While dumping mine tailings into the sea via a submerged pipe is effectively banned in Canada under the Fisheries Act, Canadian companies practice so-called Submarine Tailings Disposal (STD) overseas.
Meeting with Partners at Porgera Mine in Papua New Guinea
In November 2008 MiningWatch Canada’s Catherine Coumans had the opportunity to meet with partners at Barrick Gold’s Porgera Mine in the Papua New Guinea Highlands (Enga Province). Our partners are the grassroots human rights group called Akali Tange Association (ATA) and the Porgera Landowners...
Letter to Shareholder Group re: Human Rights Impact Assessment for Goldcorp's Guatemala Mine
In a letter dated December 4, 2009, MiningWatch Research Coordinator Catherine Coumans detailed serious concerns with the Human Rights Impact Assessment for Goldcorp's Marlin mine in Guatemala, announced April 24, 2008 as a response to pressure from shareholder groups (see announcement, below). A...
Pacific Rim Files Notice of Intent to Seek CAFTA Arbitration
Pac Rim Cayman LLC, a Nevada corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacific Rim Mining Corp. has filed a Notice of Intent to commence international arbitration proceedings against the Government of El Salvador under the Central America-Dominican Republic-United States of America Free Trade...
State of Mine: The Dominion Newspaper's Special Issue on Mining
The Dominion Newspaper is a cooperative, independent, grass roots publication. A special edition, State of Mine: An Investigation of Canada's Extractive Industries was published in November 2008 and is available online at: www.dominionpaper.ca/issue/55. The online edition features 37 articles on...
MiningWatch Comments on Proposed Amendments to Fisheries Act Regulations to Designate Sandy Pond and Include Hydromet Facilities
MiningWatch Canada comments on the proposed amendments to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMER) to include Sandy Pond (NL) on Schedule 2 and expand the MMER to include hydrometalurgic facilities such as Vale Inco's Long Harbour facility. Following a flawed government-led consultation process...
Investing in Conflict - Public Money, Private Gain: Goldcorp in the Americas
A report by Rights Action: The nexus of mining companies, the mainstream media, the Canadian government, International Finance Institutions and bought off NGOs work hard to keep the reality of large-scale, open pit mines out of picture, keep community resistance marginalized, and no matter what, to...
A Matter of Conscience
An essay by Michael Patenaude on the sentencing of the Ardoch Algonquins and Paula Sherman and Bob Lovelace, and ahead of the sentencing of Shabot Obaadjiwan and settler (non-Native) protesters: "Sometimes in life one must look back in history for inspiration. This is especially true when current...
MPP Randy Hillier and MP Scott Reid Letter of Support for Ardoch Algonquins and Bob Lovelace
Randy Hillier, Member of Provincial Parliament for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington and Scott Reid, Member of Parliament for the same region, wrote a strong letter of support for the Ardoch Algonquins and Bob Lovelace in particular.
Xstrata Faces Growing Criticism Over Koniambo Nickel Project in Kanaky-New Caledonia
Xstrata’s Koniambo project in the South Pacific French territory of Kanaky-New Caledonia, formerly owned by Falconbridge, is coming under increasing scrutiny and criticism. The proposed nickel mine, in the northern province of Kanaky-New Caledonia, will be one of the largest mines in the world when...
Uranium Still a Hot Topic Across Canada
In December, 2007, MiningWatch Canada issued its long-awaited Policy Statement on Uranium Mining.
Requests for help in addressing uranium issues from all across Canada meant that we had to figure out exactly where we stood on uranium mining and exploration.
Our situation was not unique. The...
Conversations with the Earth: A Community Arts Project in Sudbury
Over the past year, the Canary Institute and MiningWatch Canada have been honoured to work with Myths and Mirrors Community Arts in Sudbury on a project for youth called “Conversations with the Earth”.
Myths and Mirrors hosted the Ontario Mining Action Network meeting in November 2007 and...
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End Mining’s Privileged Access to Land! Communities Across Canada Outraged by Free Entry System
Across Canada, communities and Aboriginal governments are saying they have had enough when it comes to the privileged access mining has to land under the existing system, which grants “free entry” to prospectors and mining companies under the assumption the mining is the “highest and best” use of...
MiningWatch Canada Policy Statement on Uranium Mining
Uranium mining is a highly contentious issue across Canada and globally. Uranium mining, from exploration through to mining, processing, and eventual decommissioning, is risky and dangerous to the environment, wildlife, local peoples and communities, and workers.
Uranium is used for three...
Urgent Appeal to United Nations Special Rapporteurs Regarding Human Rights Abuses at Porgera Mine
On December 2, 2007, MiningWatch Canada sent an Urgent Appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions regarding allegations of extrajudicial killings by private security guards (tolerated by the government), Papua New Guinea Police and Mobile Unit Police at the...
Breaching Indigenous Law: Canadian Mining in Guatemala
By: Shin Imai, Ladan Mehranvar, and Jennifer Sander; reproduced from the Indigenous Law Journal, Volume 6, Issue 1, 2007 with permission from the authors. This is a case study of a small Indigenous community in Guatemala that defied a powerful Canadian mining company by holding a community vote on...