In 2005, Robert Friedland, chairman of the Vancouver-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., famously regaled potential investors in Florida with his Mongolian mega-project, the “cash machine we really intend to build,” – a massive copper-gold and coal project in the southern Gobi desert called Oyu Tolgoi or...
Wixárika people deliver letter to Mexican President Calderón and shareholders of First Majestic Silver
Open letter - The Wixárika indigenous people delivered the following letter to President of Mexico Felipe Calderón in Mexico City on May 9, 2011. A delegation from the Wixárika people then presented the same letter to First Majestic Silver shareholders on May 19, 2011, during the company's annual...
FPIC: The 'C' stands for 'Consent'
Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is clearly established as an international human rights norm. The right of Indigenous peoples to grant or withhold approval for actions affecting their rights is an integral element of the right of self-determination. Article 3 of the United Nations...
What You May Not Know About Goldcorp's Marlin Mine in Guatemala
Document - The Coalition Against Unjust Mining in Guatemala (CAMIGUA) responds to Goldcorp's arguments against an activist shareholder resolution, which will be voted upon at the company's upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 18th, 2011. The shareholder resolution asks Goldcorp to voluntarily...
Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Strategy
In February 2011 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) began a process to develop a mineral strategy for the province. This is a welcome initiative as the last comprehensive policy review for the mineral sector was in the 1970s. As a starting point the government released a discusion...
Páramos free of large-scale mining: an obligation of the Colombian authorities
Declaration - A statement from the Colombian Network Against Large Scale Transnational Mining, RECLAME, following Greystar Resources's decision to withdraw its request for an environmental permit for its Angostura project in the Colombian páramos of Santurbán. The decision comes on the heels of...
Corporate Accountability in Canada - A MiningWatch Archive
An archive of key moments in advocating for corporate accountability in Canada between 2005 and 2010. Included: key documents and responses from MiningWatch released between 2005 and 2010, presentations made before parliamentary committees with regards to SCFAIT's Mining in Developing Countries...
Goldcorp shareholder resolution asks for suspension of Marlin mine in Guatemala
Document: Two individual shareholders have filed a resolution for consideration at the Goldcorp annual general meeting. The resolution asks the company to voluntarily comply with recommendations from international bodies including the International Labour Organization and the Inter-American...
Action Alert: No Means No! Put an End to the Prosperity Mine Proposal
On World Water Day, March 22, allies and supporters of the Tsilhqot’in National Government would like you to take action to protect Teztan Biny-Fish Lake. Let the federal and provincial governments know that you still stand with the Tsilhqot’in communities in opposition to the proposed Prosperity...
Request for Review of the Operations of Barrick Gold Corp. at the Porgera Joint Venture in Papua New Guinea
On March 1, 2011, MiningWatch Canada and two of our partner organizations in Papua New Guinea submitted a Request for Review to the office of the Canadian National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Request for Review concerns the operations of Barrick...
Another blow to Quebec's Struggling Asbestos Industry
Quebec's struggling asbestos industry has been left in an increasingly precarious position as two long-time supporters, the Quebec labour council CSN (Conseil des syndicats nationaux) and the Canadian government, began to change their tune.
Violence Near Goldcorp Mine in Guatemala Underscores Need for Mine Suspension
Joint communiqué - In a letter to Guatemalan authorities and Goldcorp Inc., the Coalition Against Unjust Mining in Guatemala (CAMIGUA) expresses its profound concern following reports of violence in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán. CAMIGUA believes that the recent incident underscores an...
Taseko's Zombie Mine - Prosperity Gold-Copper Project Update
Since the federal government's refusal to approve its Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine project, Taseko Mines Ltd. has maintained that the project was not dead and that they would find a way to see it through. Press releases and communications have included comments about needing to better understand...
"Oral Promises/Broken Promises" Shows Alternative Interpretation of Ontario's Treaty 9
This video by MiningWatch Canada questions the jurisdiction of the Ontario provincial government over the traditional territories of northern Ontario's First Nations and the government's right to unilaterally grant access to the resources within these territories to mining companies or other...
Canadian Mining Policy in Practice
Presentation: When examined in practice, Canada's foreign policy for the mining sector has a lot more to do with protecting our economic interests rather than human rights or the environment — some reflections based on Canadian mining interests in Latin America. Written for the Trent University...
International Solidarity with El Salvadoran Environmentalists
Forty-nine international civil society organizations express concern over a series of detentions and robberies against members of an El Salvadoran environmental organization (CEICOM) that have taken place during the last six months. They also note a disturbing tendency of increasing violence...