British ColumbiaA B.C. woman is raising red flags about a gravel mining operation near the town of Oliver after witnessing rocks fall from the site and landing close to her property. Mine has been operating in the area for over 25 yearsTiffany Goodwein · CBC News · Posted: Oct 20, 2025 8:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago Tait MacFarlane says rocks have fallen from the site of a gravel mining operation and landed close to her property. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC)A B.C. woman says she is concerned about a gravel mining operation near the town of Oliver after witnessing rocks fall from the site and landing close to her property. Tait MacFarlane told CBC News that one of her biggest concerns is safety. Her home near Gallagher Lake, which has been in her family for 75 years, is located near the southern portion of a gravel mine. The area is a gathering spot not only for her family, she says, but for campers and locals alike. The mine has been operating for over 25 years. MacFarlane said it wasn’t until this past August that she noticed the operations creeping closer to her home. She said rocks and debris would fall from the mine, often striking a decommissioned irrigation ditch, a place where people sometimes walk. An old irrigation ditch bordering the mine contains debris. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC )“My biggest fear is that someone is going to be killed from this mine site, and that someone could be a family member here, or friends who visit here, or it could be one of the mine workers. Or it could be one of the campers at Gallagher Lake that are recreating in the campground.” There are no safety signs posted warning people of an active mine site near her house, leaving MacFarlane to wonder where the oversight is. Noise, dust, and the environmental impact have also been an issue, she says. “When it comes down, the dust is intolerable. My sister had to stay inside for a couple of weeks while she was down here, doors closed in the summer because the dust was choking her out,” she said. MacFarlane said she captured everything on video and sent in a complaint to the B.C. Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals. WATCH | Boulder falls near woman’s home near Oliver, B.C.:Boulders fall toward woman’s propertyTait Macfarlane filmed video of some recent boulder falls toward her home.In a statement, the ministry confirmed to CBC News that a stop work order has since been put in place for the southern portion of the mine until a geotechnical assessment is completed. The ministry added that they do not believe there is any immediate hazard to the community, and the assessment will determine if mining operations can safely resume. The mine owners, listed as W. Barisoff and Sons Ltd., did not respond to CBC’s request for comment. In the late 1990s, a lengthy legal battle ensued involving the mine owners and residents of a nearby mobile home park. A judicial review ultimately ruled in favour of the Barisoff family. Justice J. Drossos determined that the permit-granting process for the mine was done properly, according to a December 2020 article in the Times Chronicle newspaper. Gravel mines ‘big business’ in B.C Scott Dunbar, a professor in the department of mining and engineering at the University of British Columbia, told CBC News there are over 2,000 active gravel mines across the province. Demand for the product is high with an aggregate shortage worldwide. “B.C. has high quality gravel,” Dunbar said. “It’s easy to access, that’s one thing, and there’s a huge need for it,” noting that sand is particularly a hot commodity. Dunbar said most gravel mines are safe largely because of stringent regulations in the Mines Act, including guidelines around environmental reclamation, noise, dust, and rockfall. He said he doesn’t know of any major accidents that have occurred in gravel mines in B.C. in recent years. Still, MacFarlane wonders how the mine near her home managed to get a permit in the first place. “It’s like the Wild West out here,” she said. ABOUT THE AUTHORTiffany Goodwein is an award-winning journalist focused on covering Penticton and the south Okanagan area of British Columbia. She previously spent six years reporting in Alberta and is happy to be back home in B.C., where she grew up. You can contact her at tiffany.goodwein@cbc.ca
‘It’s like the Wild West out here’: Resident questions safety of gravel mine near Oliver, B.C.
