Mount Polley mine faces major setback as First Nation fights to prevent another environmental crisis
The British Columbia Supreme Court halted Mount Polley Mining Corporation's tailings dam expansion until July 2025, siding with the Xatśūll First Nation's claim of inadequate consultation and environmental review. This decision underscores the tension between mining projects and Indigenous rights, prompting a deeper examination of consultation processes following a previous catastrophic dam collapse in 2014.
The BC Supreme Court has ordered Mount Polley Mining Corporation to halt its tailings dam expansion until at least July 1, 2025.
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The 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.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.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.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.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.
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Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Indian Express
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Web pages load at a crawling pace. Video streams glitch and freeze. Outside Bolivia's biggest cities, the nearest internet signal is sometimes hours away over treacherous mountain roads. So when Elon Musk's Starlink offered Bolivia fast, affordable internet beamed from space, many expected the Andean nation of 12 million to celebrate. Instead, Bolivia said no thanks. Starlink, the satellite internet service from Musk's private space company, SpaceX, has made remarkable strides in South America, spreading to almost every country and bringing high-speed internet to the region's most far-flung corners, even reaching isolated Indigenous people living deep in the Amazon rainforest. But Starlink's advance has been stymied by Bolivia, which refused to give it an operating license last year, with experts and officials citing worries over its unchecked dominance everywhere it has set up shop, instead choosing to rely on the country's own aging Chinese-made satellite. 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Time of India
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- Time of India
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So when Elon Musk 's Starlink offered Bolivia fast, affordable internet beamed from space, many expected the Andean nation of 12 million to celebrate. Instead, Bolivia said no thanks. Starlink, the satellite internet service from Musk's private space company, SpaceX , has made remarkable strides in South America, spreading to almost every country and bringing high-speed internet to the region's most far-flung corners, even reaching isolated Indigenous people living deep in the Amazon rainforest. But Starlink's advance has been stymied by Bolivia, which refused to give it an operating license last year, with experts and officials citing worries over its unchecked dominance everywhere it has set up shop, instead choosing to rely on the country's own aging Chinese-made satellite. The decision to reject Starlink has puzzled and angered people in Bolivia, where internet speeds are the slowest in South America and hundreds of thousands remain offline. Without an internet connection, people often struggle to get an education and lack access to jobs and fast help during natural disasters. But in keeping Starlink out, Bolivia has joined other nations that have begun to raise alarm about SpaceX and the political influence Musk can exert through his control of a telecommunications network used by governments, militaries and people across the world. Starlink, which did not respond to requests for comment, has also faced roadblocks in the Caribbean, Europe and South Africa. Musk claims that "there is no substitute for Starlink" and uses X, the social media platform he also owns, to promote his right-wing politics. And he has been vocal about the power he wields. "Countries have realized that they cannot just rely on one party," said Antoine Grenier, the global head of space at Analysys Mason, a consultancy based in England. Just over half of Bolivian homes have broadband internet, compared with 87% in Brazil and 94% in Chile. More than 90% of Bolivians use cellphones to go online, but in rural areas where cell signals can be spotty, many have no way to connect to the internet. "People sometimes have to get up on a tree or a rock to get the signal," said Patricia Llanos , a university professor and geographer who often leads teams of field researchers in Bolivia's Amazon region. "It's a big problem for us." Elsewhere in the world, Starlink has helped bring the internet to many places. In only a few years, SpaceX has launched more than 7,300 small satellites into space, connecting more than 5 million people across 125 countries. But despite its success elsewhere, Starlink is viewed with suspicion by Bolivia's government. The worry, according to Bolivian authorities and experts, is that Starlink could usher in unfair competition and undermine the country's sovereignty by handing over too much control to a powerful foreign company, which may try to use its influence to sway Bolivian regulations in its favor. Starlink "has technological superiority" over Bolivia's own internet services, said Iván Zambrana , the director of Bolivia's space agency, which owns the nation's Chinese-made satellite and has been operating it since its launch in 2013. But regulators must set rules to ensure that Starlink contributes to Bolivia's economy and "competes on equal terms" without undercutting local internet providers, he added. "Any company that comes to do business in the country is going to get a piece of the pie -- a pie that right now belongs to those of us