Mount Polley mine faces major setback as First Nation fights to prevent another environmental crisis
British Columbia Supreme Court
has ordered
Mount Polley Mining Corporation
to stop its plan to raise the height of its
tailings dam
. The court said the expansion cannot go ahead until at least July 1, 2025.
#Operation Sindoor
India responds to Pak's ceasefire violation; All that happened
India-Pakistan ceasefire reactions: Who said what
Punjab's hopes for normalcy dimmed by fresh violations
This decision follows a legal challenge by the
Xatśūll First Nation
. The
First Nation
says the province approved the dam expansion without proper consultation or a full environmental review. They argue the decision goes against British Columbia's own rules on Indigenous rights.
Also Read:
Another Canada Post strike? Here's what could happen after May 22
5
5
Next
Stay
Playback speed
1x Normal
Back
0.25x
0.5x
1x Normal
1.5x
2x
5
5
/
Skip
Ads by
The province had allowed the company to raise the dam by four metres. It said the increase was needed to manage heavy spring runoff and had gone through technical checks and some consultations.
But the Xatśūll First Nation disagreed. They said the process was rushed and ignored serious environmental concerns.
Live Events
Their fear is not unfounded. In 2014, the tailings dam at the same
Mount Polley mine
collapsed. That disaster released about 25 million cubic metres of mine waste into nearby lakes and rivers. It became one of the worst environmental events in B.C.'s history.
The company that owns the mine, Imperial Metals, says it still has enough space in the tailings facility for now. It says it doesn't need the extra capacity from the expansion until July 2025. The company has also agreed to wait and not move forward with raising the dam until that time.
Also Read:
Earth's 'twin' is not dead but very much 'alive'; NASA's latest discovery explained
A hearing on the issue is set to resume on June 24, 2025. The Xatśūll First Nation plans to ask the court to keep the block on the expansion in place until the full legal review is over.
This case highlights growing tension in B.C. between mining projects and Indigenous land rights. It also raises bigger questions about how governments consult First Nations on decisions that impact their land and environment.
For now, the court has sent a clear message: more caution and deeper consultation are needed when it comes to projects that carry environmental and cultural risks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
6 minutes ago
- Economic Times
From Balakot to Sindoor: Inside the operations that made terror camps fair game
Synopsis In just over a decade, India has rewritten its security playbook. The Modi government has doubled defence spending, pushed homegrown production, and turned India into a global exporter. Operations from Balakot to Sindoor have shown that terror will be met with force. At home, extremism is fading, and self-reliance has spread across food, finance, and technology. The picture that emerges is of a country less reactive, more assertive, and determined to protect its sovereignty on every front. TIL Creatives Representative AI Image The strikes on Balakot in 2019 marked a clear shift. They followed the Pulwama attack, where forty CRPF personnel were killed. For the first time, Indian jets crossed deep into Pakistani territory to destroy a terrorist training camp. That operation set the stage for a bolder security doctrine. Six years later came Operation Sindoor. In May 2025, after civilians were murdered in Pahalgam, India's armed forces launched precision strikes. Drone and missile attacks destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over a hundred terrorists. Among them were figures tied to the Pulwama bombing and the 1999 IC-814 hijacking. Pakistan's retaliation faltered, its drones and missiles shot down by Indian counter-systems. From the Red Fort that August, Prime Minister Modi called it 'a new normal,' signalling to the world that India would not hesitate again. PM Modi has since laid out five unambiguous lines: Every terror attack will be answered decisively. Nuclear blackmail has no sway. Terrorists and their sponsors are treated as one. Talks, if ever, will only be about terrorism or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 'Terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together, and blood and water cannot flow together.'These words, repeated at rallies and addresses, frame a doctrine that mixes clarity with deterrence. Behind these actions stands a broader transformation. Defence spending rose from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013–14 to Rs 6.81 lakh crore in 2025–26. Domestic production, once negligible, reached Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024–25, three times higher than a decade earlier. Today, fighter aircraft, artillery, missile systems, warships, and even aircraft carriers are designed and built in India. Defence exports touched Rs 23,622 crore in 2024–25, reaching over a hundred nations, including the United States, France, and slogan of Atmanirbharta 'self-reliance' has been backed by policy. The