I can’t believe my eyes. I read through these newspaper articles one dated August 2014 and the other dated December 2015. Both are on the topic of the Mount Polley Mine tailing pond failure.
The first article links BC Premier Christy Clark to Murray Edwards as she extols his virtues and his contribution to BC’s mining sector along with her 2012 claim “we’ve done it with the highest standard of sustainable mining in the world.” The article also pointed out the contributions made to Clark’s BC Liberal Party by companies controlled by Edwards – $436,227.00
I then read the recent and second article dated December 2015 article which to be honest really pissed me off. Look at these key phrases and then the final decision;
- “Although there were poor practices,”
- “Noting the mine did not operate using best practices,” Hoffman said, “the company could not pass off responsibility of dam management.”
And yet,
“No charges will be issued under the province’s mining laws against Imperial Metals after the catastrophic failure of its Mount Polley gold and copper mine tailings dam.”
WTF.
When will we the citizens, whom our government is employed by, demand the end of corporate involvement in the pocket books of our political parties. It is we the people our government is responsible to NOT the corporations who currently enjoy near papal reverence from OUR government.
Have a read of the articles below and decide for yourself. Me, I have already fired Premier Clark, I emailed her pink slip to her on the 17th of December.
Happy Holiday Season!
Stephen
Article One – August 2014
“Mining is an area where we have set some pretty ambitious targets. We’re planning to build 17 new and expanded mines by 2015. Mining revenues have grown by 20 per cent to $8.6 billion since we introduced our Jobs Plan last year, and we’ve done it with the highest standard of sustainable mining in the world,” Clark said in the October 2012 address.
“A significant part of our progress in British Columbia comes from people like Murray Edwards, it comes from investors and people who are located right here in Calgary.” Clark extolled.
Edwards, Canada’s 18th richest person with a net worth of about $2.2 billion according to Forbes, is linked to six corporations that have donated a total of $436,227 in campaign contributions to the B.C. Liberal party over the past nine years, according to Elections B.C.
That includes $153,480 from Canadian Natural Resources, where he is chairman, as well as $131,390 from Imperial Metals, which owns both Red Chris, a $500-million copper-gold mine under construction, and the Mount Polley mine, where a tailings dam collapse this week has led to a water ban and potential contamination of Quesnel Lake and Quesnel River. Edwards owns, directly and indirectly, 36 per cent of Imperial Metals.
Article Two – December 2015 – Only One Year and Four Months Later…
No charges will be issued under the province’s mining laws against Imperial Metals after the catastrophic failure of its Mount Polley gold and copper mine tailings dam the largest environmental accident in over 50 years.
B.C.’s chief inspector of mines decided not to forward charges to Crown counsel involving the Aug. 4, 2014 incident.
“Although there were poor practices, there were no non-compliances we could find,” B.C. chief inspector of mines Al Hoffman said Thursday in releasing a report into the investigation, which took more than a year.
Noting the mine did not operate using best practices, Hoffman said the company could not pass off responsibility of dam management to its engineers.
There will also be no fines issued because B.C.’s mining laws do not allow for administrative penalties, as do other natural resource ministries and agencies such as WorkSafeBC.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/charges+under+mining+laws+failure+mount+polley+mine/11596904/story.html#ixzz3ue3AaxPe Vegas Strong Authentic Jersey
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