News Release

Raven Coal Mine now leaderless after years of failing to navigate BC review process

VICTORIA – Compliance Energy, proponent of the contentious Raven Coal Mine proposal on Vancouver Island, announced the resignation of its COO Stephen Ellis late Wednesday night. The move comes just days after Ellis accused the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) of bias against the Raven project.

“It looks like the wheels are falling off the bus for Compliance Energy, which is great news for the environment and water quality on Vancouver Island,” said Torrance Coste, Vancouver Island Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee. “This project had no social license because people here know we can do better than a dirty coal mine.”

Earlier this week the EAO released a rambling letter received from Compliance Energy. The letter made serious accusations about the EAO’s integrity and its commitment to impartially review the project. Compliance Energy has run into repeated problems navigating the BC environment assessment process. The company also missed an August 28^th deadline to provide the EAO with further information on its project.

Under the BC Environmental Assessment Act, mine proponents have three years to submit a final application – for Raven Coal, this period expired in June 2015.

“Compliance has a history of missed deadlines and incomplete submissions, and this development isn’t surprising to those who have been following the project closely,” Coste continued. “The only thing left is for the EAO to terminate the application and take this bad idea off the table forever.”

The EAO hasn’t announced a timeline for a decision on whether or not it will terminate the assessment for the Raven Coal Mine. The Wilderness Committee and others will continue to monitor the situation closely moving forward.

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For more information, contact:

Torrance Coste | Vancouver Island Campaigner, Wilderness Committee 
(250) 516-9900
torrance@wildernesscommittee.org