Mt. Polley mine disaster -- Imperial Metals tailings pond rupture

After Mount Polley: 'This is Indigenous Law'

quote:

The Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw leadership council, which is composed of four northern Secwepemc bands, finalized a mining policy dated Nov. 19, 2014. Formation of the mining policy began in 2012, but the Mount Polley spill provided the council the motivation to finish it.

''One thing I want to make perfectly clear is this policy isn't a wish-list,'' said Jacinda Mack, leadership council co-ordinator. ''This is prescriptive. This is indigenous law. We did very thorough research and took more than two years to release the final document.''

The leadership council had mining experts and lawyers comb through the policy, which is now part of the partnership between mining proponents, the province, and the northern Shuswap. Mining proponents have a definite baseline framework to abide by on Secwepemc territory, Mack added.

''This goes above and beyond anything the B.C. government currently requires from a mining company,'' Mack said. ''We have compiled the best mining practices in the world into one document.''...

http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/02/07/After_Mount_Polley_Indigenous_Law/

eta..this video is an excellent account of how mining projects are created in bc. it is a longish account but well worth it if one is truely interested in understanding the process.

Wade Davis - Odyssey to the Sacred Headwaters - UBC Reads Sustainability

Streamed live on Feb 12, 2015 Against the wishes of First Nations, the British Columbia government has opened the Sacred Headwaters to industrial development. Imperial Metals is building an open-pit copperand gold mine called the Red Chris mine. This is all taking place while the Mount Polley mine disaster in August 2014, a mine also owned by Imperial Metals, is at the forefront of public debate.

Professor Wade Davis describes the beauty of the Sacred Headwaters, the threats to it, and the response of native groups and concerned citizens as part of UBC Reads Sustainability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmeB8qdE9qw#t=285

Evict Imperial: Confront The Ministry Of Mines

Wednesday, April 29 at 3:00pm

865 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC

Come out! Stand with the Secwepemc Woman Warrior Society to Stop Mount Polley Reopening - April 29, 2015. 

As government and company officials continue to tell us that everything is OK, test results say otherwise.

Quote:

 Contents from a tailings pond is pictured going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C. on August, 5, 2014. The tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine burst without warning at 1 a.m. last August 4, hours after workers were at the foot of the structure.Photograph by: JONATHAN HAYWARD , THE CANADIAN PRESS

Water test results following the Mount Polley mine dam failure eight months ago have continued to show periodic elevated levels of metals.

The latest results from February and March show government guidelines were exceeded for copper for aquatic life on the Quesnel River near the town of Likely, downstream from the mine. 

Provincial officials continue to say the water is safe to drink as long as it is filtered, though there have been some exceedances of drinking water guidelines since last fall. ...

That comes as little comfort to some area residents who say they still don’t trust the water, even though they’ve been told it is safe to drink, and who also continue to worry about the long-term effects of the dam failure on fish, a concern shared by scientists. ...

“The colour of the water is still wrong,” says Lawna Bourassa, a resident of Likely adjacent to the Quesnel River. “It’s a double standard — they say the water is drinking quality but you can’t drink it because of turbidity.”

Turbidity is a measure of water clarity and the amount of material suspended in the water.

Bourassa noted that before Christmas the water in the river and the lake was a pea soup colour. It has cleared recently, although not completely, but Bourassa expects the water to get worse again if the plume of sediment in the lake turns over this spring and pulses out in the river.

In some cases, the test results from the B.C. Ministry of Environment have shown significant elevated levels.

For example, on Jan. 27, the total aluminum reading in Quesnel Lake at the outlet of Hazeltine Creek — the path the mine waste flowed to reach the lake — was nearly 15 times the Canadian drinking water guideline. Tests showed that levels of iron were six times above Canadian drinking water guidelines and manganese was twice the guideline.

Aluminum levels were also exceeded in the month of January at the Quesnel River bridge at Likely and farther downstream at the Gravelle Ferry Bridge.

Hubert Bunce, a B.C. Ministry of Environment director who heads up the Mount Polley file, said the elevated metal readings were a result of sediment-laden deep water turning over to the surface in the fall and then flushing out in the Quesnel River.

He also noted that readings at the Gravelle River ferry station were affected by water from the Cariboo River, also containing sediments, that had nothing to do with the Mount Polley mine dam failure.

Bunce noted that Imperial Metals’ consultants have predicted that the sediment pulses into the river from Quesnel Lake will clear up by August.

“Now that’s a prediction, a model, but they were pretty accurate at predicting the lake overturn and resulting sediment outflow from Quesnel Lake at Likely in November and December,” he said. ...

Bourassa said the ongoing issues and uncertainties about the effects on the watershed from the spill makes her concerned about the potential reopening of the mine.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Water+near+Mount+Polley+gold+mine+still+tain...

