Debris pouring into Quesnel Lake (Photo: Farhan Umedaly, Vovo Productions / Desmog.ca) An advisory from Interior Health yesterday raises fresh questions about the quality of drinking water from Quensnel Lake following the Mount Polley tailings dam breach. “Although test results continue to show that water sourced from Quesnel Lake is safe to
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The Common Sense Canadian: Why not enough ‘red tape’ = too much red ink: Mount Polley and the problem with de-regulation
CFAX 1070′s Ian Jessop interviews Damien Gillis on the Mount Polley mine disaster and consequences of the BC Liberals’ de-regulation policy on the environment and economy. Why not enough ‘red tape’ leads to too much red ink for shareholders and taxpayers. (Aug. 20 / 20 min) The post Why not
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Opinion: Mount Polley demands full Judicial Inquiry – under oath
By Ed Mankelow The Tailings Dam breach at the Mount Polley Mine is likely the worst mining disaster that this province has seen and it could be getting worse. If the salmon and trout stocks of Quesnel Lake are impacted on their spawning journey to Quesnel Lake and feeder streams,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Bennett should resign over Mount Polley
In the old days of BC politics, Minister Bennett would fall on his sword, says Rafe Mair (Youtube / Got News Network) One day, in 1863, Mr. Byrne decided to take a stroll to get a little bit of Liverpool air. As he ambled down the street he went past
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Biologist documents blue film on Quesnel River following Mount Polley spill
Independent biologist Alexandra Morton has documented the appearance of a mysterious blue film on the surface of Quesnel Lake and the Quesnel River. Morton has been surveying the region’s aquatic systems – taking water samples, video and photos – in the wake of the Mount Polley tailings spill. She posted the above video and
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Is Mount Polley making people sick? Anecdotal clues, questions mount
Hazeltine Creek following Mount Polley Mine’s tailings dam breach (Photo: Chris Blake) A series of anecdotal reports of illness from suffered by people in close proximity to the Mount Polley Mine tailings dam breach is prompting a local First Nation to push the premier for a study of potential airborne contaminants – and calls for an independent inquiry
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mount Polley highlights risk of Red Chris, KSM tailings dam failures
Flannigan Slough, just downstream from proposed Tulsequah Chief Mine (Chris Miller) By any measure, the giant tailings dam rupture at Imperial Metal’s Mount Polley Copper Mine is a disaster for downstream communities and wild salmon. The massive dam breach released a raging torrent of slurry mine waste into Hazeltine Creek
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mount Polley bankruptcy could leave BC public footing cleanup bill
Rod Marining, a resident of the region, surveys the damage after Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach Republished with permission from 250news.com By Peter Ewart The clean-up costs for the massive tailing pond spill at Imperial Metals’ Polley Mountain mine have been estimated by some to range between $50 and $500
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: First Nation evicts Imperial Metals from proposed mine site
Secwepemc Women’s Warrior Society members lead a rally against Imperial Metals (Youtube/ ochiese) Read this Aug. 12 story from Global News on the Neskonlith Indian Band’s eviction notice to Mount Polley owner Imperial Metals regarding exploratory work for a proposed zinc-lead mine in their territory, near Revelstoke, BC. VANCOUVER –
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: After Mount Polley, Alaska Senator doesn’t trust BC’s environmental reviews for mines
US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) The following is an open letter from Alaskan US Senator Lisa Murkowski to Secretary of State John Kerry. Dear Secretary Kerry, I am writing to reiterate my concerns about large-scale mining in British Columbia, which has the potential to adversely affect downstream fisheries and communities in
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Oops! Mount Polley owner may not have any environmental insurance
Aerial image of recent Mount Polley mine tailings spill (Cariboo Regional District) Read this Aug. 12 250news.com column by Peter Ewart, raising concerns about Imperial Metals’ insurance for cleaning up its toxic tailing pond spill at Polley Lake, BC. Does Imperial Metals have environmental insurance? It is a statement that
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Toxic Mexican copper mine spill prompts water restrictions
Grupo Mexico’s Buenavista del Cobre mine Read this Aug 11 story from mining-technology.com on a toxic wastewater spill from a Mexican copper mine. Mexican authorities have imposed restrictions on water supplies in some cities and towns in the northern part of the country, including the Sonora state capital of Hermosillo, following
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mount Polley Mine: Concerns linger amid positive water quality tests
Aerial view of debris from Mount Polley Minine tailings pond breach (Cariboo Regional District) Read this August 9 update from CBC.ca on the water quality situation surrounding the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach. The B.C. government has approved the controlled release into Hazeltine Creek of water in Polley Lake
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Tahltan renew pressure on Imperial Metals’ Red Chris Mine in wake of Mount Polley
Tahltan First Nations and their supporters peacefully occupying a Fortune Minerals drill in the Sacred Headwaters last year Read this August 8 story from the Terrace Standard on the renewed pressure for members of the Tahltan First Nations on Red Chris Mine, a project being developed in northwest BC by Mount Polley
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Monica Potts responds to the big lie that increasing inequality and perpetual poverty are necessary – or indeed remotely beneficial – as elements of economic growth: Hanauer and Piketty inspire these broadsides because they are challenging, in a far more aggressive way than
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mount Polley owner donated half a million dollars to Liberals, gets easy ride from Bennett
BC Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett (CP) By Alex Hanson The Bill Bennett dog and pony show has been wheeled out in the media once again, this time to cover for his long time pal and major campaign contributor Murray Edwards – the biggest shareholder at the now infamous
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Mount Polley Mine proves Liberal “de-regulation” doesn’t work
Blame the BC Liberals’ lax regulations for Mount Polley Mine, says Rafe Mair (BC Liberal facebook page) The Mount Polley Mine/Imperial Metals disaster is such that one scarcely knows where to start. Fortunately, the people of British Columbia have a writer like Stephen Hume, who in the Vancouver Sun tells chapter and verse
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Government allowed massive production, toxin increase at Mount Polley Mine before tailings pond disaster
Aerial image of tailings pond breach (Cariboo Regional District) Mount Polley’s tailing pond breach is the worst environmental disaster in BC History. It will be a BC Day that goes down in infamy and, from the environmental perspective, may be one of the world’s worst mining disasters when all is
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Aerial video of burst Mout Polley Mine tailings pond
Watch this aerial footage of yesterday’s Mount Polley Mine tailings pond breach, courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District. The failure of Imperial Metals’ gold-copper mine tailings pond prompted an emergency water use ban and threatens fish in the Quesnel and Fraser rivers. This from the Regional District yesterday: The Cariboo Regional
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: BC mine’s tailings pond breach forces emergency water use ban
Photo: Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre facebook page The apparent breach of a tailings pond connected Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine, near Likely, BC, has led to an emergency water ban from The Cariboo Regional District. The following update was issued by the district on its Emergency Operations facebook page this morning:
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