B.C. backs expansion at Mount Polley mine that could extend operations until 2033

British ColumbiaThe expansion is opposed by the Xatsull First Nation, which tried to fight the case in court.Expansion opposed by Xatsull First Nation, which tried to fight case in courtThe Canadian Press · Posted: Aug 28, 2025 7:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoContents from an Imperial Metals tailings pond are shown going down the Hazeltine Creek into Quesnel Lake near the town of Likely, B.C., on Aug. 5, 2014, following the collapse of the Mount Polley mine tailings dam. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)The British Columbia government has granted consent for a proposed expansion at the Mount Polley copper and gold mine that could extend its operations for another two years until 2033.The project, which requires further permits to go ahead, calls for the deepening of a pit and expansion of a disposal area for “potentially acid-generating rock” at the mine in B.C.’s central Interior that suffered a catastrophic tailings dam collapse in 2014.B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office says Environment Minister Tamara Davidson and Mining Minister Jagrup Brar issued the consent order.A statement from the office says the project also calls for the continued discharge of treated water into Quesnel Lake, but adds there would be no further land disturbance since the expansion remains within the mine’s existing footprint.It says the ministers agreed with the office’s conclusion that the proposed changes are not likely to result in “significant effects” and notes the Williams Lake and Xatsull First Nations were consulted as part of its assessment.The dam collapse 11 years ago spilled millions of litres of waste and water.Earlier this month, the B.C. Supreme Court dismissed a bid by the Xatsull Nation to stop the level of a tailings dam from being raised at the mine, which is located about 56 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake.WATCH | Courts allow mine expansion to continue: B.C. Supreme Court decision allows Imperial Mines to raise Mt. Polley dam heightB.C’s Xatsull First Nation says it is disappointed in a B.C. Supreme Court decision that allows the owners of the Mount Polley mine to raise the height of their tailings dam in B.C.’s Interior. In 2014, the mine site suffered a catastrophic dam collapse that spilled millions of litres of waste and water. CBC ‘s Marcella Bernardo reports on the details.