The skiing and biking town of Rossland, British Columbia, may soon have an open-pit magnesium mine right in its backyard. The town, situated just 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) north of the U.S.-Canada border, has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts in recent decades. Thanks to Rossland’s natural beauty, proximity to increasingly popular RED Mountain ski resort, and plethora of world-class mountain biking trails, tourism has begun to boom in the area. In fact, the tourism sector annually generates $40 million and employs 1,200 people in a town of only about 4,000. Many locals now worry that a proposed mine may put that industry under threat.
In October 2025, the government of British Columbia approved a permit for the construction of an open-pit magnesium mine on Record Ridge, just 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) southwest of Rossland. The permit, however, was not met without controversy. Opponents feel that further environmental assessment is needed before the mine is allowed to move forward.
In B.C., mines producing over 75,000 tonnes (metric tons) of ore per year are automatically subject to environmental review. In 2019, when West High Yield (WHY) Resources initially proposed the mine, the company submitted an application with a proposed capacity of 200,000 tonnes annually, according to CBC. However, in 2024, the application was significantly amended, as WHY now proposes only 63,500 tonnes of yearly production — making the mine small enough to avoid triggering environmental review.
The Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC) argues that the mine could still accommodate the production of well over 75,000 tonnes of ore per year and, as such, still requires further environmental scrutiny. Moreover, the proposed footprint, infrastructure, and design of WHY’s first and second applications appear largely similar, leading many to question whether the mine will, in reality, have less than one-third of its originally stated capacity.
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Opponents have also raised concerns over misleading information in WHY Resources’ reports. The mine, which will process rock containing asbestos, was stated in company reports to be downwind of Rossland, rendering locals safe from potentially harmful chemicals. However, this is untrue. Rossland is, in fact, clearly downwind of the mine. Furthermore, SRRAC states that misleading emission numbers were provided, and that seasonal emissions from the mine could be up to six times higher than the figure WHY Resources provided.
Finally, area residents doubt whether the mine will bring any measurable economic benefit to the region. WHY Resources have stated that the Record Ridge mine will create only 30 to 40 jobs. Many fear that the creation of a few dozen jobs does not justify the risk of potentially harming the tourism industry, which employs nearly 1,200 people. Rossland Mayor Andy Morel told The Tyee, “For a whole bunch of different reasons, [we] can’t see this being a realistic and a safe project that won’t compromise the community and the communities around it.”
Given widespread concern surrounding the mine, a lawsuit was filed by SRRAC in late 2025, challenging the British Columbia government’s ruling not to require a full environmental assessment. However, on June 11, 2026, the British Columbia Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit, with Justice Gordon Weatherill stating that the province’s assessment office had not failed to consider concerns that WHY Resources was seeking to evade an environmental assessment.
While SRRAC does plan to appeal the decision, it now appears that construction on the open-pit magnesium mine, to the dismay of many local residents, may be imminent.