Criminal Charges in 2024 for one of the worst mining disasters in Canadian History - Mount Polley Mine Dam Failure
Imperial Metals/Mount Polley Mine Criminal Charges
January 24, 2025
Over 10 years after the Mount Polley Mine tailings disaster on August 4, 2014, the Crown has finally moved forward with criminal charges against the three corporations responsible for the largest environmental disaster in Canadian history. The charges are by “direct indictment” which generally may indicate that the evidence could be overwhelming (like maybe 25,000,000 M3 of tailings, water and waste into five formerly pristine aquatic environments?).
Note that the 15 Fisheries Act criminal charges are proceeding in the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver against the companies only, but not against any of the individuals responsible for the decisions that led to the disaster.
The Mount Polley Mine continues to discharge their basically untreated effluent directly into Quesnel Lake. Their water treatment plant only removes higher levels of suspended solids, but not soluble chemicals and nutrients of concern such as Copper, Selenium, Phosphorus, Nitrates, Iron, etc.). Research by the University of Northern BC and associates has shown that the aquatic environments, such as Quesnel Lake, are being negatively impacted not only by the continuing biannual resuspension of the tailings deposited in the lake, but also by the ongoing untreated mine effluent discharge. These include, but are not limited to: deleterious metals (copper, selenium) that continue to wash down Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake, elevated metal levels found in lake invertebrates (base of the food chain), phosphorus nutrient levels rising in Quesnel Lake (algae blooms?), and fine suspended solids with elevated copper levels continuing to show up on the Quesnel River.
Also note that the Mount Polley Mine has recently applied for an 8-year extension to their operating permits, so they can continue their unabated direct discharge into Quesnel Lake, as well as to raise the existing dam by at least another 17 metres (56 feet) above present. Unfortunately, local interested stakeholders are being denied full participation in the Mine Review Committee process as promised in 2022. Local participation and is also included in the ministry approved Communications Plan, which the ministries are ignoring.
This court case (#37207), which started Dec 18, 2024 in the Vancouver BC Supreme Court, will probably be a very long process. The next court appearance is scheduled for February 28, 2025 to discuss case management and scheduling.
Doug Watt
Likely, BC
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