The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, Dec. 11, edition that Imperial Metals is facing charges for violating the federal Fisheries Act due to a tailings dam spill at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia. The Globe's Niall McGee writes that in August, 2014, the dam failure released about 25 million cubic metres of waste water into local waterways, damaging trees and polluting the area. The company, along with its subsidiary Mount Polley Mining and engineering firm Wood Canada, was indicted in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. A joint investigation by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service resulted in 15 charges against Imperial Metals. The first court hearing is set for Dec. 18. The Mount Polley spill is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the Canadian mining industry, with hundreds of tonnes of arsenic, lead and copper spilling into nearby lakes. A drinking water ban was in effect for residents in the area of the spill for nine days. Testing on fish after the spill showed elevated levels of arsenic, copper and zinc. The longer-term impact on fish and wildlife is still being debated.