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Mount Polley mine could reopen by end of month: B.C. mines minister

Mount Polley mine could reopen by end of month: B.C. mines minister | iNFOnews.ca
British Columbia's energy and mines minister says a gold and copper mine that suffered a disastrous tailings pond collapse last summer could be back up and running by the end of the month. Contents from a tailings pond is pictured going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C. on August, 5, 2014. Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER – British Columbia's energy and mines minister says a gold and copper mine that suffered a disastrous tailings pond collapse last summer could be back up and running by the end of the month.

Bill Bennett says the owners of the Mount Polley mine appear to have provided all the information the province has asked for in order to get 370 people back to work.

He says the province is reviewing the information provided by Imperial Metals Corp. (TSX:III), and if nothing is missing it will issue a permit allowing the mine to reopen by the end of June.

Bennett says the Vancouver-based company has spent nearly $70 million cleaning up the damage caused when the dam burst, but it will take a long time before the area is back to normal.

The mine near Williams Lake, B.C., has been closed since August, when a dam failure caused 24 million cubic metres of silt and water to spill into nearby lakes and rivers.

Layoff notices were handed last month to 120 employees working on cleanup and repairs at Mount Polley, but the union said at the time that operations could re-start by mid-July if Imperial Metals gets a permit to reopen.

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One response

  1. Ron Stead

    Politicians don’t deal with truth and reality and neither does the Canadian press. The figures presented are far fetched, off the cuff distortions of the facts, where is the proof of what they have stated, it should be obvious.

Howard Alexander

Assistant Editor Howard Alexander comes to iNFOnews.ca from the broadcasting side of the media business.

Howard has been a reporter, news anchor, talk show host and news director, first in Saskatchewan and then the Okanagan.

He moved his family to Vernon in the 90s and is proud to call the Okanagan home.

If you have an event to share contact Howard at 250-309-5343or email halexander@infonews.ca.

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