Teck Fined Over $11 Million For Failing To Buil... Access

For decades, the coal mines dotting the valley have fueled local economies, but they’ve also leached —a mineral that, in high doses, causes deformities and reproductive failure in fish—into the Fording River. Under its permits, Teck was required to have the Fording River South water treatment facility operational by December 2018.

Teck attributed the delay to a variety of factors, including: Teck fined over $11 million for failing to buil...

: Logistical hurdles created by the COVID-19 pandemic were also cited as a reason for the construction stall. For decades, the coal mines dotting the valley

: The company claimed it needed more time to "fix a water treatment challenge" to ensure the technology actually worked. : The company claimed it needed more time

When that deadline came and went, the rivers remained vulnerable. The B.C. Ministry of Environment eventually stepped in, labeling the failure a "major" contravention that undermined the entire regulatory system designed to protect the environment. The "Cost" of Progress

The air in British Columbia's Elk Valley is often sharp with the smell of pine and mountain frost, but for years, the water tells a different story. In February 2023, that story took a costly turn for when the provincial government levied a fine of over $11 million (as part of a broader $16 million penalty) for failing to build a critical water treatment plant on time. The Broken Promise

While the company argued it was doing its best—investing over into water quality overall—the provincial government found the "unacceptable" pattern of non-compliance too significant to ignore.