Mount Polley charges stayed

Photo: The Canadian Press

Private charges filed by a woman relating to the 2014 collapse of the tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine have been stayed.

British Columbia's public prosecution service says it has carefully reviewed the information and materials provided by counsel for Bev Sellers and found the evidence failed to meet standards to approve charges.

Sellers filed court documents last August alleging that Mount Polley Mining Corp. polluted the environment when a tailings dam burst, sending 24 million cubic metres of mine waste into waterways in B.C.'s Cariboo region.

Imperial Metals Corp., the parent company of Mount Polley Mining, did not immediately provide reaction to the decision or the allegations when reached for comment.

The prosecution service says in a news release that it does not generally permit a private prosecution to proceed.

The provincial government said last year it would not file charges against the mining company, which Sellers has said prompted her to take action.

The prosecution service says a formal investigation into the incident is ongoing.