..good demo. got the word out. more and more people gettting involved. you can see it in the faces of most people walking by that they are paying attention. lots of nods, honks and thunbs up in support. 

Stopping the Mount Polley Mine (pics)

Activists in Vancouver joined other protests across BC and the continent in a national day of action called for by Secwepemc Women Warriors' Society Thursday.  The protests demanded the eviction of Imperial Metals and a stop to  the reopening of the Mount Polley Mine.

Last August, Imperial Metals dumped 25 million cubic metres of toxic mine waste into the lands and waterways of the Secwepemc Peoples. The spill from a failed tailings pond has had a disastrous impact on local communities that is still spreading. The tailings have now reached the Fraser River watershed and the world's second largest salmon spawning grounds....

http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/photo/stopping-mount-polley-mine/33484

Imperial Metals losing money as Mount Polley still closed, Red Chris not at full production

Imperial Metals continues to bleed red ink as its main cash generator, the Mount Polley gold and copper mine, remains closed after a catastrophic failure last summer of its mine-waste dam.

The Vancouver-based mining company reported on Friday a loss in the first three months of 2015 of $33.4 million and revenues of $1.5 million.

Cash flow was negative, and dropped $26.4 million from the same three-month period in 2014.

“The decrease is primarily due to the absence of revenue from Mount Polley due to the suspension of mine operations,” Imperial Metals said in a news release announcing the first-quarter loss.

Imperial Metals is trying to get the go-ahead to restart the Mount Polley mine in the Central Interior, northeast of Williams Lake, and is awaiting a decision by the province, possibly in June....

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Imperial+Metals+losing+money+Mount+...

Native Resistance to Canada’s Worst Mining Disaster – Mount Polley

To Secwepemc the Water is Sacred, the Salmon are Sacred. The massive Mount Polley mining disaster that happened at Yuct Ne Senxiymetkwe, unceded Secwepemc Territory (near Likely, BC) will continue to impact both the water and salmon for thousands of years. Imperial Metals Mount Polley tailings dam failure unleashed billions of gallons of toxic mine tailings and slurry into pristine water ways and salmon spawning grounds. The government of bc has issued a “restart permit” without the consent of the Indigenous Peoples and no sufficient clean up. Secwepemc join with others worldwide to resist and fight back against mining and the re-opening of this illegal and destructive mine, that is backed by government.

..no problem iyraste

Mount Polley Mine Spill Anniversary Interview with Richard Holmes

This video features footage of Likely, B.C. and the reconstructed Hazeltine Creek, where 24 million cubic metres of mining waste poured into Quesnel Lake August 4, 2014. DeSmog's Carol Linnitt spoke with local resident and fisheries biologist Richard Holmes on the one year anniversary of the spill.

Hey thanks for these photos...was supposed to take part, til my ride fell through!

But of course the North Secwepemc Band Councils are totally complicit here.....and so much at stake!

Rich gold veins have been dicovered there!

Imperial Metals office in Vancouver occupied

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM YUCT NE SENXIMETKWE CAMP, August 9, 2016

WE SUCCESSFULLY OCCUPIED IMPERIAL METALS TODAY.

Two years after the Mount Polley disaster, Secwepemc Women’s Warrior Society and Ancestral Pride had an action today to show Imperial Metals that we will escalate resistance until they cease and desist all mining operation in our Indigenous territories. Imperial Metals ordered thirty police offers to violently assault Indigenous women and supporters, with four arrests and many bruised bodies. But our spirits are high and we know the world is watching, we have support from around the world. We are holding their responsible for the violence against Indigenous lands and Indigenous women. We sent a message to investors and shareholders, including President Brian Kynoch who was in the office, that they are violating our Indigenous Rights and Title and violating our free, prior and informed consent....

...

NOW: Violent arrests by police against protesters occupying Imperial Metals headquarters in Vancouver. Story to follow.

Video

Mount Polley, B.C. Government Target of Criminal Charges Brought by Mining Watchdog

Almost 30 months after 25-million cubic metres of contaminated sludge and water swept into lakes and creeks around the Mount Polley Mine, near Williams Lake, MiningWatch Canada has filed a private prosecution against the provincial government and Mount Polley Mining Corporation.

MiningWatch, supported by a coalition of environmental, First Nations and social justice organizations from Canada and Alaska, was forced to take action because the Crown has failed to lay charges and enforce the Fisheries Act despite ample evidence, said Ugo Lapointe, MiningWatch national program coordinator.

“We are all concerned that, almost 30 months later, despite clear evidence of impacts on waters, fish and fish habitat, no sanctions and no penalties have been brought forwards by any level of government,” Lapointe said.

“This sends the wrong signal to the industry across the country and undermines public confidence in the capacity of our regulatory system to work effectively to protect our environment.”

quote:

The MiningWatch charges were filed in Provincial Court in Williams Lake Tuesday, using a provision of the Criminal Code that allows citizens to start a private prosecution if they believe someone has committed an indictable offence.