Defence Acquisition Procedure of 2020 placed Indian design and manufacturing at the top of the order. The Make categories offered state support for prototypes and opened the field to start-ups and MSMEs. One hundred and forty-six projects have been cleared across the services. Foreign investment rules were relaxed, allowing 74 percent automatic investment and up to full ownership with approval in advanced and joint ventures were encouraged too. The Offset Portal tracks commitments by foreign firms. The Strategic Partnership Model has paired Indian companies with global manufacturers. In 2019, an agreement with Russia allowed local production of spares, cutting delays and ahead will not be fought the way they once were. Anticipating this, the government created the Defence AI Council and the Defence AI Project Agency. Each public-sector defence unit now has its own AI roadmap. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has identified nine thrust areas, including cyber security, robotics, soldier support, and space Sudarshan Chakra Mission, launched in 2025, aims to deliver a full-spectrum national security shield by 2035. Its focus: predictive technologies, precision responses, and indigenous systems that defend both the battlefield and civilian security tells another part of the story. Left-Wing Extremism once scarred large swathes of central India. Now, fewer than twenty districts remain affected. Over 8,000 Naxalites gave up arms in the past decade. The toll of violence shrank from 1,936 incidents in 2010 to just 374 in 2024, with civilian and security force deaths falling by 85 percent. New roads, schools, communication links, and welfare schemes helped weaken the insurgency's grip alongside security is not limited to the armed forces. Food production rose from 246 million tonnes in 2013–14 to nearly 354 million tonnes in 2024–25. Farmers have received more than Rs 3.9 lakh crore under PM-KISAN. India now produces a quarter of the world's milk and has doubled its fish output since inclusion has expanded dramatically. By March 2025, the RBI's Financial Inclusion Index stood at 67.0, up almost a quarter since 2021. Through the Jan Dhan Yojana, 56 crore people opened accounts worth Rs 2.64 lakh crore. Women make up more than half of these account holders. The World Bank estimates that 89 percent of Indians now have a bank too, has been pulled into the fold. The Rs 76,000 crore semiconductor mission announced in 2021 bore fruit with the launch of 3-nanometre chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru. By 2025, India's first indigenous chip was ready for together, these strands form a coherent picture. India today is less willing to wait and more ready to act. Its security is rooted in homegrown capacity, decisive leadership, and a refusal to bow to threats. From Balakot to Sindoor, from food fields to chip foundries, the story is of a nation seeking control over its future rather than reliance on others. A decade on, the change is not just in numbers or hardware but in confidence.
Scroll.in
37 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Gujarat school play allegedly depicting women wearing burqas as terrorists triggers row
A play during an Independence Day programme at a school in Gujarat's Bhavnagar has triggered a row about the alleged depiction of women wearing burqas as terrorists, The Indian Express reported. Videos of the cultural programme were widely shared on social media. On Tuesday, District Education Officer Hitendrasinh D Padheriya issued a notice to the Municipal School Board Administrative Officer Munjal Badmaliya seeking a report within a week about the programme held at the government school, the newspaper reported. The notice was issued based on a representation made by Bandharan Bachav Samiti Bhavnagar, a social organisation, which alleged that the play had portrayed the Muslim community as terrorists. The organisation demanded action against those behind the play, according to The Indian Express. Rajendrakumar Dave, the school principal, said: 'We only wanted to depict what happened in Operation Sindoor.' 'We did not intend to hurt anyone's sentiments,' he told ANI. 'We conducted this event only to invoke patriotism. If any community is hurt, I apologise.' The district education officer sought details of the programme and asked whether the depiction as has been alleged was intentional, and details of the event held at the school. The Bandharan Bachav Samiti Bhavnagar had alleged that the play was 'an attempt by the school staff to hurt religious sentiments and spread unrest in the public'. 'In the play, girls dressed in Muslim attire (burqa) were shown as terrorists, clearly depicting the Muslim community as terrorists,' the organisation alleged, according to The Indian Express. It added that the Muslim community was angry with the teachers, the organisation said. Badmaliya said that the event is held every year on Independence Day and Republic Day. 'This year it was themed on Operation Sindoor and the bravery of our defence forces, and programmes were held in every school,' the newspaper quoted him as saying. 'Nothing was intentional or deliberate.'
