Avoiding a "Green Shift" Towards Tax Havens

By Alain Deneault and Ugo Lapointe (Respectively, professor, author of "Canada: A New Tax Haven" and co-founder of Échec aux paradis fiscaux; co-founder of the Coalition pour que le Québec ait meilleure mine and coordinator at MiningWatch Canada.)

While Quebec and Ottawa are planning tens of...

Open Letter to Equinox Gold and Brazilian Authorities

We, Brazilian and international civil society organizations, would like to express our great concern and indignation about the situation currently affecting 1,500 families of the Aurizona district, located in the municipality of Godofredo Viana, in the Amazon region of the Brazilian state of...

Community and Environmental Concerns Not “Pertinent” to Pan American Silver’s Business

Vancouver-based mining company Pan American Silver held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 12th: the final shareholder meeting for retiring founder and Board Chair Ross Beaty. To shareholders attending online, Beaty narrated a glowing chronicle of Pan American Silver’s socially and...

Dilution is Not the Solution – Mining Pollution, Compliance and Recognizing Indigenous Laws to Protect Watersheds

The industry is working hard to paint B.C. mining as “green” and meeting global ESG standards because it can supply “low-carbon” materials needed to support the green energy transition. But unless the B.C. Government enforces laws and standards to: protect water and ensures mine waste dumps do not...

INV Metals Says It Won’t Respect Ecuador Referendum Favouring Water Over Mining

On February 7, 2021, the same day as the first round of Ecuador’s presidential election, the National Electoral Council (CNC in Spanish) held a popular vote on banning industrial mining in the watersheds of 5 rivers surrounding the city of Cuenca. Residents voted overwhelmingly (80%) in favour of...

Webinar: Green Energy, Green Mining, Green New Deal?

Join us on May 5! The mining sector is working hard to take advantage of the climate crisis, painting mining as "green" because it supplies materials needed to support the "green" energy transition. But unless demand for both energy and materials are curtailed, environmental destruction and social...

Open Letter: Canadian Organizations Stand in Solidarity with People of Andalgalá Protesting Yamana Gold’s Agua Rica Project

Since March 2nd, the Assembly El Algarrobo has been demonstrating against Yamana Gold’s large-scale copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum project in Andalgalá, Catamarca province, Argentina. The massive mobilizations have included peaceful strikes and selective road blockades leading to the mining...

3900 People Demand Pan American Silver Stop Fueling Violence in Guatemala

Dear Pan American Silver,

When you purchased the Escobal mine in 2019, you knew about the broad opposition to the project and that there had been violent repression against those involved in the fight. Now, your refusal to halt local programs in Xinka communities is fomenting tension and...

Ecuador's Presidential Election Down to Two Pro-mining Candidates Despite Anti-mining Movement

On Sunday April 11th, 10-million-plus Ecuadorians will decide between two presidential candidates from distinct parties but with similar visions of extractivism. Both Andrés Arauz (Rafael Correa’s protégé) and Guillermo Lasso (a former banker) are openly pro-mining, and Canadian mining companies...

Canadian Organizations Ask Government to Publicly Condemn Violence Against Indigenous Land Defenders in Guatemala

On March 30th, 2021, MiningWatch Canada, along with 26 other Canadian organizations, sent a letter to Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, asking them to make a formal public statement condemning the violence...

US and Canadian Organizations Alarmed Over Illegal Mining at Goldex Property in Guatemala

Seven organizations, including MiningWatch Canada, sent a letter to the President & CEO and Director of Goldex Resources about recent claims of illegal mining in southern Guatemala, within the area granted for the El Pato project reportedly owned by the Canadian mining firm. Community members have...

Lack of Social Control in Mining Activities and the Aurizona Project

By Tádzio Coelho, professor in the Social Science department at Viçosa Federal University, Brazil, This article was originally published on Brasil de Fato.

On March 25th, news and a video on social networks reported flooding of roads and a lake in the community of Aurizona, located in the...

Fortuna Silver Mines: Licence to Pollute

This investigation was conducted for Avispa Midia, Aristegui Noticias, Pie de Página and CONNECTAS with the support of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), in the framework of the Investigative Journalism Initiative of the Americas.

By Santiago Navarro F. and Renata Bessi...

REMA Calls Out Mexican Institutions for Recognizing Canadian Mining Company as Leader in Sustainability and Equity

First Majestic Silver, a Canadian mining company, owns three producing silver mines in Mexico: the San Dimas Silver Gold Mine, the Santa Elena Silver Gold Mine, and the La Encantada Silver Mine.

Communities have accused the Canadian mining company of damaging the environment and harming...

Free City Radio interview with Jamie Kneen – Canadian Foreign Policy Institute Sessions

Stefan Christoff interviews Jamie Kneen for Free City Radio's second interview series in collaboration with the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. Free City Radio explores ideas at the intersection of social activism and the arts.

This interview series includes:

  1. Rachel Small, World Beyond...

Indigenous, Environmental Groups Call for Moratorium on Mining Development in Ring of Fire

MiningWatch Canada is joining Indigenous and environmental groups in calling for a moratorium on mining development in Ontario's "Ring of Fire" until protection plans for the region’s sensitive wetlands and watersheds are in place and access to clean water, housing, and health services have been...