However, looking at the massive expense of taking the province and a mining corporation to court, Lapointe is hoping the case will be picked up by the Federal Crown.

“They can decide whether to take over the case or not,” he said.

The legislation is a valuable constitutional safeguard that provides for citizens to enforce federal laws, such as the Fisheries Act, to protect public resources, said MiningWatch lawyer Lilina Lisenko.

The same legislation was used by salmon farm activist Alexandra Morton in a case against Marine Harvest Canada, when the company pleaded guilty to illegal possession of wild salmon, and for an ongoing lawsuit by Marilyn Burgoon against Executive Fuel Flight Services after 33,000 litres of jet fuel spilled into Lemon Creek.

“The next step is to go through the process hearing and, if the court accepts the evidence, then they set up a trial date,” Lapointe said in an interview.

Contaminated mine 'an embarrassment to Canada', says Yukon judge

A Yukon judge has delivered a strongly-worded "wake up call" to Canadian taxpayers, who are now on the hook for another expensive mine cleanup in the territory.  

Yukon Supreme Court justice Ron Veale approved a clean up plan for the abandoned Mount Nansen mine site, last spring — to be paid for by Ottawa — but issued his written decision this week.

He used the opportunity to lambaste the mine's former owner, Toronto firm, BYG Resources, for an "unscrupulous history of ... operational mismanagement" that left a big, toxic mess for government to deal with.

quote:

'Raping and pillaging' Yukon resources

BYG began mining at the Mount Nansen site, about 180 kilometres north of Whitehorse, in 1996, but then closed shop just three years later after being charged with several environmental violations (the company was guilty of "raping and pillaging" the territory's resources, the Yukon Supreme Court found in 2007).

Five years later, in 2004, BYG filed for bankruptcy and the federal government assumed responsibility for the site. Federal lawyers estimate Ottawa has spent about $20 to $25 million since then, just to monitor and control the site....

B.C. Quietly Grants Mount Polley Mine Permit to Pipe Mine Waste Directly Into Quesnel Lake

The B.C. Ministry of Environment has quietly granted the Mount Polley Mining Corporation permission to drain mining waste directly into Quesnel Lake, B.C.’s deepest fjord lake and a source of drinking water for residents of Likely, B.C., as part of a “long-term water management plan.”

The wastewater discharge permit comes nearly three years after the collapse of the Mount Polley mine tailings pond spilled an estimated 25 million cubic metres of mining waste into Quesnel Lake, in what is considered the worst mining disaster in Canadian history. 

No charges and no fines have been laid for the spill that cost B.C. taxpayers an estimated $40 million in cleanup costs and that B.C.’s chief mine inspector, Al Hoffman, found was the result of “poor practices” and “non-compliances.” .....

Anonymous Facebook page touts ‘recovery’ at Mount Polley while mine waste still piped into lake

An anonymous group called “Mount Polley Remediation” is promoting Facebook ads and videos celebrating the clean-up of one of the worst mining disasters in Canadian history, even as contaminated waste from the gold and copper mine owned by Imperial Metals continues to pour into Quesnel Lake. 

“Canada is #1 once again,” proclaims one video ad, as a large Canadian flag flaps in the wind to music with a heavy drumbeat.

“We get it right most of the time and when we don’t — like at Polley Lake — we make it right,” says the ad, which launched on October 30.

“Canada has a lot to teach the world when it comes to responsible resource development.” 

A separate ad celebrates the “heroes” of the clean-up, while another video posted on the group’s Facebook page — created on September 29 by an unnamed “local business” — carries the tagline “Mount Polley Remediation is celebrating recovery.”  

The video, called “The Fish are Biting at Polley Lake,” informs viewers that “after intense remediation efforts, life is getting back to normal.” Footage of a salmon swimming above a stoney river bottom is followed by a cartoon of a fish jumping and splashing. 

The individuals, groups or companies behind the ads or page are not listed on Facebook and two calls to Imperial Metals’ head office in Vancouver were not returned.   

B.C. government allows Imperial Metals to discharge waste into lake

Christine McLean, a spokesperson for the Concerned Citizens of Quesnel Lake, said life is far from normal for people who live around Quesnel Lake, with many locals refusing to drink the water or eat fish like rainbow trout even though they catch them. 

The citizens group is in the process of appealing a B.C. government permit allowing Imperial Metals each day to discharge an average of 55,500 cubic metres of mine waste contaminated with copper and other heavy metals into Quesnel Lake, which feeds into the Fraser River and is one of the world’s deepest glacial lakes.

“It can never be made right when you’re discharging your mine waste directly into what was once a pristine, salmon-bearing lake,” McLean told The Narwhal. 

“The Mount Polley mine is polluting Quesnel Lake as we speak and the government has given them approval to do that. It’s unconscionable.”