The amendment authorises certain natural water bodies frequented by fish for use in a tailings management facility (TMF).

The regulatory amendment, which required a change in Canadian law, approves the construction of KSM’s TMF subject to strict bonding and fishery habit compensation requirements which were identified during the three-year amendment review process. In the KSM project design, the TMF is located in the upper tributaries of Teigen and Treaty Creeks which form part of the Nass River drainage. The TMF will store the project’s ore-processing by-products in order to minimise environmental impacts downstream.

Rudi Fronk, chairman and CEO of Seabridge Gold, commented: “Receipt of this amendment represents a significant permitting milestone for KSM, equivalent in many ways to our receipt of environmental assessment approvals from the provincial and federal governments in 2014. This approval further validates that KSM’s TMF is well-designed and environmentally responsible.

“I am grateful to the government of Canada for its support and I would like to express our appreciation and thanks to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada and her technical team for reviewing and approving our regulatory amendment application. I would also like to acknowledge the Nisga’a and the Tahltan Nations, the Gitanyow First Nation and other government regulators whose thoughtful input further strengthened our TMF design and ultimately contributed to the successful conclusion of this significant amendment review process.”