In this episode, we’re joined by geographers Rosemary Collard and Jessica Dempsey to discuss their groundbreaking audit of mining projects in British Columbia. Are environmental regulations really the bottleneck the mining industry claims they are? What happens when the promised economic benefits of mining—like jobs, tax revenue, and production—fall drastically short? Rosemary and Jessica walk us through their research, revealing surprising insights about delays, care-and-maintenance loopholes, and the underperformance of mines.

You can find Rosemary and Jessica's audit here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Rosemary and Jessica are co-directors of the 'Extinction Paradox' research project. You can learn about that here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2024-0083

Other links:

• Rachel Singleton-Polster, Regulatory barriers to mine reclamation for caribou
• Nick Gottlieb, Mining companies are abusing a little-known loophole to avoid cleanup

This episode of Beneath the Surface features a discussion about the proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine in northern British Columbia. If completed, the KSM mine would become one of the world’s largest gold-copper mines, threatening critical river systems and the communities that depend on them.

Joining us is Rachel Gutman, a lawyer with Ecojustice, who is part of the legal team challenging the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office’s decision to classify the KSM mine as “substantially started.” This designation allows the mine to move forward under an environmental assessment conducted over a decade ago, despite significant changes in environmental laws, science, and our understanding of climate risks.

Rachel breaks down what “substantially started” means, why this case matters, and what a legal victory could mean for environmental protection and Indigenous rights in British Columbia.

Learn more about:

• Ecojustice
• SkeenaWild
• Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we sit down with Heather Hardcastle, who helped to found Salmon Beyond Borders, a campaign dedicated to protecting salmon and the vital transboundary rivers that flow between British Columbia and Alaska.

We discuss the cultural and ecological importance of salmon, the growing threats they face—especially from mining activity in BC—and the Indigenous-led efforts to safeguard their future.

You can learn more about Salmon Beyond Borders here: https://salmonbeyondborders.org/about

On August 4, 2014, the Mount Polley mine's tailings storage facility failed, discharging 25 million cubic meters of toxic sludge into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek, and Quesnel Lake.

This episode features an interview with Douglas Watt, a resident of Likely, a community close to Quenel Lake. We talk about the essay Doug wrote for the academic journal BC Studies, reflecting on the impact of the disaster and the unfulfilled promises from politicians and industry that followed the disaster.

You can read Doug's essay here: "Promises, Promises: The Views of a Quesnel Lake Resident Ten Years after the 2014 Mount Polley Mine Disaster"

Full BC Studies issue on Mount Polley: "Learning from Disaster: A Decade After the Mount Polley Tailings Dam Failure"

In this episode of ‘Beneath the Surface’, we explore the impact of mining on water resources in British Columbia, with a special focus on mine tailings and their potential environmental repercussions. Adrienne Berchtold, Ecologist and Mining Impacts Researcher with SkeenaWild, outlines the impacts of mining on B.C.'s water resources, the threat posed by the numerous tailings dams that dot the province's landscape, and the broader ecological and community risks associated with mining activities.

Check out the British Columbia Mine Tailings Map: https://reformbcmining.ca/tailings-map/

Learn more about the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust: https://skeenawild.org/

In this episode of 'Beneath the Surface', we sit down with Jamie Kneen, Outreach Coordinator and Canada Program Co-Lead at Mining Watch Canada, to talk about the recent updates to Canada’s "critical minerals" list. The federal government has expanded the list to 34 minerals, emphasizing their role in fostering economic opportunities. We explore the implications of the government's outlook, focusing on the potential environmental impacts and the challenges it poses to Indigenous rights. Jamie also shares insights into alternative approaches that prioritize recycling and reducing demand.

Learn more about Mining Watch Canada: https://www.miningwatch.ca/ Learn more about the BC Mining Law Reform network: https://reformbcmining.ca/

As northern BC's glaciers melt, revealing new salmon habitats, these critical ecosystems face imminent threats from increased mineral staking. Tara Marsden, Wilp Sustainability Director for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, discusses the complex interplay between emerging salmon habitats and the mining industry's race to claim these newly accessible lands. Tara sheds light on the urgent need for reform in the Mineral Tenure Act to protect these vital habitats and ensure that mining exploration and development practices align with conservation goals and Indigenous rights.

"Mining stakes claim on salmon futures as glaciers retreat": https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj4911

In this episode of Beneath the Surface, we sit down with Nikki Skuce, Director of the Northern Confluence Initiative and co-chair of BC Mining Law Reform, to dive deep into the reform process for British Columbia’s Mineral Tenure Act (MTA). Nikki brings to light the historical context of the MTA, its longstanding impact on Indigenous rights and land use, and why comprehensive reform is not just necessary but urgent.

Listeners will also hear about the active role of the BC Mining Law Reform network in advocating for mineral staking reform and the specific outcomes we hope to achieve through the reform process.

Nikki provides practical ways listeners can support the reform efforts, including signing the following petition on our website: https://reformbcmining.ca/update-laws/.