Beneath the Surface: A Podcast by the BC Mining Law Reform Network

Episode Notes

In this episode, we’re joined by geographers Rosemary Collard and Jessica Dempsey to discuss their groundbreaking audit of mining projects in British Columbia. Are environmental regulations really the bottleneck the mining industry claims they are? What happens when the promised economic benefits of mining—like jobs, tax revenue, and production—fall drastically short? Rosemary and Jessica walk us through their research, revealing surprising insights about delays, care-and-maintenance loopholes, and the underperformance of mines.

You can find Rosemary and Jessica's audit here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Rosemary and Jessica are co-directors of the 'Extinction Paradox' research project. You can learn about that here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Other links:

Rachel Singleton-Polster, Regulatory barriers to mine reclamation for caribou

Nick Gottlieb, Mining companies are abusing a little-known loophole to avoid cleanup

Episode Notes

This episode of Beneath the Surface features a discussion about the proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine in northern British Columbia. If completed, the KSM mine would become one of the world’s largest gold-copper mines, threatening critical river systems and the communities that depend on them.

Joining us is Rachel Gutman, a lawyer with Ecojustice, who is part of the legal team challenging the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office’s decision to classify the KSM mine as “substantially started.” This designation allows the mine to move forward under an environmental assessment conducted over a decade ago, despite significant changes in environmental laws, science, and our understanding of climate risks.

Rachel breaks down what “substantially started” means, why this case matters, and what a legal victory could mean for environmental protection and Indigenous rights in British Columbia.

Learn more about:

Ecojustice

SkeenaWild

Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

Episode Notes

In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we sit down with Heather Hardcastle, who helped to found Salmon Beyond Borders, a campaign dedicated to protecting salmon and the vital transboundary rivers that flow between British Columbia and Alaska.

We discuss the cultural and ecological importance of salmon, the growing threats they face—especially from mining activity in BC—and the Indigenous-led efforts to safeguard their future.

You can learn more about Salmon Beyond Borders here: https://salmonbeyondborders.org/about

Episode Notes

On August 4, 2014, the Mount Polley mine's tailings storage facility failed, discharging 25 million cubic meters of toxic sludge into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and Quesnel Lake.

This episode features an interview with Douglas Watt, a resident of Likely, a community close to Quenel Lake. We talk about the essay Doug wrote for the academic journal BC Studies, reflecting on the impact of the disaster and the unfulfilled promises from politicians and industry that followed the disaster.

You can read Doug's essay here: "Promises, Promises: The Views of a Quesnel Lake Resident Ten Years after the 2014 Mount Polley Mine Disaster"

Full BC Studies issue on Mount Polley: "Learning from Disaster: A Decade After the Mount Polley Tailings Dam Failure"

Episode Notes

In this episode of ‘Beneath the Surface’, we explore the impact of mining on water resources in British Columbia, with a special focus on mine tailings and their potential environmental repercussions. Adrienne Berchtold, Ecologist and Mining Impacts Researcher with SkeenaWild, outlines the impacts of mining on B.C.'s water resources, the threat posed by the numerous tailings dams that dot the province's landscape, and the broader ecological and community risks associated with mining activities.

Check out the British Columbia Mine Tailings Map: https://reformbcmining.ca/tailings-map/

Learn more about the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust: https://skeenawild.org/