It’s strikingly audacious that coal mining giant Elk Valley Resources (EVR) is seeking to expand the Fording River coal mine while its massive water pollution problem remains unresolved.
The proposed Fording River Extension would involve expanding B.C.’s biggest coal mine by knocking down a mountain covered in sensitive alpine grassland, scraping out the coal, and filling in the adjacent river valley with enough waste rock to bury all of downtown Vancouver under a kilometer of stone.
This entire proposal, and how it is being treated by the provincial government, raises serious questions about the credibility of B.C.’s environmental commitments, regulatory capture, and industry accountability.
The 3 billion cubic meters of waste rock removed from above the coal seams and piled into the river valley will leach selenium into the Elk River watershed, creating toxic effects for aquatic life. Selenium concentrations in the Elk River already exceed safety thresholds several times over, threatening fish health and even raising alarm bells hundreds of kilometers downstream in Montana and Idaho. In fact, this transboundary pollution has sparked an International Joint Commission (IJC) investigation which is unprecedented in its scope, and a serious step in international conflict resolution.
Last month the B.C. government accepted the mine into the Environmental Assessment process without a public comment period, arguing the public process they had back in 2021 was enough. While they weren’t required to have another comment period, the changes to the project and significant amount of time that has passed, as well as the long track record of environmental fines and permit violations for existing mines make a strong argument that more oversight could be a positive thing.
The lack of public consultation on B.C.’s side also stands in stark contrast to the federal government’s recent notice stating that further assessment of the project will be required, despite the project not fitting formal criteria. If the federal government recognizes the dire environmental implications of this expansion, why is the Province so focused on fast tracking it?
EVR’s recent $3.6 million fine related to continued water quality violations and mitigation delays is only the latest in a string of fines related to water pollution. In 2021, EVR mines broke records with a $60 million fine under the Fisheries Act, and received another $16 million in fines in 2023 for continued violations. Even more federal charges were laid in 2024, which are currently before the courts.
Rather than tackling the root cause of the pollution, EVR’s expansion proposal doubles down on the same status quo that caused the problem in the first place. Its new project description even argues that failing to grant the expansion would undermine the company’s sustainability goals:
“The loss of production and associated revenue would impact EVR’s ability to fulfill external commitments, including efforts towards sustainable mining and contributing to EVR’s commitment to become a nature positive mining company.”
This is a remarkable statement. The company is suggesting that more coal production (and the pollution that comes with it) is necessary to become more sustainable. This absurd logic underscores the real crisis: environmental promises already made and codified are being treated as conditional, rather than as the obligations they are. The Eby government has failed to send a clear message to industry on behalf of all British Columbians: we expect better than polluted water and broken promises.
The Fording River Extension is not just a new cash cow; it is a litmus test of what the provincial government is willing to let slide in the name of profit. With the recent passing of Bill 15, the province has already demonstrated its willingness to ignore the concerns of First Nations and the public in order to protect economic interests. Will it do the same with the Fording River Extension?
British Columbians have a right to weigh in on decisions that threaten to degrade this province’s wildlife and wild places, as well as the water they drink and recreate in. Avoiding public input on a project of this size with unresolved pollution issues will further erode trust in a government that increasingly acts as though accountability is optional. True accountability means listening to the people you serve. Until B.C. does that, its claims of environmental leadership will ring hollow.