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by Mike Caswell

Imperial Metals Corp. has asked that a judge deny a legal challenge brought by the Xatsull First Nation that would effectively suspend operations at the Mount Polley mine. Imperial Metals says that if the Xatsull are successful, the company would have to lay off 255 unionized employees and that the mine's suppliers and vendors would lose tens of millions of dollars in business. The court case could lead to a complete halt of operations at the site, according to Imperial Metals.

The statements from the company come in response to a case brought in the Supreme Court of British Columbia by the Xatsull. They are opposed to a plan by Imperial Metals to raise the height of the Mount Polley tailings dam by four metres, to 64 metres. The Xatsull claim that the company does not have the proper environmental certificate for the higher dam, and say that the government must include them in an environmental assessment process.

For its part, Imperial Metals says that any court order halting work would significantly harm operations at the site. In a response filed on May 21, 2025, the company asks that the judge deny the request of the Xatsull in its entirety. The work on the dam, as set out by Imperial, is already under way and any delay would cause "immediate harm" to contractors and others who would lose their jobs. "This is millions of dollars and dozens of jobs lost," the response states.

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