BC’s health minister to monitor Cariboo mine breach

LIKELY (NEWS1130) – At this stage, the Mount Polley mine tailings pond spill is primarily an environmental issue, according to BC’s health minister, but the province will monitor tests in the coming days.

Three hundred people have been told not to drink the water in the Cariboo Regional District, as the area deals with the spill of 15 million cubic metres of waste product into the local water supply.

“Certainly I think the concern is more on the environmental side than it is on the public health side,” says Health Minister Terry Lake. “We are obviously curtailing water use in the areas that are of concern. I think there are about 300 people who are affected by that.”

Lake says the province will rely on water testing which will bring results in the coming days.

“In terms of a public health concern, I think the concern is fairly low at this point,” Lake says. “From an environmental point of view, there’s a different set of concerns there.”

The minister notes the district is providing water to people who live in the affected area, which remains under a state of emergency.

Premier Christy Clark’s office says she is monitoring the situation. Clark hasn’t toured Likely yet because she doesn’t want to be a “distraction” as the crisis is dealt with.

NDP Leader John Horgan wants to know if the provincial government is doing enough to ensure the safety of all mining operations. “How do we continue to develop our economy when we don’t have the enforcement tools to hold those accountable that we give the right to harness our resources.”

Horgan took a tour of the area today.