Lakes across Canada face being turned into mine dump sites: CBC News has learned that 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly "reclassified" as toxic dump sites for mines. The lakes include prime wilderness fishing lakes from B.C. to Newfoundland. This is a serious issue, Mine tailings being dumped in lakes across Canada are part of our mining legacy and we are still trying to clean up the mess created several decades ago. Putting sulfide-rich tailings under water has the potential to release toxic heavy metals into the water column and destroy fish habitats. These are private mining companies dumping toxic waste into public lakes. These lakes belong to all of us and it is up to us to speak out against these appalling practices.