Public here barred from records freely available in US to help avert disasters.
British Columbia is one of the country’s biggest mineral producers. But compared to Americans, British Columbians have very little information about the safety and regulation of that activity.
And that means journalists, activists and citizens have very little power to stop mining problems before they become mining disasters.
Just such a disaster happened last month when the tailing dam at Imperial Metals Corp.’s Mount Polley Mine collapsed, resulting in a flood of concern and questions about safety at similar operations in the province.
In response to a request from Vancouver Sun reporter Gordon Hoekstra, the government released details on the 49 “dangerous or unusual occurrences” that were recorded as happening at tailing ponds in British Columbia between 2000 and 2012.
Earlier, it also released a summary of inspections at the Mount Polley mine. But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed the government “does not generally publicly post mine inspection reports or related information, including the dates on which they were conducted.”
The reason: such reports, which can be obtained via the province’s sometimes-lengthy and often frustrating freedom of information request process, “need to be reviewed for any personal and financial information before they can be released.”
Holes in Canadian databases
The government also hasn’t released details on the “dangerous or unusual occurrences” that were recorded as happening at mining locations other than tailing ponds between 2001 and 2012. Those occurrences, according to aggregate statistics released as part of the chief inspector of mines’ annual report, include 1,173 incidents at pits, 287 incidents at plants or mills, 178 incidents at maintenance shops, etc.
When asked whether the province discloses any other information about health, safety and environmental violations at mines in British Columbia, a ministry spokesperson stated the government does post overviews of significant spills of oil or hazardous material. “From time to time, and as appropriate” it may post hazard alerts about incidents at mines “when relevant on a broader scale.”
The federal governments also maintain databases listing some of their environmental offenders. But both have major limitations. For example, the provincial database doesn’t include those who have violated British Columbia’s Mines Act. And the federal database, which has just 78 entries, only includes convictions of corporations obtained via court proceedings. It doesn’t include tickets, warning letters or compliance orders issued to them.*
US approach far more transparent
For the rest of this article, click here: http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/09/08/Mt-Polley-Mine-Danger-Info/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=080914