Winter road could supply Yukon's Casino mine project

A convoy of bulldozerscould soonbe headed to the proposed site of theCasino mine.

The Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board has recommended the Yukon government approveplans to build a temporary winter road near Carmacks.

The road would span about 100 kilometres.

The proposal does not describe an ice road using a frozen river, but rather a winter road packed into the snow over land.

Western Copper and Gold plans to use the Casino trail over the next two winters.Bulldozers wouldhaul about 35,000litres of diesel to the proposed Casino mine site.

Theroute is currently a trail which has been used before by snowmobilestobring supplies to mining camps.

The new use recommended by YESAB would not require the cutting of trees.

Minimum snowpack required

During public review the Yukon Conservation Society had suggested the road should have at least 30 centimetresof snowpackto protect vegetation.

YESAB says 10 centimeters of snow will do.

Lewis Rifkind with YCSsays he's not too bothered by the difference.

"Of course, the more companies that use this winter trail, eventually following the Casino trail, you do start to see some cumulative effects adding up. This specific project will have some impact, but it won't have a great impact," he said.

The proposed Casino mine is still under review.

If it goes ahead, it would be bigger than any existing mine in Yukon and employ hundreds of people.

The mine's proposal runs about 7000 pagesand is still before YESAB.