Panel's recommendations will be
seriously considered by MAC and its members
OTTAWA,
Jan. 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Following
today's release of the BC Government-appointed independent panel's
report examining the August 2014
tailings dam failure at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia, the Mining Association of
Canada (MAC) commits to review the
information and recommendations with a view to enhancing tailings
dam safety.
The independent panel report concludes that the cause of
the tailings dam breach was due to a layer of clay underneath the
dam that was not taken into account in the original
design. The panel stated that the failure
occurred notwithstanding effective regulatory oversight.
"The tailings dam failure at the Mount Polley mine was an
unfortunate incident that has been taken seriously by the entire
industry," said Pierre Gratton,
MAC's President and CEO. "While a necessary component of mining,
tailings facilities create risks that need to be effectively
managed. We believe that every effort must be taken to prevent
failures and we support continual advancement in their design,
operation and management."
Immediately following the breach, and while the cause was
still unknown at the time, MAC proactively initiated a review of
its tailings management program. This included a review of the
tailings management requirements of MAC's mandatory Towards
Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative, as well as the association's
three tailings management guides. The guides are implemented by MAC
members as a requirement under TSM, which is considered industry
best practice around the world, a point acknowledged by the
independent review panel. In consultation with some of the best
professionals in this field, this work remains
ongoing. MAC and its members, including
technical experts in tailings management, will evaluate the panel's
recommendations to see if there are opportunities to incorporate
important findings from their work.
"MAC is honoured by the panel report's recognition of
MAC's Towards Sustainable Mining initiative as 'best available
practice' in corporate governance," added
Gratton. "Nonetheless, best practice can always
be improved and we will look at the panel's recommendations to
determine how we might do that."
TSM is a mandatory program for MAC members, and its
requirements go well beyond regulatory obligations. It is designed
to improve industry's performance in key environmental and social
areas, including tailings management, and it includes third-party
verification of reported results. Both the Mining Association of
British Columbia and the Quebec
Mining Association have recently adopted TSM and are working with
their members on implementation. A major component of
TSM includes commitments to ensure the safe operation and
management of tailings. In fact, one of the main drivers behind the
development of TSM in the late 1990s was to ensure tailings dam
safety through strong tailings management practices. Since TSM's
launch in 2004, MAC members have made steady improvement in this
area.
Dams that are engineered, constructed, operated and
regulated appropriately are safe for mine employees, surrounding
communities and the environment. "A tailings failure is
unacceptable. However, it is important to note that every day there
are hundreds of mines safely operating tailings facilities in
Canada," said Gratton. "The
Canadian mining industry is deeply committed to building on the
efforts it has made in recent decades in developing a strong track
record in safely managing tailings."
About MAC
The Mining Association of
Canada is the national
organization for the Canadian mining industry.
Its members account for most of Canada's production of base and precious
metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal, mined oil sands and
industrial minerals and are actively engaged in mineral
exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication.
Please visit
www.mining.ca.
SOURCE Mining Association of Canada (MAC)