(Vancouver) As today marks the third anniversary of the Mount Polley mine disaster and the time limit to file charges under BC laws, Indigenous advocate Bev Sellars announced that she filed private charges against Mount Polley Mining Corporation (Imperial Metals) at the Provincial Court of British Columbia this afternoon in Vancouver.

Accomplished filmmaker Robert Moberg is seeking support to complete a documentary film about the social and environmental aftermath of the devastating Mt Polley mine disaster in central British Columbia — the largest mining spill in Canadian history. MiningWatch Canada invites the public to support this project. Donations can be made online until August 30, 2017: www.kickstarter.com/projects/turbidity/turbidity-the-mt-polley-mine-disaster

For as long as I can remember, the waters of B.C.'s Quesnel Lake played an important role in my community. We fished for trout and swam in its depths, camped along its shores and picked berries and medicines in the surrounding Cariboo Mountains. The entire time, we were sharing our Xat'sull language and culture with our children.

Court hearing follows letter from CEAA advising company that drilling program for New Prosperity is illegal

Victoria, B.C. – The Tsilhqot’in Nation is in BC Supreme Court in Victoria today challenging a provincial drilling permit issued to Taseko Mines Limited.

Originally published at https://democracyctr.org/resource/the-anti-mining-struggle-in-el-salvador-corporate-strategies-and-community-resistance/

By Carol Linnitt • Sunday, July 23, 2017

As the three-year anniversary of the Mount Polley mine disaster approaches, so too does the deadline for the province to lay any charges against mine owner Imperial Metals.

By James Wilt • Thursday, July 20, 2017

A massive open-pit copper mine might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about solar power.

But the construction of photovoltaic panels actually require a wide range of metals and minerals to build. Nineteen, to be exact, including silica, indium, silver, selenium and lead. Most can be found or produced in Canada.

By Judith Lavoie • Wednesday, July 19, 2017 - 10:52

One of the first controversies likely to land on the desk of newly minted Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Michelle Mungall is what to do about the proposed massive Ajax gold and copper mine on the outskirts of Kamloops that is opposed by Kamloops city council and the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation.

Following the suspension of two of Tahoe Resources’ mine licences in Guatemala on July 5, Tahoe Resources’ suppliers, workers and the Guatemalan Industrial Association have engaged in a smear campaign in the Guatemalan press against the Centre for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS) and its members for having brought the claim against the Ministry of Energy and Mines that led to the decision. The defamation puts CALAS and its members at risk of further violence.

Diesel fumes, silica dust and radon gas—to name three examples of well-known air pollutants in mines— continue to affect thousands of miners across Canada and the world. Too little attention is paid to the health costs and impacts of this reality.  

Thanks to the work of organizations such as the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) in Ontario, Canada, we get to know a bit more about this ongoing reality.