“Mount Polley: Breach or Catastrophe” SAMAQAN Season 4 Episode 50

On August 4, 2014, ironically known as British Columbia Day, the Imperial Mines tailings pond dam in the north central British Columbia collapsed releasing 10 million gallons of toxic chemicals into a pristine wilderness. For three days the Premier of the province lay low, the senior management of the mine was no where to be seen as a small tributary of Quesnell Lake, known as Hazeltine Creek, was devastated washed away with the torrents of toxic waste came gushing out of the so-called Mount Polley mine. It was the worst environmental disaster to hit this part of the world and everyone clamoured to try to mitigate the damage. In this documentary, residents of the province go looking for answers.

This fourth and final series of “SAMAQAN” examines the role of water in culture and spirituality of Indigenous people, their focus on stewardship and the efforts mounted to balance respect for the environment with development.

Directed by: Marianne Jones, Jeff Bear
Produced by: Marianne Jones, Kristy Assu, Jeff Bear

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