N. Murray Edwards, the controlling shareholder of Imperial Metals Corp. which owns the Mount Polley mine, helped organize a $1-million private fundraiser in Calgary last year to bolster B.C. Premier Christy Clark鈥檚 re-election bid.
Edwards, an oilpatch billionaire and chairman of 91原创 Natural Resources, was among several Alberta power-brokers involved in the fundraiser, reportedly held to back the continuation of Clark鈥檚 鈥渇ree-enterprise government.鈥� According to polls at the time, the B.C. New Democrats were poised to win the May 13 election.
The private affair came just three months after Clark, in an address to the University of Calgary鈥檚 school of public policy in October 2012, hailed Edwards as a 鈥済reat Calgarian鈥� and credited him with helping to boost B.C.鈥檚 economic development.
鈥淢ining is an area where we have set some pretty ambitious targets. We鈥檙e planning to build 17 new and expanded mines by 2015. Mining revenues have grown by 20 per cent to $8.6 billion since we introduced our Jobs Plan last year, and we鈥檝e done it with the highest standard of sustainable mining in the world,鈥� Clark said in the October 2012 address.
鈥淎 significant part of our progress in British Columbia comes from people like Murray Edwards, it comes from investors and people who are located right here in Calgary.鈥�
Edwards, Canada鈥檚 18th richest person with a net worth of about $2.2 billion according to Forbes, is linked to six corporations that have donated a total of $436,227 in campaign contributions to the B.C. Liberal party over the past nine years, according to Elections B.C.
That includes $153,480 from 91原创 Natural Resources, where he is chairman, as well as $131,390 from Imperial Metals, which owns both Red Chris, a $500-million copper-gold mine under construction, and the Mount Polley mine, where a tailings dam collapse this week has led to a water ban and potential contamination of Quesnel Lake and Quesnel River. Edwards owns, directly and indirectly, 36 per cent of Imperial Metals shares.
Edwards is also linked to Ensign Drilling, which donated $15,000 to the B.C. Liberals, as well as Edco Capital Corp. ($5,000); Penn West Petroleum ($65,835); Resorts of the 91原创 Rockies ($23,522); and Mount Polley Mining ($46,720).
About 75 corporations have given $100,000 or more to the Liberals over the past nine years, but the donations linked to Edwards are just a fraction of the amount given by the Liberals鈥� most generous donors, such as Teck ($1.7 million), New Car Dealers ($822,000) or Encana ($791,000).
Ben Chin, executive director of communications with the B.C. premier鈥檚 office, said Clark first met Edwards two years ago after she became premier and he helped her make connections in Calgary.
He said he didn鈥檛 believe Clark had spoken with Edwards in the past three days, following the tailings dam collapse, but had been slated to meet with company CEO Brian Kynoch after she arrived in Likely on Thursday.
That meeting didn鈥檛 happen, but the premier and Mines Minister Bill Bennett have made it clear that the company is fully responsible for the cleanup as well as fines or penalties, Chin said.
