Last month, three contract drillers—Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke, and Jesse Chubaty—were safely rescued after spending over 60 hours trapped underground at Red Chris, a Newmont-operated copper-gold mine in northwestern British Columbia. Two rockfalls had blocked the access tunnel, but the men reached a steel refuge chamber stocked with food, water, and ventilation—built precisely for emergencies… Read more »
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 »
The BC provincial election will take place on October 19. As political parties gear up to launch their official election campaigns, it’s important that voters can hear clear and comprehensive positions from candidates on issues we care about— including mining reform. This issue is critical not only for the management of our natural resources but… Read more »
While the federal government released its “critical minerals” strategy in 2023, it only recently defined its criteria for what makes it on the list. The updated “critical minerals” list announced last week fails to narrow the definition and focus on the energy transition. At the BC Mining Law Reform Network, we’ve reflected on the implications… Read more »
Listen to the podcast audio: EPISODE DESCRIPTION In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we sit down with Nikki Skuce, Director of the Northern Confluence Initiative and co-chair of BC Mining Law Reform, to dive deep into the reform process for British Columbia’s Mineral Tenure Act (MTA). Nikki brings to light the historical context of… Read more »
Listen to the podcast audio: EPISODE DESCRIPTION This episode of ‘Beneath the Surface’ features an interview with Simon Weibe, a former mineral exploration geologist and Mining Policy and Impacts Researcher with Wildsight. Wildsight recently commissioned a groundbreaking report shedding light on the staggering costs associated with reversing selenium pollution, estimated at $6.4 billion dollars. Simon… Read more »
Featured image credit: Taehoon Kim / The Narwhal Listen to the podcast audio: EPISODE DESCRIPTION We sit down with Francesca Fionda, a reporter from The Narwhal, to discuss the recent investigation she led into BC’s mining reclamation funding. Our discussion focuses on the significant shortfall in the funds set aside for reclamation—sometimes referred to as… Read more »
Christopher Pollon is a freelance journalist and author whose work focuses on the environment, business and the politics of natural resources. His writing has been published by National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Mother Jones, and many other publications. He is a contributing editor at The Tyee. And he is the author of… Read more »
Featured image credit: Marty Clemens / The Narwhal. Gavin Smith is a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL). Gavin’s work with WCEL has included fighting against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipelines and tankers proposal, the passage and implementation of BC’s new Environmental Assessment Act, and supporting Indigenous Nations to revitalize their own laws…. Read more »
