Whether for gold, copper, lithium, or other mining, is it possible to safely manage mine waste and prevent catastrophic spills? What is the aftermath of these mine waste disasters for the affected communities? How do the regulations of one of Canada’s main mining jurisdictions, British Colombia, compare with best standards, including the new Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management (a.k.a. People’s Tailings Standard)? 

Watch the recording of the webinar below! ​

You can also watch the webinar on Facebook, here. ​

Tell the B.C. government - NO MORE toxic mine waste dams! 
​SPEAKERS

Bev Sellars (Canada)
Former acting chief of the Xat’sull (Soda Creek) First Nation, British Columbia, when her community was directly affected by the Mount Polley mine disaster in 2014, and former chairperson of the First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining

Jan Morrill (U.S.A)
Tailings safety campaign coordinator at Earthworks, and co-author of Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management

Dr. Steven Emerman (U.S.A)
Owner of Malach Consulting, specializing in evaluating the environmental impacts of mining for companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations, and co-author of Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management

Dr. David Chambers (U.S.A)
Founder and president of the Center for Science in Public Participation (CSP2), co-author of Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management

Deborah Curran (Canada)
Executive Director of the Environmental Law Centre and Associate Professor at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and co-author of the BC Mining Law Reform regulatory platforms

Nikki Skuce (Canada)
Director at Northern Confluence in Smithers, British Columbia, and co-founder of the BC Mining Law Reform Network

BACKGROUND
Today’s mining industry generates more waste than all the solid waste sent to landfills by the largest cities in North America – billions of tons every year, much of it toxic. Mine waste sites are failing with increased frequency and severity (e.g. GRID-UNEP 2017, WMTF 2019, CSP2 2020, WU 2020). Current industry standards do not go far enough to adequately protect communities and ecosystems from these dam failures and toxic pollution. The design, construction, operation and closure of tailings facilities require significant changes to protect people and the environment. On August 4, 2014, a tailings dam breach at the Mount Polley mine in central British Columbia released 24 million cubic metres of mining waste into nearby salmon-rich lakes and rivers of the Fraser River watershed. How far as B.C. come to prevent future mine waste spills, and how does it measure against the new Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management (a.k.a. People’s Tailings Standard)? 

HOSTS, PARTNERS & ORGANIZERS
B.C. Mining Law Reform Network
Center for Science in Public Participation
Earthworks
Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria
First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining
Malach Consulting
MiningWatch Canada
Northern Confluence
Salmon Beyond Borders

Click here to watch previous webinars and learn more about upcoming events