Wolastoqey elder fears proposed Sisson Mine could threaten land she's worked to reconnect with - CBC

Gina Brooks is a Wolastoqey elder and landowner in Stanley Parish, N.B., whose land is near the proposed Sisson Mine site. (Sis'moqon/CBC)Social SharingFor Gina Brooks, a piece of land on Wolastoqey territory has become a place of healing, cultural reclamation and reconnection with traditions disrupted over generations.

But a proposed mine roughly 30 kilometres away has her questioning what the future holds for the land she's built such a close relationship with.

About six years ago, Brooks purchased property in Stanley Parish, N.B., "to provide a place where I could feel safe, where I could harvest medicine and see myself through this land."

Since then, she's built an off-grid home on the property, a communal kitchen, gardens, learning centres and trails, with plans to develop cabins for visitors.  

She calls the property Caribou Club, a gathering place where she and other Wabanaki knowledge-keepers host workshops and share on-the-land teachings. 

Located north of her community of Sitansisk (St. Mary's First Nation), the property is a reminder of a landscape Brooks has known since childhood.

Mi'kmaw knowledge keeper Starlit Simon hosts a porcupine quill workshop in the summer at Caribou Club. (UNB Media Services)

She remembers travelling to a nearby stand of ash trees with her father, who harvested the ash to make baskets. Brooks would then ride her bicycle into town, selling the baskets at the hardware store for $20 a piece. 

Those experiences with her dad helped shape her understanding of the land.

"He taught me this is our land, not so much that we could exploit it, he taught us that we owe a responsibility to it," said Brooks.

Gina Brooks harvests carrots at the garden at Caribou Club in one of her father's baskets. (UNB Media Services)

Brooks worries about what could happen to the land she's spent a lifetime building a relationship with as a Wolastoqey woman. 

"Being downsite from the Sisson Mine is a scary thought," said Brooks.

The proposed Sisson Mine is an open-pit tungsten and molybdenum project about 60 kilometres northwest of Fredericton, in the upper Nashwaak River watershed. 

The project, now estimated to cost $1.5 billion to build, received provincial environmental assessment approval in 2015 and federal approval in 2017, but has faced years of delays amid market conditions. 

Interest in it has since renewed, driven partly by demand from the United States for critical minerals. 

In 2025, Canada contributed $8.2 million and the U.S. Department of Defence $20.7 million to help develop the project. The project was referred to the federal government's Major Projects Office last year.

The proposed Sisson Mine location is about 60 kilometres northwest of Fredericton, in the upper Nashwaak River watershed. (submitted)

Developer Northcliff Resources estimates the mine could employ around 300 people during operations and 500 during construction. A final investment decision is expected in 2027.

In 2017, chiefs of the six Wolastoqey First Nations in New Brunswick signed an accommodation agreement with the province to be given a share of the revenue from the project, but later some said they felt pressured to sign.

For Brooks, the economic benefits don't outweigh her concerns. She fears being a neighbour to the development could affect the surrounding environment including the land and water she relies on. 

"I've seen a few politicians say 'we need it for jobs,'" said Brooks.

"No we don't. We need water. We need fresh air." 

Jacinda Mack, a Secwepemc and Nuxalkmc environmentalist from Xatśūll First Nation, B.C., witnessed the aftermath of the 2014 Mount Polley mine disaster, when a tailings pond dam at the open-pit copper and gold mine collapsed, releasing approximately 25 million cubic metres of water and mine waste into the surrounding waterways.

Mack was invited to New Brunswick to share her experience by Ron Tremblay, grand chief of the Wolastoqey Grand Council, a traditional governance structure that exists outside and alongside band governments, who is opposed to the Sisson Mine.

Jacinda Mack is a Secwepemc and Nuxalkmc environmentalist from Xatśūll First Nation in B.C., whose community was devastated by the 2014 Mount Polley mine disaster. (Michael Heenan/CBC)

"Our community experienced it like the death of a relative," said Mack.

"[This was] a salmon nursery, a source of fresh water, a place of ceremony and it's also an interior rainforest. This was a complex ecosystem that has been reduced now to waste sands all along the area."

More than a decade later, Mack said the disaster continues to shape her views of the mining industry.

B.C. mining disaster raises concerns in N.B.

"My experience with the mining industry in general, is that it's mining at all costs and communities end up paying for all of the impacts," said Mack.

Tremblay said he worries about the potential consequences of a failure at the mine's proposed tailings storage facility. 

"It's not a matter of if, but when," said Tremblay.

Wolastoqey Grand Council Grand Chief Ron Tremblay invited Jacinda Mack to Wolastoqey territory to share her community's experience with the 2014 Mount Polley mining disaster. (Sam Farley/CBC)

He said he believes the province should instead pursue economic development opportunities with a smaller environmental footprint, including renewable energy projects such as wind and solar.   

"This mine is a quick fix, it's almost like putting a Band-Aid on a huge cut," said Tremblay. 

Northcliff Resources president Andrew Ing said in a statement to CBC Indigenous that the company understands that "tailings safety is a legitimate and important public concern, particularly in light of incidents such as the 2014 Mount Polley tailings dam breach in British Columbia."

The statement said that in the project's updated feasibility study, the proposed tailings storage facility has undergone review and has been updated to reflect current guidance and lessons learned from tailings incidents.

"Since the project’s previous 2013 feasibility study, the proposed dam has been reclassified to the highest rating under updated Canadian Dam Association guidance," the statement said.

"The updated design incorporates a full centreline design and planning for a larger potential flood event," along with additional protective measures.

Northcliff Resources CEO Andrew Ing says Sisson Mine's proposed tailings facility has undergone review and updates to reflect current guidance and lessons from tailings incidents. (Northcliff Resources)

The statement said Northcliff is committed to ongoing engagement with First Nations leadership, communities and individuals and welcomes feedback and questions.

Jennifer Vienneau, director of communications for New Brunswick's Department of Indigenous Affairs said in an emailed statement that there are conditions in the environmental impact assessment specific to First Nations and the province will be monitoring the project to ensure these conditions are met.

"This project is essential to the province, and [we] are committed to keeping all community members, including First Nations, informed and involved every step of the way," said Vienneau in the statement.

Sis'moqon is a Mi'kmaw woman from Ugpi'ganjig First Nation. She is a reporter with CBC Indigenous. She currently resides in Kjipuktuk, also known as Halifax. You can email her at sis.moqon@cbc.ca with story ideas.