(Williams Lake, B.C.) The federal Crown announced this morning that it is moving to stay MiningWatch’s charges against the B.C. government and Mount Polley Mining Corporation (MPMC)—owned by Imperial Metals—over the largest mine waste disaster in Canadian history. If successful, the Crown action would prevent MiningWatch from presenting evidence to the Court about the 2014 spill’s damages to downstream waters and fish habitat, in violations of the Fisheries Act (see backgrounder below).

(Williams Lake, B.C.) MiningWatch Canada will appear in B.C. Court for the first time this week for charges against the B.C. government and Mount Polley Mining Corporation (MPMC)—owned by Imperial Metals—in connection with the largest mine waste disaster in Canadian history. The mining watchdog will be in Williams Lake Provincial Court this Friday, January 13, at 9:30am, to demonstrate to the Court that there is enough evidence in connection with the 2014 tailings pond disaster to warrant charges under the Canadian Fisheries Act.

(Québec) As the case of the junior uranium mining company Strateco against the Québec government proceeds in court this week, a large coalition of Québec groups are urging the province to ban uranium mining from the province once and for all. They point toward other states and regions that have banned uranium mining as examples to follow. See full release in French here.

Join us for the upcoming Ottawa book launch of Blood of Extraction: Canadian Imperialism in Latin America with authors Todd Gordon and Jeffrey R. Webber that we are co-sponsoring with Octopus Books and Fernwood Publishing.

Wednesday, January 11th at 7pm
Life of Pie Bakery & Café
1134 Bank St, Ottawa

MiningWatch Canada is very concerned about Mount Polley Mining Corporation’s (MPMC's) application for a long-term permit to discharge not-fully treated mine waste water into Quesnel Lake. We recommend that the BC Ministry of Environment (MOE): 1. reject this permit application and require MPMC to propose…

Acción Ecológica denounces the administrative order of closure (extension and dissolution) of our organization for allegedly diverging from the goals and objectives for which we were created as requested by Diego Torres Saldaña, Vice-Ministry of Internal Security to the Ministry of Environment.

In an important step for the protection of Colombia’s páramos, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the private lending arm of the World Bank – has decided to divest from Canadian mining company Eco Oro Minerals.

Today, nearly fifty international organizations and networks sent the following letter to Ecuadorian authorities urging an immediate end to the militarization and the State of Emergency that was declared in the southeastern Amazonian province of Morona Santiago last week. Instead of force, they urged for there to be openness to dialogue over the proposed Panantza-San Carlos mine project with the Shuar and campesino communities in accord with their constitutional and internationally recognized Indigenous and human rights.

The Liberal government is much more, well, liberal with their use of the words “human rights” that the previous Conservative government. In practice, however, this means little more than business as usual, particularly where big business is involved.

(Sydney) Nautilus Minerals peddled false hope for experimental seabed mining at the PNG Petroleum and Mining Conference in Sydney. NGOs and civil society in PNG raise serious doubt about the commercial and environmental viability of the Solwara 1 seabed mining project.