(Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [Ottawa, Ontario]) This week, the Government of Alberta is challenging the new federal Impact Assessment Act (IAA) (formerly Bill C-69) in the provincial Court of Appeal.

MiningWatch Canada, Nature Canada, and Environmental Defence Canada - represented by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) and West Coast Environmental Law - are intervening in the hearings to defend environmental protections. CELA is also representing itself.

Background:

(Manawan) The Atikamekw Council of Manawan strongly denounces the granting of government approval given to Nouveau Monde Graphite for an open pit mine, as the project still has no social acceptability within the community. The announcement of the granting of the approval is a step backwards in reconciliation. 

• On February 7th, over 80% of the population of the southern Ecuador canton of Cuenca voted “no” to industrial mining in the watersheds of 5 rivers surrounding the city of Cuenca.

With the destructive threat of seabed mining opening up in the South Pacific, the Government of the Northern Territory, Australia have made a stand in permanently banning seabed mining[1] to protect Top End coastal ecosystems and regional economies. 
 

(Montreal/Saint-Michel-des-Saints) A coalition of elected officials, citizens and organizations united under the banner of the Better Mining coalition ("Pour que le Québec ait meilleure mine!") denounces Quebec’s decision to authorize a mega open-pit mine in a tourist area, adjoining Mont-Tremblant National Park and Lac Taureau Regional Park. They are reacting to the authorization decree for the Nouveau Monde Graphite mine published this morning by Quebec.

(Gan Gan, Argentina) The Regional Southern Coordinator of the National Aboriginal Pastoral Team (ENDEPA) reports that a complaint was submitted to the Inter American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) regarding the Argentinian government and the Province of Chubut’s failure to comply with international human rights treaties. This comes following the decision to submit a provincial bill regarding mining zoning which violates the right to consultation and participation of Original Peoples. 

Canadian mining companies are at the forefront of pushing to gain access to the deep seabed as the new frontier in mining. Canadian company Nautilus gained the first permit to mine hydrothermal vents on the deep seabed off Papua New Guinea before going bankrupt in 2019. Vancouver-based DeepGreen is the most vocal promoter of seabed mining in international waters of the Pacific, where the company is targeting million year old polymetallic nodules.

MiningWatch Canada is excited to announce that Viviana Herrera Vargas has joined our staff as Latin America Program Coordinator for one year, replacing Kirsten Francescone while she is on maternity leave.