Imperial Metal's Mount Polley mine caused BC's biggest-ever mining disaster through its own negligence and bad design.

Now, BC Premier Christy Clark has given Imperial Metals a temporary permit to open the Red Chris mine, a new copper and gold mine with a much bigger, more toxic tailings pond in the Stikine River watershed.

A final investigation on the Mount Polley disaster released recently, confirms that the tailings pond was poorly designed, causing the spill of toxic waste into the Polley lake which will take years and millions of dollars to clean up.

While Imperial Metal's negligence comes to light, the BC government should not allow a bigger and even deadlier mine with the same dangerous and flawed design.

Now that Imperial Metals' is under fire, we have a chance to push BC Premier Christy Clark to stop the Red Chris mine once and for all.

Tell BC Premier Christy Clark: Remove the permit to Imperial Metals to open the Red Chris Mine!

Imperial Metals has provided little reassurance that an even worse catastrophe than Mount Polley won't happen. An independent review of the Red Chris mine plans revealed a host of problems with the tailings pond design, including serious risk of seepage and leakage, and vulnerability to landslides. The review found there were no emergency response plans, no operating, maintenance and surveillance manuals for the tailings facility, and no studies to detail what would happen if the dams collapse.

The Red Chris mine is an environmental disaster waiting to happen:

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  It would tear up the home of grizzly and black bears, wolves, wolverines, mountain goats and the largest concentration of Stone sheep in the world.


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  It is being built on the Iskut-Stikine watershed, one of North America's largest and most intact salmon-producing watersheds, threatening the livelihood of local communities and animals.


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  The mine threatens the rights of First nations. The Klabona Keepers of the Tahltan First Nation have blockaded the Red Chris site because the project threatens their culture, people and the wild Sacred Headwaters watershed which they have traditionally used for many generations.

We cannot keep risking our water, land and wildlife, and trampling over the rights of Indigenous People, just so extractive industries can make a quick buck.

Sign the petition calling on Christy Clark to say no to the Red Chris Mine.

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More information:

Red Chris mine failure would eclipse Mount Polley damage: report, CBC, November 19 2014

What Mount Polley can teach us about the Red Chris mine, David Suzuki Foundation, October 24 2014

Design failure caused Mount Polley tailings breach, expert panel concludes, The Globe and Mail, January 30th 2015.