"Ktunaxa Nation has been calling for an International Joint Commission’s inquiry to address pollution from the Elk Valley coal mines for more than a decade".

"Nearly 12 years after Ktunaxa Nation first urged the Canadian and U.S. governments to task an international body with investigating the mine pollution coursing through its territory, the two countries have agreed to a step the nation says is key to addressing contamination from B.C.’s Elk Valley coal mines.

In a statement Monday, ambassadors representing both countries announced they have asked the International Joint Commission to study and make recommendations to address the long-standing pollution in the Elk and Kootenay rivers in southeast B.C.

“We hope this is the beginning of a collaborative, transparent and effective process that will restore the waterways in the heart of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa [Ktunaxa territory] that are vital to the Ktunaxa ʔakⱡsmaknik (people),” Kathryn Teneese, chair of the Ktunaxa Nation Council, which represents four First Nations in B.C., said in a statement Monday."

Ainslie Cruickshank reports for The Narwhal March 11, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"U.S., Canada Agree to IJC Intervention on Transboundary Mining Pollution" (Flathead Beacon) [3]