Ensure mining companies pay to clean up all the damage they cause.
The Tulsequah Chief mine in the far northwest corner of British Columbia will cost upwards of $100 million for clean-up and long-term maintenance and monitoring. We’ve already paid $46 million to clean up the Britannia mine, with an additional $3 million per year to treat the water. Isn’t it time the polluter actually paid?
At the moment, it isn’t mandatory for companies to pay a bond for clean-up – it’s at the discretion of the Chief Inspector of Mines. In 2018, B.C. had a 1.2 billion dollar liability gap between reclamation estimates and the actual funds collected by the province. Taxpayers are at risk of having to pay billions to clean up mining company pollution.