David Vaisbord embarks on a journey to Britannia Beach seeking to uncover what lies beneath the surface of a forgotten and derelict mining town. The resulting film reveals a hidden community surviving under the shadow of North America’s worst source of heavy metals pollution. Writer/director/narrator David Vaisbord takes us on a personal journey from first impressions to a compassionate understanding of the people, their dreams and fears for the future.
Forty-five minutes North of Vancouver is a small town called Britannia Beach. Unnoticed by the tens of thousands of tourists who stream past it on their way to the fashionable ski resort of Whistler. At one time Britannia was the largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth, today it is a forsaken town with one of the biggest pollution problems in North America the mine empties one ton of heavy metals into the ocean every day.
Over the years, cheap rent and a
lawless quality attracted a few hundred residents who now struggle to eke out an
existence and gain control of their community. Increasingly, conflict exists
between residents and the business interests who control the town. Tim Drummond,
the current owner, bought the abandoned mining property and the town in the
1980’s and his management of the property and ensuing legal catastrophes has put
the town of Britannia into receivership and a state of acute resentment. Today,
a sheriff style manager has been put in place by the receiving company. Rents
have been collected but the town remains in an advanced state of decay. Drummond’s
proposal for a toxic waste dump and polluted water treatment plant is backed by
local and federal government officials who want the conundrum of Britannia’s
pollution to disappear without a trace, economic or otherwise. As the
surrounding community gets wind of the toxic dump, the plan and Drummond’s
credibility unravel, but the town may support his plan regardless. Drummond has
offered them a carrot. He tells them, support my plan and I will give you the
land upon which your houses sit. Is this offer too good to refuse? Britannia is
a complex town, a company town.
The film’s
style reflects the complexity of Britannia with layers of recent and distant
history interwoven. Archival footage of the mine at it’s
heyday show the life of a model community, innocent of the consequences of the
industry that supported it. Tracking shots within the huge abandoned
concentrator building create a rich tapestry of moisture, immensity and decay.
Inside the mine, the camera follows a group of tourists as they witness a guide
ripping into the rock face with a hydraulic drill.
Outside on the road into town a steel sign, it’s message obliterated by an arsonist, illustrates the state of tension between the community and it’s current landlord, while 50 meters away a toxic river flows into Howe Sound.
Sound effects heighten a sense of desolation and decay at Britannia: the drumming of water droplets echoing throughout empty tunnels, the screech of boxcars passing through Britannia at night, the laughter of children long since absent from the abandoned schoolhouse.
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