A B.C.-wide tour addressing the impacts of the Mount Polley Mine disaster and ensuring clean water is protected in B.C. will kickoff in Williams Lake Thursday, May 17 at the Gibraltar Room.
Stand for Water is a new campaign and initiative of the First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM) that is crossing B.C. and the northwestern U.S. to meet with concerned communities about the impact of mining projects.
From Williams Lake the B.C. tour will visit Smithers, Terrace, Hazelton, Nelson, Tofino and areas where there are mine proposals or mining activity happening.
Thursday’s event in Williams Lake will feature the premiere of a new documentary film, Uprivers, in which Xat’sull community member Jacinda Mack who is the co-ordinator of FNWARM talks about her experiences with the Mount Polley spill.
Uprivers Trailer from Matthew Jackson on Vimeo.
Carrie James, a Haida and Tlinglit women from Alaska, also appears in the film, talking about her fears of living downstream from B.C. mines.
The documentary runs 30 minutes and will be followed by a short presentation by Mack about her work with FNWARM.
“As we all are aware, mining is a fact, but current practices are threatening clean water necessary for sustaining life,” Mack said. “Stand for Water is about changing mining practices that harm the environment, while respecting long-term sustainability and health of Indigenous and other impacted communities.”
The event will begin at 7 p.m. and last about 90 minutes. Admission is free.