For immediate release
April 10, 2024
Poll uncovers rare urban-rural agreement: mining companies must pay for environmental clean-ups, not B.C. taxpayers
More than 80% of British Columbians say province must increase environmental bonds and Canada should make bonding a condition of foreign takeovers.
[Kukamaʔnam/Kimberley] — British Columbians want the province to do more to ensure corporate polluters cover the cost of the environmental damage they cause, new polling from Research Co. shows.
The province-wide poll found four in five (82%) British Columbians believe politicians need to do more to stand up against corporate polluters. A similar majority (81%) said the cost of environmental restoration and clean up should be entirely covered by the companies responsible for the damage, rather than a portion being left to the taxpayer.
The findings come after a recent report revealed B.C. taxpayers stand to foot a multi-billion-dollar bill to clean up selenium pollution flowing from Teck-owned coal mines in the Elk Valley. Currently Teck’s environmental bond is set at $1.9 billion, but the Burgess Environmental report calculated it could cost more than three times that amount ($6.4 billion) to only partially clean up the selenium contamination — let alone
other environmental impacts.
“British Columbians are worried they’re going to be left with the bill to clean up this mess, and they want to see their government doing more to protect them from that risk,” says Casey Brennan, Conservation Director at Kootenay-based conservation group Wildsight, which commissioned the poll.
“More than two in three British Columbians would support the province taking a much more precautionary approach and increasing the amount of bonding it requires for the Elk Valley coal mines in order to protect taxpayers.
“These numbers are unsurprising when you consider that almost half the population is either just getting by financially or falling behind. No one wants to be saddled with extra costs right now — especially when they know those costs were caused by corporate polluters making billions in profit off our natural resources each year,” Brennan says.
Canada is currently reviewing the proposed sale of Teck’s Elk Valley coal mines to Swiss mining giant Glencore under the Investment Canada Act. Research Co.’s polling shows 81% of British Columbians want Canada to require Glencore to provide financial guarantees or bonding for the full amount of any future clean-up costs before it approves the acquisition.
“The results couldn’t paint a clearer picture. The province continues to heavily subsidize the mining industry with exploration tax credits, lower carbon taxes and other ‘incentive’ schemes. Residents want to know they’re not going to be saddled with the cost of cleaning up the mining industry’s messes on top of all their other financial burdens.
“This is a population with a deep distrust of its government’s relationship to industry. Almost three quarters of residents think large corporations have too much influence over politicians, 70% don’t think large corporations pay their fair share of taxes, and only one third feel confident in the B.C. government’s current method for estimating the cost of cleaning up mine pollution,” Brennan
says.
“Teck’s Elk Valley coal mines represent the largest proportion of financial bonds that the province holds. If the province wants to restore trust on this issue, it should start here: by putting the financial security of its residents above industry profits, and asking Canada not to approve the sale of Teck’s mines to Glencore until proper bonding is in place,” he says.
Research Co.’s poll was fielded online in mobile and desktop formats across British Columbia March 26-April 4, 2024 inclusive. A total of 1,531 interviews were completed, yielding a Bayesian credibility interval of approximately ±2.46 at a 95% confidence level. Data is weighted by latest Statistics Canada population estimates for economic region, gender, age, and education.
Mario Canseco, Research Co. President, says: “British Columbians of all regions know how they feel about this particular issue — they’re not undecided — and they want more action to hold corporate polluters to account.”
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For interviews, please contact:
- Casey Brennan, Conservation Director, Wildsight, on casey@wildsight.ca or 250-423-8672
- Mario Canseco, President, Research Co., on mario.canseco@researchco.ca or 778-929-0490
Background
A summary of the polling is available here.
Selenium concentrations in Canadian and United States waterways have more than quadrupled in recent decades due to toxic runoff from
Teck’s Elk Valley coal mines.
In March, a Wildsight-commissioned report by independent consulting firm Burgess Environmental Ltd calculated it will cost approximately $6.4 billion to partially clean up this contamination (view the full report).
Currently, Teck’s reclamation security, often referred to as a ‘bond’, is set at $1.9 billion. The province requires mining companies to provide these bonds so the financial burden associated with environmental clean-up costs is paid for by industry, rather than taxpayers, in case of emergency or default.
Wildsight is a registered charity that protects biodiversity and encourages sustainable communities in Canada’s Columbia and Rocky Mountain regions. For more information visit: wildsight.ca
Images:
- Mountaintop removal coal mine, near Sparwood, Elk Valley, B.C. Photo: Garth Lenz / ILCP RAVE
