Tŝilhqot’in National Government welcomes ‘long overdue charges’ over Mount Polley disaster

The Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) welcomes recent accusations related to the Mount Polley mining disaster, saying they are “long overdue.”

The governing body of six self-governing nations located in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia, TNG has called for Indigenous-led monitoring, assessment and action regarding the continued discharge of mining waste into their waters.

“The Mount Polley breach showed everyone that mining practices in British Columbia still have a long way to go to protect the lands, waters and animals,” said Troy Baptiste, Nits’ilʔin (Chief) of the ʔEsdilagh First Nation (Alexandria) in a press release in December. .18 press release.

“Our natural environment sustains us – why don’t we all make a greater effort to protect it?

TNG Nits’ilʔin president Joe Alphonse says the Mount Polley mine disaster has had an “extremely negative impact” on the country’s traditional fishing practices, causing many people to abandon fishing in the Fraser River for fear of contamination.

Photo credit: Angie Mindus/Williams Lake TribuneDebris from the Mount Polley tailings pond breach is removed from the lake at the West Fraser recharge area, west of the Quesnel Lake junction, on Sunday, September 7, 2014. .” class=”img-responsive ” src=”http://www.bing.com/files/files/images/baseimage%20(1)(5).jpg” style=”margin: 5px;”/>

“Instead of ensuring the right measures were taken for salmon, the province fixed the problem by issuing more mining permits at Mount Polley,” said Alphonse.

TNG said years later the province had still not addressed the country’s concerns about the continued discharge of mining waste into Quesnel Lake and the Fraser River, the former resulting from ongoing Mount Polley operations and the latter from the Gibraltar mine.

The press release states that the continued dumping of tailings into Quesnel Lake from Mount Polley, without the use of sophisticated water treatment methods, constitutes an “unacceptable mining practice.”

On December 10, 10 years after the Mount Polley mining disaster, a total of 15 charges were announced against Imperial Metals Corporation, Mount Polley Mining Corporation and Wood Canada for possible violations of the federal Fisheries Act.

In a press release dated December 13, Imperial Metals Corporation, whose subsidiary Mount Polley Mining Corporation owns 100 percent of the Mount Polley mine located 56 kilometers north of Williams Lake, said it had invested more than $75 million in remediation efforts related to the 2014 disaster and worked closely with First Nations in this process.

“This incident is an important part of our history, and we have dedicated the last decade to addressing its impacts… Our goal remains to maintain the highest standards of environmental management and uphold our commitment to communities in which we carry out our activities,” noted the release.

The company said its remediation efforts have led to “significant ecological recovery” and have been recognized by the industry, including the annual Jake McDonald Mine Reclamation Award in 2023.

The first court appearance on the charges is scheduled for December 18, in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.

_{— with files from the Canadian Press and Monica Lamb-Yorski}