Dear Editor,

We are now in the middle of a hotly contested provincial election and one of the issues that is getting a lot of attention is the B.C. Liberals huge war chest ($13 million) that they are using to ensure they get re-elected.

Where did they get all that money? The answer is that they got it from corporations. And what do the corporations expect in return? Plenty! And do they get it? Absolutely!

An outstanding example of a corporation getting preferred treatment at the expense of ordinary taxpayers is the Mount Polley mine disaster which took place on August 4th, 2014. The wall of the mines tailing pond was breached, releasing 6.6 billion gallons of toxic mineral waste into the Fraser River watershed. It was the worst environmental disaster in Canadas mining history.

In May of 2016, B.C. auditor general Carol Bellringer delivered a scathing report, saying the provincial government does not protect the provincial environment from potential disasters in the mining industry.

Now lets take a look at who owns the Mount Polley Mine. It is owned by Imperial Metals, a company controlled by Alberta billionaire Murray Edwards whose companies have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the B.C. Liberal Party.

Mr. Edwards also spearheaded a $1 million fundraiser in Alberta during our last provincial election. It was solely for the benefit of the B.C. Liberals.

The B.C. government knew in 2010 that Mount Polleys tailing pond wall was weak but they did not force Imperial Metals to rectify the situation.

To date, there have been no fines levied and the government is now allowing the mine to discharge tailings directly into Quesnel Lake.

The residents of B.C. should wake up. If we keep doing what weve been doing, then well keep getting what weve been getting.

Jim Galloway

Brisco