[BCFSN] URGENT Comment on ALR Regulations Close August 22, Have Your Say Now!

[BC Food Systems Network]

PRESS RELEASE SECWEPEMC HAVE TO INDEPENDENTLY ASSESS MT. POLLEY TAILINGS
POND BREACH - IMPERIAL METALS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN
SECWEPEMC TERRITORY

(Secwepemc Teritory, August 7, 2014) Imperial Metals' Mount Polley Mine
Tailings containing arsenic and mercury polluted Secwepemc Territory and
Waters this week. Chief Judy Wilson of the Neskonlith Indian Band called
for "A state of emergency and immediate measures to contain the pollution
and to clean up the damage. This is an example how the federal and
provincial governments have been failing to protect the environment, both
when it comes to the approval and monitoring of the mine and now the
disaster response. Indigenous Peoples should be in charge of determining
what a proper response is since only we can properly assess the effect this
will have on our land, food and the health of our people."

The Secwepemc People have long raised concerns regarding Imperial Metals
projects in their territory , not just the Mt. Polley Mine, but also the
proposed Ruddock Creek Mining development in the headwaters of the Adams
River. Notably this river contains the world's largest remaining sockeye
salmon run currently set to enter the Fraser River in its peak year. Just
in July 2014, the federal government refused to conduct its own
comprehensive environmental assessment of the proposed Ruddock Creek
Development, despite demands by the Secwepemc People that the federal
government directly engage with the Secwepemc People and live up to their
fiduciary obligation to protect Secwepemc Aboriginal Title and Rights. Both
Imperial Metals Mt. Polley and Ruddock Creek operations, are located in
extremely sensitive ecosystems and watersheds, and their protection has
always been a priority for the Secwepemc People. This current environmental
disaster proves what can happen if Indigenous concerns are not taken into
account. It also underlines that the Secwepemc people have to be in charge
of environmental assessments and determining proper measures to protect
their land for all future generations.

Chief Judy Wilson stressed that is at stake is the health and livelihood of
the Secwepemc People, who have been awaiting the return of the salmon in
this critically important peak year. Any impact on, contamination or loss
of these essential salmon runs and their habitat, will have devastating
effects on the health, livelihood and economy of Indigenous Peoples who
depend on these salmon runs.

The Neskonlith Chief and Council made it clear, that in light of the
federal government abdicating their responsibility regarding the
environment and the provincial government failing to properly monitor
 industry and especially mining operations, the Secwepemc people have to
assert their jurisdiction to independently assess this environmental
disaster, including its impact on indigenous land uses, food and health and
proper response measures. The necessary research and analysis have to be
sufficiently
funded, in line with the fiduciary obligation of the governments to protect
Aboriginal Title and Rights and land uses.

Dawn Morrison,

Research Associate, Indigenous Community Engagement
Southwest BC Bioregional Food Systems Design and Plan
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Office: 604.599.2569
Email: dawn.morrison at kpu.ca
Website: http://www.kpu.ca/isfs


Indigenous Food Systems Network
C/O 555 East 55th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C, V5X 1N6
Mobile: 778.879.5106
Email: dmo6842 at gmail.com
Website: www.indigenousfoodsystems.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bcfsn.org/pipermail/food_bcfsn.org/attachments/20140811/c431e35b/attachment-0003.html>