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
From Balakot to Sindoor: Inside the operations that made terror camps fair game
The strikes on Balakot in 2019 marked a clear shift. They followed the Pulwama attack, where forty CRPF personnel were killed. For the first time, Indian jets crossed deep into Pakistani territory to destroy a terrorist training camp. That operation set the stage for a bolder security doctrine. Six years later came Operation Sindoor . In May 2025, after civilians were murdered in Pahalgam, India's armed forces launched precision strikes. Drone and missile attacks destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over a hundred terrorists. Among them were figures tied to the Pulwama bombing and the 1999 IC-814 hijacking. Pakistan's retaliation faltered, its drones and missiles shot down by Indian counter-systems. From the Red Fort that August, Prime Minister Modi called it 'a new normal,' signalling to the world that India would not hesitate again. Drawing the boundaries with Pakistan PM Modi has since laid out five unambiguous lines: by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like A Tree Blocked This Garage for Years - See What's Inside! Tips and Tricks Undo Every terror attack will be answered decisively. Nuclear blackmail has no sway. Terrorists and their sponsors are treated as one. Talks, if ever, will only be about terrorism or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 'Terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together, and blood and water cannot flow together.' These words, repeated at rallies and addresses, frame a doctrine that mixes clarity with deterrence. Live Events Building military muscle at home Behind these actions stands a broader transformation. Defence spending rose from Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2013–14 to Rs 6.81 lakh crore in 2025–26. Domestic production, once negligible, reached Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024–25, three times higher than a decade earlier. Today, fighter aircraft, artillery, missile systems, warships, and even aircraft carriers are designed and built in India. Defence exports touched Rs 23,622 crore in 2024–25, reaching over a hundred nations, including the United States, France, and Armenia. The slogan of Atmanirbharta 'self-reliance' has been backed by policy. The Defence Acquisition Procedure of 2020 placed Indian design and manufacturing at the top of the order. The Make categories offered state support for prototypes and opened the field to start-ups and MSMEs. One hundred and forty-six projects have been cleared across the services. Foreign investment rules were relaxed, allowing 74 percent automatic investment and up to full ownership with approval in advanced technologies. Transparency and joint ventures were encouraged too. The Offset Portal tracks commitments by foreign firms. The Strategic Partnership Model has paired Indian companies with global manufacturers. In 2019, an agreement with Russia allowed local production of spares, cutting delays and imports. Technology as a force multiplier Wars ahead will not be fought the way they once were. Anticipating this, the government created the Defence AI Council and the Defence AI Project Agency. Each public-sector defence unit now has its own AI roadmap. The Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO ) has identified nine thrust areas, including cyber security, robotics, soldier support, and space systems. The Sudarshan Chakra Mission, launched in 2025, aims to deliver a full-spectrum national security shield by 2035. Its focus: predictive technologies, precision responses, and indigenous systems that defend both the battlefield and civilian life. Internal security tells another part of the story. Left-Wing Extremism once scarred large swathes of central India. Now, fewer than twenty districts remain affected. Over 8,000 Naxalites gave up arms in the past decade. The toll of violence shrank from 1,936 incidents in 2010 to just 374 in 2024, with civilian and security force deaths falling by 85 percent. New roads, schools, communication links, and welfare schemes helped weaken the insurgency's grip alongside security operations. Atmanirbharta beyond the military Self-reliance is not limited to the armed forces. Food production rose from 246 million tonnes in 2013–14 to nearly 354 million tonnes in 2024–25. Farmers have received more than Rs 3.9 lakh crore under PM-KISAN. India now produces a quarter of the world's milk and has doubled its fish output since 2013. Financial inclusion has expanded dramatically. By March 2025, the RBI's Financial Inclusion Index stood at 67.0, up almost a quarter since 2021. Through the Jan Dhan Yojana, 56 crore people opened accounts worth Rs 2.64 lakh crore. Women make up more than half of these account holders. The World Bank estimates that 89 percent of Indians now have a bank account. Technology, too, has been pulled into the fold. The Rs 76,000 crore semiconductor mission announced in 2021 bore fruit with the launch of 3-nanometre chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru. By 2025, India's first indigenous chip was ready for production. Put together, these strands form a coherent picture. India today is less willing to wait and more ready to act. Its security is rooted in homegrown capacity, decisive leadership, and a refusal to bow to threats. From Balakot to Sindoor, from food fields to chip foundries, the story is of a nation seeking control over its future rather than reliance on others. A decade on, the change is not just in numbers or hardware but in confidence.
