Thank you, Chair.
Good morning, Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
My name is Randal Macnair, and I am speaking to you from Vancouver, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
My home is in Fernie, in British Columbia's Rocky Mountains, the unceded territory of the Ktunaxa people.
I know you've heard statistics and results of reports from auditors general and the like. Levels of selenium are rising in the Elk Valley and fish are dying. What does this really mean, though? What's it like to live with this environmental catastrophe every day of your life?
I spent 15 years on Fernie city council as mayor and as a councillor. It's a beautiful mountain town in the heart of the Rockies. Our city motto is “In the Mountains by the River”, and the mountains and river define us and affect the people of our valley profoundly.
During my time on council, our aging water system regularly had boil water advisories, so we needed a second source to provide safe drinking water during these periods. We spent several years determining a source and working with the federal and provincial governments to fund the many millions needed for a safe, reliable water source. We determined the best way forward, and because the spectre of selenium was already flowing through our valley, we asked about future contamination of this new well. We were assured by both Teck and our geotechnical consultants that all would be fine.
I suspect you can see where this is going. After we had spent millions of dollars on a new water source and system, this spring selenium levels in the new well began to exceed levels for the safety of human health. This well has had to be taken off-line, and Fernie is again experiencing boil water advisories.
This impacts the elderly and medically compromised and creates great stress for many in our community. When you walk into the grocery store, along with the notices of school concerts and swim meets, you see the boil water notice from the city. These notices are a regular reminder of the failure of the provincial and federal governments and Teck to keep our river and our drinking water safe.
Unfortunately, what's happening in Fernie is not an isolated case. Sparwood, our sister community 30 kilometres upriver, had to have one of their wells for drinking water replaced by Teck several years ago due to selenium contamination. I have friends who have drinking water delivered to their home, as their well is contaminated, and no doubt others will follow.
In our beautiful valley, one of our signature summer draws is fly fishing. It's a key part of our summer economy and brings people from all over North America to fish westslope cutthroat trout. Many of my friends who work in the industry and rely on the river to provide for their families are increasingly concerned about the ever-rising levels of contamination.
Concerns regarding selenium have been part of our lives in the Elk Valley since the 1990s. For over 25 years the provincial government, the federal government and Teck have assured us that all will be well and that they are dealing with it. We regularly hear how much money Teck is spending, yet levels continue to rise. Statistics and assurances mean little when you can't drink the water.
As you may be aware, we are at a crossroads in the Elk Valley. Teck is selling its coal properties to Glencore, a Swiss mining giant. Again we have assurances, yet with a long history of failures in the Elk Valley, our skepticism runs high. Our valley needs to heal, yet Glencore promises government expansion of the mines.
We, the Ktunaxa Nation, and others have been calling for an International Joint Commission reference on the issue of selenium and other contamination in the waters of the Elk Valley.
The provincial and federal governments have failed us. We need this broad oversight. We need the health of our river back. We have a right to safe drinking water.
Thank you very much.