Turning the dial down on risk from another Mount Polley – David Suzuki

July 3, 2015

The decision on re-opening Mount Polley is imminent. B.C.’s chief inspector of mines says the government will implement the recommendations of the previously released independent panel report into the disaster.

By Theresa Beer, Communications Specialist

Mining — and resource development in general — involves risk. Nowhere was that risk more evident than in the images of the tailings breach and environmental devastation from Mount Polley last year.

While B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner let the provincial government off the hook yesterday in terms of its disclosure of information, the commissioner highlighted the need to re-interpret Section 25 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act so that urgent circumstances are no longer required to proactively disclose information that is in the public interest. The report found information the ministries had about the mine did not meet provincial requirements to share the risks to residents. However, they had information about two events that they could have disclosed.

Read More: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/panther-lounge/2015/07/turning-the-dial-down-on-risk-from-another-mount-polley/