Report from a workshop on abandoned mines sponsored by the Assembly of First Nations and MiningWatch Canada, Sudbury, Ontario, May 11-13, 2001: Abandoned mines are a serious and immediate danger to human health and the environment. They are already costing Canadians millions of dollars in clean-up, cancers, and lost fishery and farm income, and they stand to cost billions more. At least nine of these sites have been identified by DIAND on First Nations land. An unknown number of others are on lands of aboriginal use or interest. Frequently, communities find themselves downstream from toxic sites and are unable to assess the risk or potential damage which may be caused by the sites.

Abandoned mines are a key source of pollution in Canada. They are a serious and immediate danger to human health and the environment — they are costing taxpayers millions of dollars in clean-up, health impacts such as cancers, and lost fishery and farm income. And they stand to cost billions more.

By Jamie Kneen: Mining and the World Bank/International Monetary Fund - A Special Focus on Ghana, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. Since the 1990s, foreign-backed mining activity in the “developing world” has been expanding rapidly. Increased mineral exploration and mining activity displaces local communities, destroys ecosystems, and creates poverty while primarily benefiting investors (mostly foreign) and local elites.

The mining sector is the largest source of foreign private investment on the African continent, and Canadian investors are at the centre of this economic boom. By the Groupe de recherche sur les activités minières en Afrique (GRAMA) at UQAM (University of Québec at Montréal).

To respond effectively to the challenges of mineral development, communities need the context and information necessary to understand and weigh the issues. This booklet profiles major impacts associated with mines developed in remote areas. Produced for MiningWatch Canada by the Environmental Mining Council of British Columbia.