VICTORIA— B.C. New Democrat leader John Horgan released the following statement in advance of Earth Day on April 22:

“Earth Day is an opportunity to remind ourselves of our shared duty to protect the air, land, and water of British Columbia. That means committing to a real plan to address climate change. It means taking action to protect habitat for B.C.’s wildlife. And it means standing up to a government that is failing in its duty to protect our clean water.

“In Shawnigan Lake, the Christy Clark government is putting the drinking water of more than 12,000 people at risk by allowing a company to dump 100,000 tonnes of contaminated soil uphill from the community’s water source. In Spallumcheen, the Christy Clark government is allowing a farm operation to spray liquid manure on property above the local aquifer, causing a water-quality advisory to be issued for the community. In Prince Rupert and many other communities throughout British Columbia, there are widespread concerns about high lead levels in schools and local drinking water.

“The government has failed these communities, and these threats to our water remain.

“Protecting our air, land, and water is one of the most critical jobs a government has. British Columbians deserve better than Christy Clark’s neglect.”