On March 24th, the peoples of the southern Ecuador canton of Girón voted overwhelmingly in favour of water and life, and against metal mining in their territories. Canadian company INV Metals (majority shareholder IAMGOLD) and the Ecuadorian government are being sent a strong message, “No to...
Are Canadian Embassies Free to Ignore Government Human Rights Policies?
[This article was originally published in The Hill Times.]
It does not seem to be a controversial proposition that when a government department publicizes a policy, government officials should carry out those policies. In fact, that is exactly what the federal Code of Values and Ethics[2] requi...
Aura Minerals & Honduran Government Criminalizing 19 Azacualpa community Defenders
Statement by ASONOG (Associación de Organismos no Gubernamentales) and MADJ (Movimiento Amplio por la Dignidad y la Justicia)
On Monday, March 4, 2019, criminal charges were presented against 19 members of the Azacualpa community in La Unión, Copán. The community members are accused of causing...
Canadian Company INV Metals Fights Local Referendum Over Ecuador Gold Project Against Mounting Community Opposition
Toronto-based INV Metals is fighting tooth and nail to dispel investor worries over a local vote concerning its Loma Larga project in south-central Ecuador. INV Metals is over 35% owned by IAMGOLD, the former owner of the Loma Larga project. Despite recent statements claiming strong community...
Report One Month After the Crime-Tragedy of Brumadinho
By the International Articulation of Men and Women Affected by Vale (AV)
On January 25, 2019, three years after the biggest environmental crime in the country, we are once again living a major tragedy caused by mining. By February 22, the collapse of Dam Number 1 in the Corrego do Feijao...
New Film “The Shadow of Gold” - Do You Know Where the Gold in your Ring Comes From?
Do you know where the gold in your ring is coming from, or Canada’s role in the global market of gold? And did you know that more than 1 in 4 metal mines in Canada and the world is a gold mine? If not, you must see The Shadow of Gold, a new international production by award-winning filmmakers that...
Behind the Glitter: The Gold Facts
Do you know where the gold in your ring comes from, or Canada’s role in the global market of gold? Here are some Gold Facts and solutions we pulled together to help you make informed decisions about how to reduce the impacts of the gold industry in Canada and the world (also on Facebook here or he...
Three Canadian Mining Companies in Brazil Silent on Tailings Dam Structures following Brumadinho Disaster
Following the tragic breach of the upstream tailings dam, “Dam 1” at Vale’s Córrego do Feijão Mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, MiningWatch Canada is concerned about the state of Canadian-operated tailings dams in Brazil.
According to the GRID-Arendal Report and an independent panel report followin...
International Groups Denounce U.S. Mining Company’s Multi-million Dollar Claim Against Guatemala and Express Solidarity with Communities Peacefully Defending Land and Life at ‘La Puya’
MiningWatch Canada joins international organizations to stand in solidarity with the communities of the Peaceful Resistance "la Puya" following Kappes Cassiday & Associates filing of their lawsuit against the Guatemalan government under the ISDS mechanism of the CAFTA-DR. The following letter was...
Can Slave Labour Charges Against Canadian Company Be Heard in Court in Canada? Supreme Court of Canada Hears Arguments Today
Today, the Supreme Court of Canada is hearing an appeal by Nevsun Resources Limited (TSX: NSU/NYSE MKT: NSU) of lower court rulings that accusations against it regarding the use of forced labour at its Bisha mine in Eritrea should be heard in British Columbia, not Eritrea. MiningWatch Canada is...
Investigators’ Study of Canadian/Swedish Mining Project in Ecuador Yields Disturbing Results
Three researchers from the Andean University Simon Bolivar (Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar) in Quito, Ecuador have published the results of a 6-month monitoring study of the El Zarza community near Lundin Gold’s Fruta del Norte mine project, currently under construction.
The study, “Fruta...
Take Action – Canada’s Promised Human Rights Ombudsperson Has Gone Missing
Communities harmed by the overseas operations of Canadian extractive-sector companies are waiting for justice. One year ago, on January 17, 2018, then-Minister of International Trade Champagne announced that the federal government would create a Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (...
Prosperity Mine Case goes to Federal Court of Appeal
Today, as Taseko Mines Ltd. tries to revive its case against the federal environmental assessment of its proposed New Prosperity copper-gold mine in Tŝilhqot’in territory in central British Columbia to the Federal Court of Appeal, we thought it would be useful to revisit the issues that brought...
INV Metals’ Loma Larga Project in Ecuador Still Contested Despite Recent Claims
On November 29, 2018, Canadian mining company INV Metals (TSX: INV) released the results of the feasibility study for its Loma Larga gold-copper-silver project in Kimsacocha, Ecuador. The company’s press release and corporate presentation on the study communicate an unwavering sense of local...
Canadian Copper Mine Destroying Forests in Panamian Sector of Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
Originally published by Mongabay at https://news.mongabay.com/2018/12/copper-mine-destroying-forests-in-panamas-mesoamerican-biological-corridor/; republished with permission and thanks to Mongabay.
BY JOSÉ ARCIA ON 24 DECEMBER 2018 | TRANSLATED BY ROMINA CASTAGNINO
Mongabay Series: Global...
Catherine Coumans talks to Coop Radio's "Redeye" about the Ombuds
Catherine Coumans talks to Coop Radio's "Redeye" about the need for an ombudsperson to monitor the practices of Canadian mining companies abroad, and the Canadian government's announced (but not yet appointed) CORE - Canada's Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise.