VANCOUVER – The disaster at the Mount Polley Mine will have long-term consequences for years to come across the whole of the mining industry but specifically for Imperial Metals – the owners of the Cariboo mine and a major resource company in B.C.
Earlier this week the company took a huge hit on its stock price and on Friday, near Dease Lake at the Red Chris Mine, First Nations members blocked access to employees.
Red Chris is a five-hundred million dollar gold operation that has been front and center in B.C.’s resource sector for a decade.
On Friday when construction crews began arriving for work, finishing before the mine goes into full production, they were greeted by protesters who demanded a halt to the work.
The company has yet to respond.
READ MORE: Aboriginal leaders say Mount Polley tailings pond breach is a ‘game changer’
The disastrous tailings pond breach is also sparking concerns about the Mount Polley Mine owner’s involvement in another project.
The Ruddock Creek Mining Corporation is a subsidiary of Imperial Metals. It wants to operate an underground zinc-lead mine 100 kilometres northwest of Revelstoke.
But the Shuswap Environmental Action Society fears any potential accident at the mine site could negatively impact nearby Oliver Creek and its population of bull trout.
The project has yet to be approved and Ruddock Creek Mining says it has a “tailings management approach.”
On Friday, Imperials Metals Vice President Steve Robertson spoke with Jas Johal about the cleanup at Mount Polley.
Comments