Prime Minister Harper has made a commitment to include the mining sector in an upcoming stimulus package. There is no denying that this sector, as with other industrial and resource sectors in Canada, is experiencing hard times. Metal prices have plummeted, fewer people are buying...
Since the early 1990s, the Intag region of Imbabura in northwestern Ecuador has been the target of mining exploration. Japanese and then Canadian interests have claimed substantial finds of copper, and have promoted the idea of building a huge open-pit mine in the middle of one...
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.
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...
One of MiningWatch Canada’s key areas of work in 2008 and that will be continuing in 2009 has been our efforts to curtail the destruction of natural water bodies for the creation of tailings impoundments (i.e. waste dumps). Though contrary to both the intent and the letter of the Fisheries Act...
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...
On August 5th, 2008, the Ontario government announced a public consultation process to “modernize the Ontario Mining Act”. The consultations were focused around the government’s discussion paper Modernizing Ontario’s Mining Act, Finding a Balance posted online on August 11th. Closed door...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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’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...
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...
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...