Aur Resources plans to destroy two 'ponds' in central Newfoundland (natural water bodies that are vitally important habitat for trout, salmon, waterfowl, and other species) by using them for the disposal of mine waste that will be acid-generating and toxic. Aur has argued that the destruction...
Ha tlatgi ha kustiyi: Protecting the Taku Tlingit Land-based Way of Life
A report by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation reiterating its opposition to the proposed road in the absence of "effective measures in place to protect the environment and Tlingit land-based way of life".
An excerpt from the introduction:
"British Columbia does not yet have Taku River Tlingit...
The Kam Kotia Mine Disaster: Ontario's most notorious mine waste problem
by Gregory Reynolds
HighGrader Magazine
Fall 2002
It has been labelled the “the worst environmental disaster” in Ontario. It has been criticized by mining opponents as “corporate greed” running wild. Some taxpayers are unhappy that $14 million of their money has been spent - and $14 million more...
Letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay re: Kinross-Forrest Joint Venture in D.R. Congo
Concerned that the Democratic Republic of Congo lost out in the joint venture between Gécamines, the Congolese state mining company, and Kinross-Forrest, partially owned by Kinross Gold, several non-governmental organisations sent this letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay urging him to...
Open Letter to Chilean President Ricardo Lagos Opposing Approval of Pascua Lama Project
Mr. President
Ricardo Lagos E.
La Moneda,
Santiago, Chile.
Your Excellency,
The hereafter signatory organisations write to inform you of their total support for the content of the letter sent last year by diverse Chilean organisations, including 18,000 signatures which endorsed the great...
Summary of Findings from Environmental Studies of Calancan Bay related to Surface Disposal Dumping of Mine Tailings into the Bay from the Tapian Pit of the Marcopper Mine
The geochemistry of the Tapian ore body is such that acid drainage and metal leaching from exposed tailings, such as those in the causeway, must be expected. The sulphide mineral nature of the Tapian ore body, which is linked to acid drainage and metal leaching is well documented.
"The...
The Challenge of the Mines: The Role of Stakeholder Engagement in the Sustainable Development of Tanzania's Gold Mining Sector
Dennis Tessier's Master's thesis (for the University of Dar Es Salaam) examines the role stakeholder engagement could play in bringing about sustainable development in Tanzania's gold mining industry. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods with three primary areas of focus: a...
"Canadian Mining Companies in the Developing World" - Presentation to Engineers Without Borders' 5th Annual Conference
Addresses some of the fundamental concepts and misconceptions around large-scale mining as a model of development and looks at what needs to change – and what's being done about it. Best practices are important to develop and promote, but what is desperately needed in the global context is an...
MiningWatch Canada Comments on EIS for Kemess North project
Northgate Minerals' proposed Kemess North mine in northern BC is undergoing a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment process. The company proposes to use Duncan Lake (a six-kilometre long lake known as Amazay or Caribou Lake by the four affected First Nations) as a tailings dump (...
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Barrick Gold Faces Determined Opposition at Pascua Lama and Veladero
Community groups on both side of the Argentina-Chile border are increasing their opposition to Barrick Gold’s proposed Pascua Lama project in Chile, while criticism of its Veladero project already under way on the Argentinean side of the border is also mounting. There have been protests in both...
Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Operating Internationally - October 2005 Conference
Canadian mining companies have been alleged to be at the root of forced resettlement, environmental destruction, negotiating with hostile regimes, as well as being involved in a morass of violations of human, workers’ and indigenous rights. MiningWatch Canada has documented international cases to...
Ensuring the fox has streamlined access at the henhouse: the federal Smart Regulation initiative.
On March 24, 2005, Treasury Board President Reg Alcock said, “Ottawa is making sweeping changes to the way it regulates Canadian business to help firms compete at home and abroad in the face of lagging productivity growth, rapid scientific advances and emerging global juggernauts such as...
MiningWatch welcomes Susan Murdock as Resource Development and Administrative Coordinator
MiningWatch Canada’s Directors and staff are pleased to announce that Susan Murdock has accepted the position of Resource Development and Administrative Coordinator. She takes over from Julea Boswell, whose abrupt departure brought us the good fortune of having Liz Kim help out on an interim basis...
Technical Review of the El Dorado Mine Project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), El Salvador
Independent hydrogeologist Robert Moran did this review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Pacific Rim Mining Corp's El Dorado project for the Asociación de Desarrollo Económica y Social, Santa Marta (ADES) of Sensuntepeque, Cabañas, El Salvador.
Water Is More Precious Than Gold: The Pascua Lama Binational (Chile-Argentina) Mining Project
Presentation by César Padilla of the Chile-based Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales to a round table on "Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Operating Internationally" held by MiningWatch Canada in Ottawa on October 20, 2005.
Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Operating Internationally: background documents
On October 20, 2005, MiningWatch Canada held a round table on "Regulating Canadian Mining Companies Operating Internationally" with industry, government, and civil society representatives, including invited guests from Latin America, Africa, and Asia to examine options for regulatory and/or...