Xatśūll First Nation filed a judicial review on April 15 challenging the BC government’s decision not to require an environmental assessment for the proposed expansion of the Mount Polley’s tailings dam. Mount Polley was responsible for Canada’s worst mining disaster in 2014, when a tailings dam failure released 25 million cubic metres of contaminated waste… Read more »
Today, March 26th, marks the deadline for the BC Government to add Indigenous consultation to the mineral claim staking process following the Gitxaała Nation court challenge. The BC Supreme Court ruling in September 2023 gave the province 18 months to come into compliance. It’s doing this via what it is calling the Mineral Claims Consultation Framework (MCCF), in… Read more »
[Smithers, Osoyoos, Kimberley] – The BC Supreme Court released its decision Tuesday holding that the Province needs to change its free entry mineral claim system within the next 18 months to align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The ruling is a result of the Gitxaała and Ehattesaht Nations’… Read more »
New expert analysis reveals that British Columbia is lagging behind other jurisdictions in Canada and globally when it comes to mine waste safety. The report looks at the B.C. government’s first ever Audit of Code Requirements for Tailings Storage Facilities, released last year, and makes recommendations on how to improve existing laws and regulations on mine waste safety to protect communities and the environment.
In a new backgrounder report, MiningWatch Canada and the BC Mining Law Reform network conclude that British Columbia fails to meet the Indigenous consent standard for mining, even two years after the passing of the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
Local, regional and national groups support Gitxaala Nation’s legal action against the B.C. government. Earlier today, the Gitxaała First Nation filed a first-of-its kind legal challenge in the British Columbia Supreme Court against the province’s “free entry” mineral claim staking regime.
On September 13th, the Mining Association of Canada presented its ‘Towards Sustainable Mining’ (TSM) standard at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. MiningWatch Canada and the BC Mining Law Reform (BCMLR) network released this backgrounder on these voluntary standards, which the B.C. government often refer to even as it ignores pressure from the public and First Nations to improve its legal and regulatory controls on mining…
MiningWatch Canada is relieved that the BC Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) has dismissed Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine appeal of its $9,000 fine for violating environmental permit requirements. The mining watchdog urges the BC government to beef up its environmental sanctions and stop ongoing water pollution in Quesnel Lake.
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British Columbia’s aim to become a choice supplier of metals and minerals needed to build a greener global economy will fail unless laws are changed, according to a new report released today. Legal reform and better enforcement are needed to force B.C. mining companies to live up to the claim that they are world leaders in social and environmental responsibility.
