#IMPERIALNOMORE
Tofino’s Josie Osborne was elected as MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim in 2020. As a long time resident of Tofino, she first moved here to work as a Fisheries Biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and later as the Executive Director of Raincoast Education Society. From 2013-2020, Josie served as Mayor of Tofino.
Since being elected to the B.C. Government, she has served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister for Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship. In December 2022, Josie was appointed Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation. Considering all the roles and responsibilities Josie has held working for the benefit for the region and the people, we all understand the significance of this moment with her new portfolio as a big opportunity to protect Clayoquot Sound and the planet.
Within Clayoquot Sound, Imperial Metals continues to pursue developing a gold mine, called the Fandora project, within the unceded territory of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, as well as an open-pit copper mine on Catface Mountain in Ahousaht First Nations unceded territory. Both local Nations have been adamant that mining will not be allowed in their territories. Josie now has the opportunity to lead the B.C. Government in recognizing the mining bans of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations in law in B.C. to permanently ban mining in Clayoquot Sound.
It is horrific to imagine Imperial Metals doing to Clayoquot Sound what the mining corporation did to the Fraser River watershed with the Mount Polley Mine tailings pond disaster which flooded 25 billion litres of toxic tailings into the Fraser River watershed in 2014. Now is the time to modernize the B.C. Government’s mining tenures to reflect the Land Use Plans of the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht Nations that ban mining in Clayoquot Sound. We can never let Mount Polley happen here!
Tell Josie you want the B.C. Government to ban mining in Clayoquot Sound! Let her know @ 250-720-4515 / emli.minister@gov.bc.ca
