Connect with us

Canada News

Company suspends operations at Mount Polley mine due to declining copper prices

Published

on

FILE: Upper Hazeltine Creek in June 2017 (Photo: Imperial Metals/Website)

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Imperial Metals Corp. says it is suspending operations at its Mount Polley mine in south-central British Columbia due to declining copper prices.

The gold and copper mine was the site of a 2014 tailings dam collapse that was one of the largest environmental disasters in the province’s history.

Imperial Metals said in a news release Monday that the suspension plan includes milling of low grade stockpiles which is expected to extend operations to the end of May 2019.

There will be no impact to the mine’s ongoing environmental monitoring and remediation program, it said.

“Full operations will resume once the economics of mining at Mount Polley improve,” it said.

online pharmacy https://cphia2023.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/jpg/lipitor.html with best prices today in the USA

The company did not immediately respond to a request for more details, including how many jobs would be affected by the suspension of operations at the mine northeast of Williams Lake, B.C.

The union representing Mount Polley workers, United Steelworkers Local 1-2017, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Imperial Metals said in August that unionized workers at Mount Polley had voted in favour of a new three-year contract, after initiating strike action in May following a lockout by the company.

Bryan Cox, president of the Mining Association of B.

online pharmacy http://www.nicaweb.com/scripts/js/stromectol.html with best prices today in the USA

C., said the mine is a significant employer in the Cariboo region and it also creates indirect jobs including supplier positions across the province.

“There’s really a provincewide impact when there’s impact to our operations in B.C.,” he said. “This is big news for the province.”

There has been volatility in the copper market for some time and the price is near its lowest point in about 18 months, Cox said.

B.C. is the No. 1 copper producer in Canada, but it’s a global industry and tax structures need to be as competitive as possible to protect local jobs, he said.

But he added there is huge opportunity for the commodity in the long-term, as more parts of the world transition to a lower-carbon economy.

It takes up to four times more copper to build an electric car than a conventional car, for example, and it’s also used in wind turbines and solar panels, he said.

“As we make this transition, we’re going to need more copper,” he said.

The tailings dam collapse sent 24 million cubic metres of mine waste and sludge into nearby waterways and the mine did not resume full operations for nearly two years.

B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service launched an investigation of the disaster but a three-year deadline for provincial charges in the case passed in 2017.

Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. announced in September that three engineers involved in the design, construction and monitoring of the tailings storage facility that collapsed will face disciplinary hearings this year.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Maria in Vancouver5 days ago

Fantabulous Christmas Party Ideas

It’s that special and merry time of the year when you get to have a wonderful excuse to celebrate amongst...

Lifestyle2 weeks ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle2 months ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle3 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle3 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...