Province to release more details about the Mount Polley investigation
Posted August 18, 2014 7:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We are expecting to learn more this morning about the BC government’s plan for an independent investigation into the Mount Polley disaster.
Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett will release details at 10 a.m.
Two weeks ago, millions of litres of waste flowed into local waterways when a tailings pond breached.
Gwen Barlee with the Wilderness Committee feels the investigation should not have anyone who could be biased towards the government or the mining industry.
“We had one of the largest spills ever. We were lucky that people did not lose their lives — that there is going to be a legacy of a toxic cleanup in that area. People want assurances that the mining industry is operating in a way that is sustainable for the environment.”
The Mount Polley copper and gold mine was last inspected in September, 2013. Barlee says its past inspections need to be looked at carefully.
“You need to look at the culture, at the regulations over the last 10 years. You need to be taking a look at the checks and balances that are in place in BC and why those didn’t work — why there was not a red flag that went up about this tailings pond.”
Health Minister Mary Polak says sediment samples taken from the area show there is no health risk to people, but aquatic life could still be harmed.
The province’s review is also expected to look the safety at other tailings ponds at mines across BC.
