On Jan. 7, Imperial Metals suspended operations at the Mt. Polley Mine in B.C. due to low copper prices. This means several hundred jobs lost and economic implications that ripple across the province. The circumstances of the closure are entirely outside the control of Imperial Metals—mining companies have no control over the volatile price of metals, and as such, no real control over the mine’s destiny.
Mt. Polley was the site of a catastrophic tailings dam failure in 2014 that flooded 24 million cubic feet of toxic mine waste into the watershed that local people depend on for subsistence, drinking water and their way of life. All mines produce toxic waste that could require treatment for perpetuity. Not for decades, not for a lifetime, but forever. With the mining industry vulnerable to forces outside their control, how can we count on them to fulfill their promises to the community? Mt. Polley went from an economic driver to a health menace. Inevitably, the community will pay for the cleanup and loss of well-being.
Here in the Chilkat Valley, Constantine Metals is preparing a preliminary economic feasibility study for a proposed sulfide mine. Unlike Mt. Polley, this mine will be acid generating. Mining companies are unreliable partners that cannot promise long-term economic stability. Will we trade this precious valley, its fish, wildlife, and clean water for short-term jobs and a volatile economy? Let’s cherish the Chilkat, instead of gambling it away for temporary jobs and guaranteed pollution.
Shannon Donahue