In Photos: The Canadian Mining Boom You’ve Never Seen Before
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In summer of 2017 photographer Garth Lenz visited the transboundary region and captured jaw-dropping photos of the massive Canadian mines in operation and under development in B.C. on our shared transboundary salmon rivers. See the full photo essay from The Narwhal here.
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Current B.C. and Canadian environmental assessment and permitting allows for mines, like Imperial Metals' Red Chris Mine shown above, to be developed in the B.C. headwaters of rivers flowing across the international border and into the United States without:
(1) the consent of indigenous communities in B.C. and the U.S., as well as private property owners;
(2) an analysis of historical impacts from such mines;
(3) the independent collection of at least 3-5 years of baseline/reference condition water quality and fish and wildlife population data;
(4) an independent, comprehensive evaluation of downstream impacts;
(5) a demonstration of technology to mitigate impacts that satisfies both the U.S. and Canada that shared resources won’t be harmed;
(6) the establishment of an independent, fully funded, and perpetual independent monitoring system;
(7) the establishment of a robust financial assurances regime that covers all mining impacts (catastrophic and cumulative) as well as the establishment of an arbitration process for settling claims.
(1) the consent of indigenous communities in B.C. and the U.S., as well as private property owners;
(2) an analysis of historical impacts from such mines;
(3) the independent collection of at least 3-5 years of baseline/reference condition water quality and fish and wildlife population data;
(4) an independent, comprehensive evaluation of downstream impacts;
(5) a demonstration of technology to mitigate impacts that satisfies both the U.S. and Canada that shared resources won’t be harmed;
(6) the establishment of an independent, fully funded, and perpetual independent monitoring system;
(7) the establishment of a robust financial assurances regime that covers all mining impacts (catastrophic and cumulative) as well as the establishment of an arbitration process for settling claims.
Your voices are needed to tell the United States and Canadian federal and governments that they must work together to establish binding international protections for our shared wild salmon rivers.