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B.C.’s auditor general delivered a damning report Tuesday that concluded the province’s compliance and enforcement actions in the mining sector are not adequate to protect the environment.

The report’s chief recommendation is the creation of an independent and integrated compliance and enforcement unit outside the ministry of mines.

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The recommendations add more impetus for the government to deliver on an existing promise of tougher mining safety rules and additional staff and resources.

Those B.C. Liberal government promises came in response to the 2014 catastrophic mine waste dam failure at Imperial Metals’ Mt. Polley gold and copper mine in the B.C. Interior.

Provincial Mines Minister Bill Bennett on Tuesday immediately agreed to implement 16 of the auditor general’s 17 recommendations, but not necessarily move the enforcement unit outside the mines ministry.

While two earlier reports focused on the technical reasons for the dam failure and the company’s role, the auditor general’s examination was focused on the government’s role in compliance and enforcement for all mines in the province.