Provincial – SK (up to $70 million).

Note: The mine is listed as a Canadian corporation of which the Newmont Corporation holds 70% of the mine & operates it. The asset (the mine) is located in Canada, thus listed as a Canadian corporation. 

Environmental Record: 
Red Chris Mine has an egregious environmental record, being cited and fined several times for excessive leakage of toxic tailings containing selenium, copper, ongoing water contamination, physical destruction of fish habitat, and safety concerns regarding its tailings. 

As recent as September 2025, Newcrest Red Chris Mining Lt was fined for failing to conduct hydro-ecological monitoring.  They were also fined in a $10,394 in June 2025 also for inadequate water quality monitoring program. Newcrest also failed to  conduct groundwater monitoring in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

The latest fine had been increased by 30% for its repeated and continuous violation, as well as another 30% for the “deliberate nature of the failure.”