The territory’s assessment board has recommended approval of a 65-kilometre, all-season road through virgin wilderness to the Rackla Gold Property northeast of Keno City.

ATAC Resources Ltd. is proposing the new access as the only viable means of continuing its advanced exploration work at its Rau Project.

The project is at the stage where heavier equipment is required along with larger volumes of fuel.

It’s not feasible to fly them in, the company maintained in its proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board.

Opposition, however, has been strong, including opposition from Environment Yukon and the Mayo District Renewable Renewable Resource Council. And serious concerns have being raised by the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun.

Critics argue it’s inappropriate to build an all-season road to a mining project that is still in the exploration phase.

The road would create new access into wilderness areas and wildlife populations never before disturbed by vehicle traffic, they argued in submissions to the assessment board.

The road, they say, would only lead to use by more mining companies interested in areas that were never accessible before.

Supporters, on the other hand, hold up the economic development opportunities and jobs the artery would create today and in the future.

The assessment board’s designated office in Mayo issued the recommendation for approval Wednesday afternoon.

Final approval is required from both the Yukon government and the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, as both are designated as decision bodies for the proposal.

The two governments have 30 days to either accept, reject or alter the board’s recommendation.

ATAC Resources submitted its proposal to the assessment board last July.

The board began taking submissions from the public in late January, once it deemed it had all the necessary information required to conduct an assessment.

It also conducted public meetings in Mayo and Keno City.

Scores of submissions were received, the vast majority of them opposing the road.

ATAC Resources maintains it has conducted thorough assessments of the impact on the wilderness and wildlife, and has a means of ensuring impacts will be as minimal of possible.

Using a seasonal winter road to service the project is not feasible, particularly in times of warmer winters that create uncertainty with the required ice bridges along with the uncertainty of having the required snowfall to provide for 10 centimetres of compaction.

ATAC says it can control access, and is planning to have three gates to ensure no vehicles other than approved vehicles use the road.

If there comes a time when the road is no longer required, the company would take out all the bridges, recontour side hills excavated for road construction back to their natural slope and revegetate flat sections of the road.

The assessment board’s recommendation for approval contains six specific recommendations around the issue of controlling access, including the use of a guard house and the consideration of appropriate enforcement mechanisms.

It also recommends provisions for accessing the road take into consideration the needs of big game outfitters and trappers.

When the road is not in use, the company should be required to remove bridge decking, the assessment board recommends.

Critics say no matter how hard the effort is to control unwanted access, if people want to find a way, they will.

And at least one submission says there is no legislation in the Yukon that provides a penalty for individuals who use access roads on public Crown land without authorization.

Information officer Sue Thomas of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources said today the department is a decision body and is not commenting on the ATAC road proposal.

It is not commenting on the suggestion there is no legislation supporting restricted use of resource access roads across Crown land, she said.

The assessment board’s recommendation also addressed the regular issues of avoiding sensitive wildlife habitat and ensuring an assessment of heritage resources along the proposed route is conducted prior to construction.

The 65-kilometre road includes improvements to 12 kilometres of existing road and 53 kilometres of new road.

The Rackla Gold Property is divided into three specific project areas: the Rau Project, the Orion Project and the Osiris Project.

ATAC is advancing it’s exploration of the Tiger deposit at part of the Rau project.

Barrick Gold Corp. and ATAC announced last month that Barrick Gold – the largest gold producer in the world – was buying into the Orion Project with an initial investment of $8.3 million.

The deal provides the option of Barrick gaining 70 per cent interest in the Orion Project by spending a further $55 million in exploration at Orion before the end of 2026, according to the announcement.

The Rackla Gold Property is about 20 kilometres south of the Peel River watershed.