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We are not against energy development. We are asking what each hectare gives back.
This page compares two nearby projects — the proposed m.ah a temEEwuh Solar Project and the Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension — to show why land-use context and long-term return matter when evaluating large-scale development on public land.
129–194
hectares per permanent job (solar project)
1.02
hectares per direct job (HVC mine extension)
~125–190×
difference in employment density
Save Tunkwa Grasslands supports responsible resource development. We recognize that resource projects provide jobs, tax revenue, and economic activity — and that British Columbia's economy depends on them.
We support the Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension. It is an expansion of an existing industrial complex with a demonstrated record of employment, GDP contribution, and export value.
We also recognize that the mine extension contributes to cumulative effects and should be counted honestly in any regional land-use assessment.
But not all land-use conversions produce the same long-term return. This page examines what each project gives back — in permanent jobs, economic contribution, and lasting local benefit — relative to the land it requires.
This is also not only about one project. It is part of a broader concern about the pace and scale of land conversion across the region from multiple proposed energy and infrastructure projects targeting ranchland, grazing areas, and rural landscapes.
~795 ha within existing permitted mine area
~731 ha outside existing permitted mine area
Source: Teck Resources / Environmental Assessment materials
The filing states the final disturbed footprint will be less than the project area (Initial Project Description)
Sources: Initial Project Description (776 ha); proponent presentation (jobs, construction)
Solar project vs Highland Valley Copper Mine Extension
Higher is more employment-dense
Lower means less land per job
"Hectares per job" is a simple way of asking: how much land does a project need to sustain one permanent position?
It is not the only metric that matters. But for projects that require large-scale land conversion — especially on public Crown land — it is one useful way to compare long-term public return.
Based on the project area under assessment of approximately 776 hectares (Initial Project Description) and approximately 4–6 permanent operating jobs (Proponent presentation):
194 ha
per job (4 jobs)
155 ha
per job (5 jobs)
129 ha
per job (6 jobs)
By comparison, the Highland Valley Copper Mine Extension supports approximately 1,500 direct jobs across approximately 1,526 hectares of new disturbance — roughly 1.02 hectares per direct job. (Teck Resources / EA materials)
The filing notes that the final disturbed footprint of the solar project will be less than the full project area. (Initial Project Description) Even so, the gap in long-term employment density is substantial.
Not all hectares are equal. A hectare added to an existing industrial mine complex is not the same as a hectare newly committed out of open rural, grazing, and ranchland landscape.
The Highland Valley Copper Mine Extension adds disturbance in and around an already-permitted industrial site. Roughly 795 hectares of its new disturbance falls within the existing permitted mine area. (EA materials)
The m.ah a temEEwuh Solar Project, by contrast, proposes development on Crown land in an area that the filing identifies as overlapping with grazing licences, forestry-related uses, and recreation interests. (Initial Project Description)
Adds land disturbance to an already-industrialized site with established infrastructure, workforce, and reclamation obligations.
Converts rural, grazing, ranchland and agricultural-use landscape that currently supports overlapping land uses including ranching, recreation, and wildlife habitat.
The Highland Valley Copper Mine Extension is tied to an existing industrial and export economy. Teck reports approximately $500 million in annual GDP contribution and roughly 1,500 direct jobs. (Teck Resources)
The m.ah a temEEwuh Solar Project, according to the proponent's presentation, would provide approximately 4–6 permanent operating positions across both phases and about 200 construction jobs per phase. (Proponent presentation)
Both projects contribute to the economy. But the long-term value profiles are very different:
| Metric | HVC Mine Extension | Solar Project |
|---|---|---|
| Direct permanent jobs | ~1,500 | ~4–6 |
| Construction employment | Significant (existing workforce) | ~200 per phase |
| Annual GDP contribution | ~$500 million | Not publicly reported |
| Revenue model | Global commodity / export market | Long-term BC Hydro purchase agreement |
| Type of economic output | Export commodity production | Grid electricity sold to BC Hydro |
| Jobs per hectare | ~0.98 | ~0.005–0.008 |
| Land-use context | Existing industrial complex | Rural / ranchland / grazing |
Note: The solar project's filed materials state that the project was awarded a long-term Electricity Purchase Agreement with BC Hydro. The mine extension, by contrast, is tied to copper production within a broader commodity and export market.
Sources: HVC figures from Teck Resources and Environmental Assessment materials. Solar project figures from the Initial Project Description (776 ha project area) and proponent presentation (jobs, construction estimates).
The filed Initial Project Description states that the project would contribute to the tax base through Crown land lease payments and other government revenues, including district, provincial, and federal taxes. (Initial Project Description)
That general claim is fair to include. However, the filed documents reviewed here do not confirm a specific tax dollar figure. They also do not confirm whether any tax amount discussed publicly is annual, per phase, total, or over the life of the project.
The proponent's presentation referenced tax revenue estimates in public discussion. However, unless a sourced slide explicitly states the timing and basis of those figures, this page does not characterize them as confirmed annual amounts. There was also discussion that final tax figures were still being worked out.
Because the tax timing and final figures appear to still be in development, this page does not rely on an unverified tax claim as a primary comparison metric. Instead, the analysis focuses on more clearly supported comparisons: land area under review, permanent operating jobs, hectares per job, mine GDP contribution, and development context.
Source Note
The Initial Project Description supports a general claim that the project would contribute to the tax base. However, the materials reviewed here do not confirm a final tax figure, nor whether any publicly discussed figure was annual, per phase, or over the life of the project. Tax figures referenced in the proponent's presentation should be treated as preliminary until confirmed in regulatory filings.
This concern is not only about the m.ah a temEEwuh Solar Project in isolation. It is part of a broader question about cumulative land conversion across the region.
Multiple proposed and ongoing energy and infrastructure projects are targeting ranchland, grazing areas, and rural landscapes in the area between Logan Lake, Tunkwa Lake, the Highland Valley Copper Mine, Ashcroft, and Cache Creek. Looking at any one project in isolation misses the bigger picture.
The concern is about the pace and scale of industrial conversion of rural lands — and whether the cumulative result serves the long-term public interest of the communities and landscapes most directly affected.
This is not an anti-energy position. It is a call for better siting, stronger long-term tradeoffs, and honest cumulative-effects review before irreversible land-use decisions are made.
776 hectares — the project area under assessment — comes from the filed Initial Project Description. The filing states the final disturbed footprint will be less than the project area.
4–6 permanent operating jobs — Phase I: about 3 full-time operators; Phase II: about 2–3 full-time operators — comes from the proponent's presentation materials, not from the filed IPD.
~200 construction jobs per phase and ~500 acres per phase are also from the proponent's presentation.
HVC Mine Extension figures — approximately 1,526 hectares of new disturbance, ~1,500 direct jobs, ~$500 million annual GDP — come from Teck Resources and official Environmental Assessment materials.
All "hectares per job" and "jobs per hectare" calculations are derived from the figures above and presented for public-interest comparison. They are not official metrics published by either proponent.
The question is whether the scale and type of land conversion are justified by the long-term return.
Compare the land use. Review the sources. Ask what each hectare gives back. Then make your voice heard.