BC government buys Klappan coal licences to spur Aboriginal parleys

The British Columbia (BC) provincial government has bought 61 coal licences in the Klappan region from joint-venture partners Fortune Minerals and Posco Canada for $18.3-million, in an effort to move forward discussions with Aboriginal groups on a shared development vision for the region. “Developing a shared vision for responsible management of the Klappan is critically important to the Tahltan Nation, the province and to industry. This acquisition provides certainty and solves a timing problem that was preventing progress on these discussions,” Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said on Monday.