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Mount Polley Tailings Dam SpillBy Alana, Vinny, Lindsay, Dan, and Quinn
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Background of the MineBritish Columbia gold and copper mine
Owned and Operated by Imperial Metals
Opened 1997 and was in production until 2014
August 4th 2014 a massive breach of their tailings pond caused permanent widespread damage
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Environmental Effects of Mount Polley Mine Spill
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WaterThe pollution from the spill consists of nickel, arsenic, lead, and copper. Affects Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, Quenel Lake, Quenel River, Cariboo River and Fraser River. Bans originally placed on water for drinking and swimmingBlue film has appeared on the water that burns skin to touch, still unexplained
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SalmonThe salmon swim through the polluted areas Pollution happened at a particularly bad time for the migration of salmonDepleted salmon population affects food supply and economy
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Ecosystem Effects
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First Nations Perspective
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Mount Polley lies onSecwepemc Traditional TerritoryWho does the land belong to according to Canadian law?What does traditional territory imply?
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Health & Safety ConcernsSecwepemc traditional way of lifeGovernment studies vs. Secwepemc studies
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Northern Secwepemc Te QelmucwMining PolicyWhat does this policy set out to achieve?Is this policy legally binding?Government consideration
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Community Perspective
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CommunityThe tailing pond spill had many effects on the communityA drinking water ban lasted for 9 daysCampgrounds were evacuated and wilderness adventure locations were not accessible due to damage and pollutionLocal economy suffered as many local businesses lost customers
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CommunityResidents and environmentalists believe that the clean up will need to continue for years in order to undo all of the damage.Open house meetings were continuously held in the community
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Labour Perspective
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Unions Representing EmployeesUnions such as the United Steelworkers (USW)
B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU)
Professional Employee Association (PEA)
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Labour within Mount PolleyMount Polley employed 370 employees
Today, approximately 400 employees are working on recovery and remediation efforts, including 330 of Mount Polleys original employees
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BusinessesCatastrophe of Mount Polley affects businesses catering to tourists and local citizens that rely on salmon.
Not only is this catastrophe affecting labour within the mine, but it is also affecting labour outside the mine.
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Working ConditionsPrecarious
Health and safety hazards
Oxygen deficient atmosphere, cracks in the dam, forestry timber
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Government Impact
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The Governments Prevention StrategiesBC Mining Health and Safety Act required permits prior to operation
The Government conducted several prior inspectionsTotal of 14 with 5 warnings for violations
The Governments vigilance regarding groundwater testing procedures was too relaxed
The Company had applied for 2 permits in effort to lower risk levelThey had a near miss spill earlier in 2014 that should have put up red flags.One was accepted in 2012, and the other put forward in February 2014 was stuck in government backlogs
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Governments Reaction to the IncidentLarge scale two-tier investigation. One section with 3 independent experts, the other with government ministriesOrdered by BC Minister of Mining and Industry Bill BennettThe ministry and RCMP one is very thorough and still underwayThe Independent expert panels recommendations ignoredThe Legal changesCode changes regarding increased safety checks to mining operations with tailing ponds Letters from Ministry of Environment to Imperial Metals show deep involvement in the monitoring of clean up process
Approval for Red Chris Mine Tailing Discharge already approved in preventative measure
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General Mount Polley Knowledge
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Discussion QuestionsHow can environmental racism be seen in this case?Is rejecting capitalism necessary to avoided environmental disasters like this? What steps can be taken to avoid disasters such as this one if rejecting capitalism is not possible? Because this spill affects the economy and business. Will this add more traction to environmental efforts in this case?Are governmental policies and actions being implemented enough? How can governmental policies be more effective in preventing these disasters?
*Click square to access, then click bottom left corner for answer, then click bottom left corner to return to home screen. The green triangle is final jeopardy and the star is double. The fading in of text doesnt work for some reason sorry**
