Opinion: Mine spill poses big problem for Liberals

Nine days into what’s going to be years of investigation, the provincial government is in a no-win position when it comes to dam safety. There is widespread suspicion at this point that cutbacks years ago set the tone for less stringent regulation which may have contributed to the catastrophic tailings-pond breach in the Cariboo.

If that proves true, the BC Liberals will pay a stiff price.

But the alternative is even worse. What if inspections and regulations met reasonable expectations? What if the Mount Polley tailings-pond dam was monitored adequately by the company and government and still failed? That would suggest that no one knows what is going on in B.C.’s dams. It’s just as dismaying to contemplate that prospect as it is to wonder about the implications of the huge torrent that washed out of the tailings pond on B.C. Day.

The official word at this point — subject to exhaustive scrutiny later — is that the mine was “generally compliant” with permit conditions. The government said Friday the Energy Ministry did 16 geotechnical inspections since the mine opened in 1995. Nothing was identified that required a work order.