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4mo ago

15 Charges Filed Over 2014 Mount Polley Mine Disaster in B.C.

Imperial Metals and two other companies face Fisheries Act charges a decade after one of Canada's worst environmental disasters.

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. Charges under the federal Fisheries Act have been laid against Imperial Metals Corp. more than 10 years after a tailings pond collapsed the Mount Polley mine, spilling more than 20 million cubic metres of waste water into B.C. Interior waterways. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
A aerial view shows the damage caused by a tailings pond breach near the town of Likely, B.C. Tuesday, August, 5, 2014. The pond which stores toxic waste from the Mount Polley Mine had its dam break on Monday spilling its contents into the Hazeltine Creek causing a wide water-use ban in the area.

Overview

  • The charges stem from the 2014 collapse of a tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine, which released over 20 million cubic meters of toxic waste into waterways in British Columbia.
  • Imperial Metals Corp., Mount Polley Mining Corp., and Wood Canada Ltd. are all named in the federal Fisheries Act charges, confirmed by federal and provincial prosecution services.
  • The environmental disaster contaminated Hazeltine Creek, Quesnel Lake, and Polley Lake, leading to a water ban for nearby residents and long-term ecological damage.
  • An independent report in 2015 attributed the collapse to flawed dam design, citing a failure to account for the geological complexity of the area.
  • The companies are scheduled to appear in court on December 18, but Imperial Metals has declined to comment further as the case is ongoing.