A coalition of over 50 leading environmental and citizens groups is calling on provincial energy ministers to implement prevention measures to prevent mining disasters like the Mount Polley gold and copper mine spill in British Columbia last August.
The groups made the plea in a letter to the energy ministers to coincide with their annual conference in Halifax on July 20.
“There are a number of groups in British Columbia—First Nations in particular—that have been active since the Mount Polley dam breached,” said Ugo Lapointe, program coordinator for MiningWatch Canada, one of the signatories of the letter.
“Those folks don’t want another disaster like that.”
The Mount Polley tailings dam failure—the biggest in Canadian history—resulted in the release of an estimated 24 million cubic metres of contaminated water and waste. Besides impacting Polley Lake, the spill emptied into Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake, and Cariboo Creek.
A report earlier this year by independent investigators comprising the Mount Polley Expert Review Panel determined the breach was caused by a failed foundational layer in the dam’s wall.
