Editor:
I am part of an advocacy group for the utilization of resources to achieve community stability.
We were shocked at the Mount Polley dam failure.
It’s difficult to be a fan of something when adversity takes place, however, we would like to point out that humans do make mistakes.
There are no 100 per cent scenarios.
I would like to talk about other situations and use them as examples of events that should not have happened, but did.
In 1958, an engineer made an incorrect calculation that resulted in two spans of the new Second Narrows Bridge, in Vancouver, collapsing.
A tragic event that resulted in a number of people being killed or injured.
This bridge is called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in memory of this event.
We have not stopped building or utilizing bridges, but we are a lot smarter at it.
Recently, a plane crashed in the North Vancouver Mountains with both pilots being killed.
It was a cargo plane for an airline that was started by former Williams Lake resident.
Initial indications are that the plane broke up in flight.
Maybe it was under engineered or poorly maintained, but it should not have happened. Again a tragic event.
We will not stop building and flying planes, but the conclusion will make us smarter.
In August the tailings dam was breached for what could be an engineering error or a maintenance issue.
It should not have happened, but thankfully no one was killed or injured.
Our group has thought about the action that has to take place to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.
In conclusion, we must continue to look upon bridges, planes and mines as necessary events.
If Imperial Metals has demonstrated that it understands what it must do to mitigate this situation, then we see no reason to hold up the re-start of the active mining.
The alternative to resource activity is the return of double digit unemployment like this community experienced in the 90s and the early 2000s.
Bill Carruthers
Williams Lake