British Columbia is not up to speed with international regulations and best practices when it comes to mine waste management, a BC organisation said in a recent report.

The Mount Polley mine waste disaster 2014 was the worst Canada tailings disaster had ever experienced, causing 24 billion litres of mine waste to flood the Quesnel Lake watershed.

In its report, the Reform BC Mining group said a recent assessment of tailings storage facility codes undertaken by the BC government is insufficient, as the BC government report concludes BC's requirements align with best industry practice.

The government issued its first-ever Audit of Code Requirements for Tailings Storage Facilities in June 2021.

However, the Reform BC Mining group found several areas lacking in the report. These include legal measures to ensure safety comes before costs, barring mine waste dams near communities, and requiring mine operators to cover their costs.

On the safety front, current BC law and governmental policy do not prioritise safety in design, construction, operation and closure of mines. Current law does not mandate best practices and international standards as put forward by the Mount Polley Independent Expert Engineering Investigation and Review Panel (IEEIRP) in 2015.

Regarding the barring the construction of mine waste dams near communities, BC law still allows this practice. The Reform BC Mining group said that this is barred in Brazil, Ecuador, and China.

BC also has no regulations forcing mining companies to cover mine site closure and post-closure costs, as well as damages. Though jurisdictions as varied as Alaska, Maine, Montana, Ontario, Quebec, and Wyoming have these regulations, BC does not, the report said.

The group calls for the BC government to "bring these laws and regulations into alignment with best practices and international standards."

They call on the BC government to prioritise safety in all aspects of constructing and operating mine waste facilities; requiring indigenous and community consent in building, expanding, and closing facilities; prohibit mine waste facilities from being located immediately upstream from communities and valuable ecosystems; and mandate best available technologies and practices.

They also demand the BC government require that facilities are built with the most extreme meteorological and seismic events in mind, as well as require mining companies to fully finance closure and post-closure costs.

Following a series of tailings dam disasters in BC and in Brazil, international efforts have gained momentum in addressing tailings dam safety.

The International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), together with the UN Environment Programme and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), launched a Global Industry Standard on Responsible Management on tailings dams in August 2020.

The Church of England recently announced it would pressure mining companies to adopt the standard or lose investment dollars.