Support for Xatśūll First Nation

Statement

The Tŝilhqot’in Nation supports Xatśūll First Nation in its opposition to the expansion of the tailings dam at the Mount Polley Mine.

On April 15, 2025, Xatśūll First Nation filed for judicial review of two provincial decisions authorizing Mount Polley Mining Corporation to raise the height of the dam at the Tailings Storage Facility that collapsed in 2014 with devastating environmental and cultural impacts. On April 25, 2025, Xatśūll First Nation submitted an injunction application to the Supreme Court of BC to halt construction to raise the dam without an environmental assessment process.

The 2014 tailings dam breach failure at Mount Polley occurred at the peak of the salmon return and had a major impact on First Nations’ access to the salmon and local fish stocks traditionally harvested for winter, including Tŝilhqot’in fisheries. In response, the province issued a Pollution Abatement Order which required site cleanup and mitigation measures to deal with the visible environmental impacts – it was not enough. The damage to the salmon and its habitat cannot be repaired through remediation alone. Like Xatśūll First Nation, the Tŝilhqot’in, and neighbouring First Nations, are still feeling the impact of this event, as well as the cumulative effects of Mount Polley and other mines which discharge mine effluent into our lakes and rivers.

The Tŝilhqot’in Nation values strong stewardship of the land and water as a paramount responsibility and supports Xatśūll First Nation’s injunction and judicial review applications.