Work at KSM project continues as Tudor challenges Province in court

Published 8:37 pm Monday, October 6, 2025

Seabridge Gold  says it will continue advancing its KSM project in northwest B.C. despite a legal action filed by Tudor Gold against the province over land-use rights related to a key infrastructure component of the development.

Both companies operate in the province’s mineral-rich Golden Triangle. Seabridge is developing the large-scale gold and copper KSM project, while Tudor is advancing exploration on nearby mineral claims known as the Treaty Project. The dispute centres on land where Seabridge plans to build underground tunnels through claims in which Tudor holds an interest.

Tudor filed a Notice of Civil Claim in B.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 22, which Seabridge said in an Oct. 3 press release challenges the province’s authority to impose a conditional mineral reserve on Tudor’s claims. The reserve—established in connection with Seabridge’s Mitchell Treaty Tunnels (MTT)—prohibits interference with the tunnels’ construction, operation, or maintenance.

The company has previously argued that the restriction prevents it from developing its Treaty Project claims, which lie beneath the tunnel route, resulting in a loss of economic value.

With the new legal action, Joe Ovsenek, president and CEO of Tudor Gold, said he hopes all parties can come up with a practical solution that will allow Seabridge to continue with the KSM Project while allowing Tudor Gold to advance Treaty Creek.  

"We have a new team at Tudor Gold with a significant amount of experience exploring, developing, and mining in the Golden Triangle," Ovsenek said. "In assessing the various aspects of the Treaty Creek Project, we filed the claim as we believed it was necessary to preserve our rights impacted by a limitation period; however, we believe the best path forward is to resolve this dispute through negotiation."  

Tudor is seeking a court declaration that the reserve does not apply to its claims, or that the province exceeded its authority in granting Seabridge use of the land. Failing that, Tudor is seeking compensation for expropriation or damages related to misrepresentation, according to Seabridge.

“We are confident that the Province has acted within the law and that the various authorizations for the MTT are appropriate and reliable,” said Seabridge chair and CEO Rudi Fronk.

“This latest action is one of a number of legal challenges Tudor has made over the years opposing our MTT rights. In every instance, the BC government has reconfirmed our approvals and our understanding of the legal aspects of these matters.”

The tunnels—two 23-kilometre-long corridors connecting the east and west sides of the KSM site—cross approximately 12.5 kilometres of Tudor’s mineral claims.

“While this action proceeds, we will continue to advance our current plans for the KSM Project for the benefit of our shareholders, local communities and the First Nations who have so strongly supported our progress,” said Fronk.

Seabridge holds a 100 per cent interest in several North American gold projects, including the KSM and Iskut properties located in B.C.’s Golden Triangle.