here," Zambrana said in an interview. Starlink's service has become a hit in much of South America largely because it can be difficult and costly to bring traditional internet infrastructure to remote areas. In villages that can be reached only by boat or over dirt roads, compact Starlink kits offer a cheaper, more practical way to get homes, schools and hospitals online. In Brazil, its biggest market in Latin America, Starlink has grown to more than 250,000 subscribers since arriving in 2022, according to the company's figures. But Brazil has started looking for alternatives, fearing an overreliance on Starlink. Last year, after Musk's X defied orders by the country's Supreme Court to take down right-wing social media posts peddling misinformation, Brazil struck a deal with SpaceSail, a Chinese rival currently developing its own satellite internet system. In Bolivia, Zambrana played down the country's need for Starlink, insisting that the Chinese satellite it uses is reliable and provides internet coverage across the country. "There's no place where these services aren't provided," he said. But experts say that, in reality, the aging satellite is no match for Starlink. Its signal is slow and patchy, and installing antennas and satellite dishes in rural areas is expensive and difficult. 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Even though the signal reaches sections of Bolivia's border, Starlink typically cuts off the internet after a few months. As Llanos, the geographer, prepared a workshop recently in a remote forest region seven hours from La Paz, she, too, hoped to turn to Starlink, asking colleagues to bring her a router. They could not get one in time, though, so the 80 participants used walkie-talkies to communicate during their training. "Even though we have a satellite in space," said Llanos, referring to the Chinese spacecraft, "we still don't have a way to connect."
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Apple and others to fight against Canada's Bill C-11 that they see as 'Streaming/Hidden Tax': What makes the court fight important
On Monday, June 9, 2025, tech and streaming giants Netflix, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon will appear before Canada's Federal Court of Appeal to challenge the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) regulations under the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Passed in April 2023, the law mandates that streaming services earning over $25 million annually in Canada contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support Canadian content, including Indigenous, francophone, and local independent news programming. The CRTC estimates this will generate approximately $200 million annually to bolster Canada's cultural and media sectors. However, the legal showdown has ignited a broader debate about fairness, cultural identity, and the future of digital regulation. Spotify and others calls it Hidden Tax The challengers -- Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and the Motion Picture Association–Canada (representing Netflix, Disney, Paramount, and others) -- argue that the CRTC's rules overstep its authority under Canada's Broadcasting Act. Spotify has labeled the 5% contribution a 'hidden tax,' asserting it unfairly burdens foreign streaming platforms. Amazon contends that the regulations discriminate by imposing stricter requirements on international services compared to Canadian media companies, which face different obligations. Apple has called the levy 'premature and inequitable,' noting that streamers are required to contribute five times more than traditional radio broadcasters while being denied access to the very funds they support. The Motion Picture Association–Canada has taken particular issue with a 1.5% contribution to a local news fund, arguing that streaming platforms do not produce news, hold no news licenses, and cannot access the funds they are mandated to support. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'This is a policy mismatch,' said a spokesperson for the association. 'Streamers are being asked to subsidize a sector they don't operate in, without any reciprocal benefit.' Netflix, Spotify and others have created funding crisis, claims traditional Canadian media On the other side, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) argues that traditional media outlets have long shouldered the responsibility of funding Canadian content while global streaming platforms have operated without similar obligations. The CAB warns that the rise of streaming services has exacerbated a funding crisis for local news and independent media, with many outlets struggling to survive in an increasingly digital landscape. The debate extends beyond the courtroom, touching on questions of cultural identity and economic fairness. However, critics warn of unintended consequences. Some analysts have cautioned that the 5% levy could lead to higher subscription costs for consumers or prompt streaming services to exit the Canadian market entirely. He pointed to Spotify's recent withdrawal from France after similar regulations were imposed as a potential precedent. What makes the court's decision important The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its ruling by late summer 2025. The decision could reshape the regulatory landscape for digital platforms in Canada, determining whether the CRTC's rules are upheld, modified, or struck down. A ruling in favor of the streamers could weaken the Online Streaming Act's framework, potentially jeopardling calls for legislative amendments. Conversely, upholding the CRTC's authority could embolden other countries to adopt similar measures, intensifying global tensions between tech giants and regulators.
