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Take Teck Mining Out Of Stanley Park
posted on December 16, 2012
Open Letter
December 16, 2012
To: Vancouver Aquarium Board of Directors, Vancouver Parks Board Commissioners, Vancouver Mayor and Council
Re: Take Teck Out of Stanley Park
In early 2012 Teck donated $12.5 million to the Vancouver Aquarium (and the governments paid too). It was reported as a 6 year expansion plan. The previous 2006 expansion fundraiser failed and did not achieve the goal to open for the 2010 Olympics.
Teck has a toxic legacy in the Trail area and have been criticized for violating environmental laws. According to Wikipedia: they contaminated the Columbia River in 2003 and 2008. Their Red Dog mine in Alaska has been ranked by the US Environmental Agency as one of the most polluting facilities in the US. They also operate in the controversial Alberta oil sands.
On December 14th Teck finally admitted their guilt and was found liable for polluting the Columbia River:
“Teck Resources treated the Columbia River as a free waste disposal system for decades, said a Washington state judge who has ruled the Canadian company is liable for the cost of cleaning up the contamination of the river south of the border.
In a decision announced late Friday, Judge Lonny Suko ruled that, "for decades Teck's leadership knew its slag and effluent flowed from Trail downstream and are now found in Lake Roosevelt, but nonetheless Teck continued discharging wastes into the Columbia River."”
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/14/teck-columbia-river-cleanup-washington-bc_n_2304478.html
The Vancouver Aquarium Board of Directors must recognize their ecological responsibility. Will you take Teck off any advertisements/displays and return their “donation”? Any ethical business, who claims to promote conservation, would surely not help an polluter promote themselves t using charitable tax write offs. Teck is clearly one of the worst polluters that threaten human health, wildlife and ecosystems. Stanley Park is a natural beauty with a diversity of wildlife. Partners must be eco friendly not environmental polluters.
To Protect All Life,
Peter Hamilton
Lifeforce Founding Director
(604)649-5258
lifeforcesociety@hotmail.com
www.lifeforcefoundation.org
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