Exploratory mining begins in Ahousaht territory

"We need something to get our economics happening and get to the level that the rest of Canada is at. If the environmentalists could do that for us, my God, we'd walk away from Catface Mountain with a snap of the finger. But if they can't do anything, then what alternatives do we have?"- Chief John Frank, Ahousaht First Nation

Selkirk Metals has begun exploration drilling for copper in Ahousaht First Nation territory on Catface Mountain, near Tofino, according to this Canadian Press report. The prospect of mining concerns the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, a local environmental group. Ahousaht Chief John Frank, in a Globe and Mail report last April, said that if a viable deposit were found then a referendum would be held with Band members. In the same article, he cited community concerns with unemployment levels reaching 65 percent.