Letter to the Editor

It would seem like NDP Norm Macdonald (Columbia River-Revelstoke) is up to his regular antics, yet again attempting to distract constituents with his noise of NDP misinformation.

Macdonald’s recent claims that the failure at Mount Polley could have been predicted and that there were warning signs is completely untrue and are completely refuted by the conclusions found by an independent panel that investigated the incident. A panel comprised of three internationally recognized geotechnical experts!

Contrary to Macdonald’s contrary allegations, the Mount Polley tailings breech, as quoted directly from the panel report, was “a sudden failure without precursors.” Further and again from the report, “additional inspections would not have prevented the failure,” again refuting Macdonald’s claims. Finally his allegations about the lack of government inspections is completely wrong as reported by the panel who indicate inspectors are “well qualified,” have “clear targets and schedules for annual inspections” and are “amongst the best the panel has encountered among agencies with similar duties.”

The NDP misinformation begs an important question. Why does Mr. Macdonald go to such lengths to create his own facts? Could his reason be found in the panel’s conclusion which states: “The dominant contribution to the failure resides in its design. The design of the tailings storage facility did not take into account the complexity of the sub-glacial and pre-glacial geological environment.” In addition, Mr. Macdonald knows that the failed design of the Mount Polley facility was approved and permitted in the 1990s; when the NDP was in government.

The panel has made comprehensive recommendations to ensure a similar failure doesn’t happen again and the BC Liberal government is moving to implement them and it does not stop there. Two additional government commissioned investigations are ongoing, one by the Chief Inspector of Mines and the other by the Conservation Officer Service.

When Mount Polley tailings facility breeched, Mr. Macdonald, without any supporting evidence and in typical knee jerk fashion, unjustly called for the resignation of the Energy and Mines Minister. Now that the evidence is in, the ministry has been exonerated and given his propensity to offer constituents misinformation we say to him using his own words; Mr. Macdonald “do the honorable thing and resign.”

For the complete Mount Polley Panel report, visit: https://www.mountpolleyreviewpanel.ca/

Doug Clovechok,

Fairmont Hot Springs

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