We Are Destroying the Earth for Vanity

An Interview with Bev Sellars

Abstract

Bev Sellars is a member of the Xatśūll First Nation (in whose territory the Mount Polley Mine operates) and was Chief at the time of the Mount Polley tailings storage facility disaster. Bev is also a former leader of First Nations Women Advocating for Responsible Mining (FNWARM). Xatśūll First Nation members are part of the Secwépemc society and cultural group of seventeen First Nations. This commentary is drawn from a conversation between the authors on 30 August 2023 about the Mount Polley Mine. Deborah Curran is professor in the Faculties of Law and Social Sciences (School of Environmental Studies) and executive director of the Environmental Law Centre (ELC), at the University of Victoria. Students in the ELC Clinic course and staff lawyers worked on several files related to the environmental impact of the Mount Polley tailings storage facility failure. Thanks to Patrick C. Canning for providing the legal record of the private prosecutions for our use.

In each interview segment Bev raises substantive and systemic issues concerning the operation of Canadian law and the ongoing impacts of colonialism. We have included commentary and quotes from other initiatives and investigations to highlight ongoing efforts to assess and address these impacts. Ultimately, the failure of the Mount Polley tailings storage facility is a symptom of the inadequate attention paid to relationships of socio-ecological health and the environmental, economic, and cultural injustices borne by Indigenous Peoples.