Uranium mining and the nuclear industry have been high profile issues in Quebec in recent months, with the community opposition that developed in response to a possible uranium mine near Sept-Iles and the planned refurbishment of the Gentilly reactor 100 km northeast of Montreal. A number of...
Vale’s Billion Dollar Bonus – Another Example of EDC’s Faulty CSR
On October 4, 2010, Export Development Canada (EDC) announced that it would provide up to a billion dollars in loans to international mining giant Vale. Half of the amount is targeted to projects at former Inco facilities in Canada; the other half will be available for operations outside Canada but...
And we thought we had it bad! Visitors from NWT shocked by Ontario’s lack of oversight for mineral exploration
From October 13 to 15, MiningWatch hosted the annual Ontario Mining Action Network workshop in Thunder Bay. Over the past 6 years the network has provided an effective forum to share experiences and proposals for reform across the province. This year two visitors from the Northwest Territories were...
Canadian Lakes, Streams and Wetlands at Risk
These natural lakes and streams have been or are at risk of being "re-classified" as waste dumps for the mining industry. This is possible to thanks to Schedule 2 of the Fisheries Act's Metal Mining Effluent Regulations which was added in 2002. The first listings were used to 'grandfather' ongoing...
Vote on Bill C-300 Signals Strong Momentum Towards Regulation of Canadian Mining Industry Overseas
News release: The narrow defeat in the House of Commons of Bill C-300, the "Responsible Mining Act", marks a significant turning point for the country. In spite of an unprecedented and sustained year-long lobbying effort by the mining industry aimed at defeating the Bill, the close vote...
Letter from 39 Latin American Human Rights Organizations Supporting Bill C-300
In our countries, we have been witnesses to serious negative impacts generated by mining and extractives companies. In many cases, despite the fact that these actions amount to human rights violations, domestic crimes, and violations of international environmental standards, we are unable to promote...
Declaration in Defence of Wirikuta
by Noticias Yurata: The Wikárika People from the three states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Durango (Mexico) oppose First Majestic Silver's presence in their territory.
Getting Regulations Right Could Help Fix Flaws in Mining Act - MiningWatch Comment on Environment Commissioner of Ontario Annual Report
In his recent Annual Report, Gord Miller, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, makes it clear that there are serious flaws in how Ontario currently oversees the mining industry. The report’s chapter on mining focuses on the new Mining Act and the problems occurring in the area of northern...
Military Coups, Mining & Canadian Involvement in Honduras
By Karen Spring (with Grahame Russell) for Rights Action: Canada is proceeding with "business as usual" in Honduras, even as Canadian government officials and politicians receive a steady stream of reports on on-going State-sponsored repression in Honduras. Repression is being widely used to...
Lakes, Liabilities, and Legacies - The Real Impacts of "Modern" Uranium Mining
Jamie Kneen presents at the Fourth Keepers of the Water conference, held in Wollaston Lake, Saskatchewan, August 19-23, 2010.
Federal Government Moves Quickly to Bypass Supreme Court Ruling, Undermine Environmental Assessment
Our Supreme Court win re-established the integrity of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), but the government has moved quickly to undo it. The Budget Implementation Bill, C-9, introduced March 29, 2010 and passed into law on July 12, makes a mockery of the independence and objectivity...
Participation in Prosperity Panel Review Pays Off – Process Shows Value of Rigorous Environmental Assessment
On July 2, sixty days after the end of six weeks of public hearings, the federal review panel examining the proposed Prosperity Gold Copper Mine released its report. We were very pleased to see many of our concerns, as well as those of the Tsilhqot’in and Secwepemc Nations, Williams Lake Council of...
Ring of Fire: Growing Concerns About Violations of Aboriginal Rights, Environmental Damage
In the last two years, the number of active mining claims has more than doubled in Ontario’s Far North in an area in the James Bay lowlands about the size of Prince Edward Island. Known as the “Ring of Fire”, it is the homeland for several Cree and Ojibway communities and sits at the edge of one...
Support for Mining Over Democratic Principles in Papua New Guinea
The global mining industry uses high-risk mining practices and employs environmentally destructive mine waste disposal methods in Papua New Guinea (PNG) that are not tolerated in most other countries, including Canada. Canadian companies continue to severely affect major tropical rivers in PNG by...
OECD Complaint Filed Against Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe Mines in Mongolia
On March 31, 2010, the Government of Mongolia signed an investment agreement with Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited and Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. for the development of a massive gold/copper mine.
On April 1, 2010, MiningWatch Canada and Britain’s Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID)...
Corruption and Oppression in Chiapas, Mexico
In late November 2009, community activist Mariano Abarca Roblero was gunned down outside his home in the State of Chiapas in the south of Mexico. Mariano was a leader of the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining (REMA). REMA had brought public attention to the region’s struggle against...