Of Canada’s main mining jurisdictions, Ontario has the poorest record for retaining royalties or mining-tax revenues. This is thanks to a mining tax based on profit with generous tax credits to reduce profits for tax purposes, low tax rates and tax holidays. In response to calls from MiningWatch...
Alternative Mining Indaba Brings Community Perspective to South African Mining Debates
South Africa’s economy was largely built on mining, and mining – for platinum, coal, gold and diamonds, among other things – continues to play a central role in South African politics and economics. South African mining companies are also a major force across the continent, but there is increasing...
ICMM’s Tentative Commitment to Indigenous Rights and FPIC
In May the International Council on Mining and Metallurgy (ICMM) issued a new position paper, “Indigenous Peoples and Mining”. The position statement “sets out ICMM members’ approach to engaging with Indigenous peoples and to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).” Twenty-two mining companies make...
Background on Eldorado Gold’s Proposed Mines in Northern Greece
A delegation from northern Greece will be visiting Canada from May 26th to 31st, 2013, to alert Canadians to the current situation with Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold’s proposed Skouries and Perama Hill mining projects. The Greek delegation includes the Mayor of Alexandroupoli, Vaggelis Lampakis...
URGENT ACTION: Tell Environment Minister Kent to Listen Up and Respect Algonquin First Nations
Update - August 6, 2013: The request for a joint review panel has been refused. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is proceeding with a standard environmental assessment with no public hearings and much less accountability.
Local citizens, regional and provincial NGOs are now calling on...
Preliminary Report: Gold Mining and the Defence of Water in El Salvador
Report: International delegation to El Salvador releases preliminary report of findings following visit to three emblematic sites in and on the border of Latin America's most densely populated country where civil society is carrying out a struggle to ban metallic mining.
Rare Earth Elements - Background Information
This page provides a number of key background references and links to advanced stage Canadian rare earth projects. The materials present information on the environmental challenges associated with rare earths mining as well as the economic opportunities they present.
Barrick Under Global Pressure to Withdraw Conditions on Remedy for PNG Rape Victims
Since January, 2013, MiningWatch Canada has raised concern about the fact that Barrick Gold is seeking legal immunity from victims of rape by mine security guards at the company’s Porgera Joint Venture Mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG). If these rape victims accept an individual remedy package they...
Kamloops Physicians Demand Rigorous Health Study for KGHM's Ajax Project
A group of physicians from the city of Kamloops, British Columbia, are insisting on a rigorous assessment of the health impacts of the proposed Ajax Gold-Copper mine. They recently placed this ad in the local paper to help get their concerns out.
Gold and Democracy Don’t Mix – Eldorado Gold Faces Determined Opposition in Greece
As Eldorado Gold holds its annual shareholders’ meeting in Vancouver today, Canadians may ask themselves why the company’s plans to mine gold in northern Greece are meeting such strong resistance from residents and even some local authorities. There are really only two problems: what the company is...
‘We rent our land, not our dignity’
Photo essay: Excellon Resources has become an unwelcome presence in the community of La Sierrita in Durango, Mexico as a result of its intransigence to address incompliance with its land use contract and violence against a three month peaceful protest during the summer of 2012.
Familiar-sounding Australian Report Reveals Exaggerated Benefits and Underestimated Costs
Two Australian research organizations recently released a review of the economic assessments of Australian coal projects and found that the proponent-generated reviews greatly overstated the benefits and understated the costs of the projects.
Ça Bouge! Quebec Coalition Makes Progress on Reforms
MiningWatch Canada is a founding member and supporter of the Coalition Québec meilleure mine (translated as the Better Mining Coalition with a clever pun – “mine’ also means face or appearance in French). For over five years now the Coalition has been pushing an agenda of mining reforms in Quebec...
Beyond Extraction - Resources
In March 2013 MiningWatch and Studies in Political Economy co-hosted the Beyond Extraction conference in Ottawa. This page is a collection of selected resources related to the themes of the conference.
Canada’s Development Model: Beyond Extraction
This one-day conference on Canada’s current extractivist development strategy took place on March 16 at Carleton University. Co-organized by MiningWatch and Studies in Political Economy, it brought together over 100 participants to asses the extractivist model and propose alternatives that are...
Letter to UN Commissioner for Human Rights re: Barrick Gold's "grievance" procedure for victims of rape by security guards at the Porgera Joint Venture mine in Papua New Guinea
Letters to Dr. Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) re: abuse by Barrick Gold of a non-judicial grievance mechanism for victims of rape by security guards at the Porgera Joint Venture mine in Papua New Guinea.