The mining industry is using the energy transition to paint its extractive activities "green," claiming to be the sustainable providers of metals and minerals required for energy transition technologies. But we know that mining is a significant cause of the climate crisis, not the solution. Here's...
Call on your MP to Protect Our Oceans and Stop Deep Sea Mining Before It Starts
Mining could soon begin in one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet: the deep seabed. And while Canadian companies are at the forefront of efforts to expand this destructive industry into our oceans, the Canadian government has largely remained silent. Take action! Call on your Member of...
World Social Forum 2022 Workshop “Resistance to mining extractivism in Latin America and Canada: A Global Vision"
Canada Program Co-Lead Jamie Kneen presents on "Resistance to mining extractivism in Latin America and Canada" on May 30, 2022 as part of the 2022 World Social Forum. An important primer on the Canadian mining industry, this piece details the role of junior companies in exploration and speculation...
Shuar Arutam People Resist Mining Industry Advances During COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a particularly difficult time for the Shuar Arutam People (PSHA) of the Ecuadorian Amazon in the defense of their territory and their ongoing resistance against large-scale mining. The government and mining companies took advantage of the pandemic to intensify the...
Support for Precautionary Measures for Communities in Andalgalá, Argentina
Police repression is increasing against communities in Andalgalá, Argentina who are peacefully opposing Yamana Gold and Newmont Mining's joint MARA project. Concerned about the severity of repression in Andalgalá, we're writing to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to support the...
Proposed Revisions to the National Contact Point Again Fall Short of Necessary Reforms
MiningWatch Canada and OECD Watch have submitted extensive feedback to Canada’s National Contact Point as it reviews its procedures. Once again, we’ve found that the proposed changes are falling short of the much-needed reforms to that office.
Read the full feedback to the NCP here.
Backgro...
Take Action! A Path Forward for Corporate Accountability in Canada
Take action! Canadian mining companies and their subsidiaries are implicated in serious human rights abuses and environmental damage around the globe. Yet instead of establishing rules requiring Canadian companies to respect human rights and the environment, Canada continues to rely on voluntary...
Is B.C. Really a World Leader When It Comes to Environmental Reviews of Metal Mines?
A new report by a renowned environmental lawyer concludes that British Columbia is “not yet a world leader” in its environmental reviews of proposed metal mines – despite the province’s claims to the contrary.
According to Premier John Horgan, “All mining projects, including those near British...
Argentinian Delegates Meet with Guatemalans at Regional Summit of Peoples Affected by Pan American Silver
For close to twenty years, communities affected by proposed mining development in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina have held a standing engagement on the 4th day of every month: to march in defence of life and reiterate their commitment to uphold the results of a 2003 referendum that...
The High Seas Provide an Opportunity for Canadian Leadership
Steps need to be taken to ensure that deep seabed mining does not put at risk species that are not found anywhere else in the world.
Written by Susanna D. Fuller, Catherine Coumans, Nicole Zanesco. Originally published on Policy Options
From the Atlantic, across the Arctic, to the Pacific...
Petition on Lithium Mining Project on Unceded Territory: Stand with Long Point First Nation Against Sayona Mining
Long Point First Nation is facing serious threats from a proposed open-pit lithium mine a few kilometres from the community of Winneway, on the shores of Lake Simard, part of Kitci Sibi (the Ottawa River) in northern Quebec, Canada. Add your voice in support of their self-determination!
There’s little hope Mother Nature can keep up or repair the damage to Quesnel Lake, Polley Lake and Hazeltine Creek
On August 4, 2014, the worst mining disaster in Canadian history happened at the Mount Polley Copper Mine northeast of Williams Lake, British Columbia. The tailings dam failed, dumping over 25 million cubic metres of toxic wastewater and mine tailings into Hazeltine Creek, Polley Lake, and...
Book Review: Mining Country: A History of Canada’s Mines and Miners
When MiningWatch Canada started up in 1999, we all hoped that our work would challenge the industry-dominated discourse about mining and smelting in Canada.
We were determined to see academics, journalists, and popular publishers expose the enormous externalized costs of the metals extracted...
The Quebec Government Announced it Will Lower Air Quality Regulations for Nickel. This is Why That’s a Bad Idea.
(Quebec, Canada) MiningWatch Canada and members of Québec Meilleure Mine strongly oppose a relaxation of air quality standards for nickel, as currently proposed by the Government of Quebec.
On February 20, 2022, MiningWatch and Québec meilleure mine submitted their joint written comments to...
Communities of Gualel in Southern Ecuador File for Protective Measures to Protect Fierro Urco Páramo from Mining
One month ago, on February 4, 2022, hundreds of people took to the streets in the municipality of Loja in southern Ecuador to protest against the industrial mining activities in the Fierro Urco páramo. Many had arrived in the early morning hours from the nearby páramos to demand action to protect...
Support First Nations’ Free, Prior and Informed Consent! Restart the Ring of Fire Regional Assessment
Sign here to support First Nations in calling on Minister Guilbeault to retract the draft Terms of Reference for the Ring of Fire Regional Assessment and restart the process with First Nations as full partners in a co-designed process. Mining companies have their eyes set on developing the so...