Backgrounder on Placer Dome in Marinduque, Philippines

The Tailings Spill Disaster of 1996

On March 24, 1996 a massive tailings spill at Placer Dome's Marcopper Mining Corporation (Marcopper) mine in the Philippines filled the 26-kilometre-long Boac River on the island of Marinduque with 3-4 million tons of metal enriched and acid generating...

Statement of the Africa Initiative on Mining, Environment, and Society (AIMES) Meeting in Accra, Ghana

We, members of the Africa Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society (AIMES) from Angola, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia in collaboration with our northern partners from Canada and the United Kingdom meeting in Accra Ghana...

Announcing the Canary Institute

The Canary Research Institute on Mining, Environment, and Health was incorporated on November 3, 2003, to promote the advancement of education and the reduction of poverty in Canada and elsewhere relating to and resulting from the impacts of mineral development on the physical, cultural...

Open Letter to Guatemala's President, Mining Minister and Skye Resources

OPEN LETTER TO:
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND MINES
THE PRESIDENT OF SKYE RESOURCES/COMPAÑÍA GUATEMALTECA DE NÍQUEL, S.A.

Dear Sirs:

We, the elected and appointed representatives of twenty Q’eqchi’ Mayan communities located in the township of El Estor...

In Memoriam: Roch Lanthier

 

Roch Lanthier, long-time activist and defender of the environment and people’s health, died January 29 of a heart attack. MiningWatch Canada joins his family and friends in expressing our gratitude for the life of Roch Lanthier and our deep regret at his passing.

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Book review: "Africa’s Blessing, Africa’s Curse: The Legacy of Resource Extraction in Africa"

Africa’s Blessing/Africa’s Curse provides a very accessible overview of resource extraction in Africa, with chapters devoted to gold mining, diamonds and the oil industry. Numerous case studies give a human face to the social, cultural and environmental impacts of mining and the...

Book review: "In the Way of Development"

This book is based on a collaboration of indigenous leaders, social activists and scholars. It explores indigenous peoples’ struggles to maintain control of their lives and lands in the face of increasing and accelerated encroachment of globalized industrial and commercial “development.”...

Sulawesi Communities Reject Inco, Call for Renegotiation of PT Inco's Contract of Work

The One Pute Jaya and Bahumotefe community lands in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, have been staked for PT Inco's expanded contract of work area. The One Pute Jaya and Bahumotefe citizens reject PT Inco's plans to mine on their land.

Despite the citizens' protests, PT Inco has begun exploring and...

Indonesian Environmentalist Highlights Inco Dangers in Sulawesi

Indonesian environmentalist Arianto Sangaji is in Vancouver to launch a national campaign highlighting the role of Inco in his country.

Mr. Sangaji, the director of Yayasan Tanah Merdeka (Free Earth Foundation), is highlighting the threatened displacement of both indigenous people and migrants...

Community Centred Health Research and Impacts of Mining on Women in Labrador West (Wabush/Labrador City)

In 2004, MiningWatch Canada partnered with two women’s groups in the remote mining communities of Wabush and Labrador City (together known as Lab West) to consider the health implications of living in a mining town for community women. The Labrador West Status of Women Council and the Femmes...

Yukon Faces Renewed Mining Problems

On March 18-19, MiningWatch Canada facilitated a meeting in Whitehorse to assess resources and capacity in the Yukon to work on mining, prioritize issues, expand working relationships and work on strategies. Invitees included a number of individuals and representatives of local organizations.

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Backgrounder: Bulyanhulu

In northwestern Tanzania, in the Shinyanga region, there is a massive gold mining area called Bulyanhulu, just south of Lake Victoria.

Since the 1980's Bulyanhulu has been mined by small-scale local artisans who had questionable rights to mine. However, the government tolerated their mining...

Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade: "Mining in Developing Countries -

The House of Commons Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development submitted its third report to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which adopted the report on June 26, 2005. The report (the Committee's 14th), Mining in Developing Countries -- Corporate...

DeBeers in Manitoba

DeBeers has staked over 1.94 million hectares of land in north eastern Manitoba near the Hudson Bay coast, in return for a payment of $1 million to the Manitoba government - about 50 cents a hectare. The claims surround another 60,900 hectares staked by Western Warrior Resources.

Staking a Claim in Manitoba

Manitoba has a system of claim staking that enables large areas to be claimed at one time. Mining claims can vary in size from a minimum of 16 hectares to a maximum of 256 hectares. A mining claim in unsurveyed territory is approximately rectangular in shape; the length cannot be greater than four...