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VANCOUVER — The B.C. government has ordered independent investigations into the spill at the Mount Polley mine and at every other tailings pond in the province, saying the disaster has shaken public confidence and threatens to undermine other resource-sector projects as well.
The province – which has been criticized by First Nations near the spill for a perceived lack of industry oversight – has also signed a letter of understanding with two bands, whose leaders say they’ll push for meaningful mining reform.
The hiring of an outside panel of experts to investigate the Mount Polley spill is a shift from the province’s earlier stance that probes by the chief inspector of mines and the Conservation Officer Service would suffice. Each of the three experts on the panel has decades of engineering experience, with one having worked on the investigation into the New Orleans levee failures during Hurricane Katrina.
At a news conference Monday, Bill Bennett, B.C.’s Minister of Energy and Mines, stressed that the province must do whatever it takes to restore public confidence in mining in particular and the resource sector in general.
“The rest of Canada and many countries around the world will be watching to see what we learn in B.C., which provides yet more motivation to ensure we take appropriate actions to get to the bottom of this accident and to learn from it,” he told reporters.
“Mining is a critical industry in B.C. It supports dozens of communities and thousands of families in the province. But it must be done in a way that the public has confidence in it. We’re committed to taking a leadership role internationally, finding out exactly why this happened, and ensuring that it never happens again.”
The tailings pond at the Mount Polley mine – which is owned by Imperial Metals Corporation – breached on Aug. 4, sending millions of cubic metres of waste into central B.C. waterways. A cause has not been determined. The spill prompted several days of water-use bans for hundreds of residents, and the province has said it could harm marine life.
Mr. Bennett said Imperial Metals will be responsible for the cost of the independent investigation into the spill. An Imperial Metals spokesperson did not return a message seeking comment Monday.
Dirk Van Zyl, a mining professor at the University of British Columbia and a member of the panel of experts, said Mount Polley was “a dark day not only for mining in B.C., but worldwide.”
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