More than a decade after one of the largest environmental disasters in B.C.’s history, charges have been laid against Imperial Metals Corporation.
The company is facing 15 charges under the federal Fisheries Act related to the 2014 tailings pond collapse at the Mount Polley mine, which released over 20 million cubic meters of waste into waterways in B.C.’s Interior.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed that both federal and provincial prosecution services have approved the charges.
The collapse of a dam at the Mount Polley gold and copper mine remains one of the most significant environmental disasters in B.C.’s history.
A 2015 report by an independent expert panel identified the dam’s design as the primary cause of the failure. It found that engineers did not account for the complex geological conditions beneath the dam’s foundation, leaving it vulnerable to “undrained failure” under stress.
In 2022, Engineers and Geoscientists B.C., the provincial regulatory body, fined two former project engineers a total of $226,500. A third engineer was temporarily suspended and ordered to complete further training.
Mount Polley Mining Corporation and Wood Canada Ltd. now face charges under the federal Fisheries Act, alongside Imperial Metals Corporation.
All three companies are scheduled to appear in court on December 18. 2024
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