Today MiningWatch Canada attended Barrick Mining’s virtual Annual General Meeting. MiningWatch’s Catherine Coumans attended as a proxy holder. She input the four questions below well before the request for questions was made by CEO Mark Hill. When it came time for someone appointed by Barrick to read out the questions that person only read out MiningWatch’s questions related to the Veladero Mine in Argentina – leaving out a short contextual preamble. He subsequently inaccurately paraphrased the questions related to the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania, and failed altogether to read the questions related to the Marcopper Mine in the Philippines and the Reko Diq project in Pakistan as Mark Hill stated “That concludes our questions.”
“Barrick’s use of virtual meetings is curtailing meaningful input from proxy holders. Shareholders and interested stakeholders have a right to hear the actual questions being posed that are directly relevant to the company’s operations during 2025. By not reading out the questions as posed, and by neglecting to read out some questions altogether, Barrick is displaying a dismissive attitude towards not only stakeholders, such as MiningWatch Canada, but also towards shareholders. In his opening address in the AGM the Chairman of the Board said that Barrick’s engagement with its stakeholders is “very real.” Given our experience at this AGM and in previous virtual AGMs, those words sound more like flowery rhetoric than reality” says Catherine Coumans.
- Click here for the 3 minute audio recording of the Barrick AGM Question Period (May 8 2026).
Questions about the Veladero Mine in Argentina:
My name is Catherine Coumans. The Veladero Mine in Argentina has a long history of unauthorized releases of cyanide-laden mine waste. In 2015, a million litres entered nearby rivers in San Juan. Further spills occurred in 2016 and 2017. These three spills were ultimately acknowledged by Barrick. On November 3, 2025 hundreds of fish died in a reservoir downstream from the mine.
My questions are: Was there an unauthorized release of effluent from the Veladero mine in October or November 2025? Will Barrick release the results of weekly water testing conducted throughout 2025, especially in November? Will Barrick release the full analysis of the dead fish carried out by SGS, the laboratory contracted by mine?
Questions about the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania:
My name is Catherine Coumans. There have been five lawsuits filed since 2013 in regard to Indigenous Kuria who died or were maimed allegedly as a result of clashes with mine security or police contracted by the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania. Barrick has settled with plaintiffs in two cases, another 29 plaintiffs are seeking leave to the Supreme Court to have their cases heard in Canada. Another case against the London Bullion Market Association on behalf of two Kuria plaintiffs will be heard in October. And yet, MiningWatch continues to receive information on alleged shootings of local Kuria by police contracted to the mine.
My questions are: How many Kuria were shot by police contracted to the mine in 2025? When will Barrick change the security arrangements at the North Mara mine to exclude use of lethal force?
Question about the Marcopper Mine in the Philippines:
My name is Catherine Coumans. In 2025, Barrick settled a long-standing lawsuit in the Philippines for 100 million dollars in regard to wide-spread environmental contamination caused by the Marcopper Mine on the small Island of Marinduque. The case was filed in 2011.
My question is: Why did it take so long for Barrick to settle this case out of court?
Question about the Reko Diq project in Balochistan, Pakistan:
My name is Catherine Coumans. Barrick has completed an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Reko Dig project located in an active conflict zone in Balochistan, Pakistan. The ESIA did not recognize the Baloch people as Indigenous peoples. UN Special Rapporteurs have made it clear that the Baloch people are Indigenous peoples.
My question is: Will Barrick now redo its ESIA to recognize the rights of the Baloch people to Free Prior and Informed consent?