Yukon

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

On March 18-19, MiningWatch Canada facilitated a meeting in Whitehorse to assess resources and capacity in the Yukon to work on mining, prioritize issues, expand working relationships and work on strategies. Invitees included a number of individuals and representatives of local organizations.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
There are seven really significant "Type II" abandoned mine sites in the Yukon. Some of them are mired in ownership questions which have to be resolved before the final decommissioning can take place. The seven are: United Keno Hill, Clinton Creek, Mt. Nansen, Faro, Ketza, Sa Dena Hess and Brewery Creek. With the exception of Brewery Creek, these sites had inadequate reclamation bonds ...
Sunday, February 23, 2003
The federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Robert Thibault, has announced that the Yukon Placer Authorization will be phased out over the next four years. There have been serious, long-standing concerns about the impacts of placer mining on freshwater fish and salmon in the Yukon. The Yukon Placer Authorization is a blanket authorization under Section 35 of the Fisheries Act which ...
Sunday, February 23, 2003

On December 5, 2002, MiningWatch Canada made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, Northern Development and Natural Resources regarding Bill C-2, the long awaited Development Assessment Process for the Yukon, now known as YESA, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act.

Thursday, December 5, 2002

While we understand that Bill C-2 is being presented as the implementation of a negotiated tripartite agreement, and the fulfilment of Chapter 12 of the Umbrella Final Agreement, it is our position that it should be carefully scrutinized with respect to its conformity to the UFA as well as to its integration into Canada's environmental safety net — the framework of environmental assessment laws and regulations in all jurisdictions that are intended to protect the environment and promote sustainable development.

Saturday, November 30, 2002
On October 22, 2002, Sheila Fraser, the Auditor-General of Canada, released her report on Abandoned Mines in the North. The report lends enormous credibility to everything we have been saying about these toxic time-bombs. The report is available on the Auditor-General's website. Undertaken ...
Tuesday, October 29, 2002

In a national report released today, MiningWatch Canada and the Pembina Institute show that BC and Yukon governments continue to give big subsidies to the metal mining sector, even while the industry is delivering fewer jobs and reduced economic activity in return. The report was delivered to BC and Yukon politicians today.

"Looking Beneath the Surface" quantifies both the public costs to support the metal mining industry and the benefits generated by the industry in fiscal years 1994-95 and 2000-01.

Friday, March 15, 2002
The Auditor-General of Canada's office is looking into abandoned mines in Canada's north, as a follow-up on their contaminated sites recommendations in 1996. The team of auditors, under the direction of the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainable Development, will be looking at the federal liabilities for remediation, and management ...
Friday, March 15, 2002
The Mine Monitoring Manual: a Resource for Community Members has recently been published by the Yukon Conservation Society and Project Underground. Written by Sue Moodie, MiningWatch Canada board member, the manual is designed to monitor the water quality impacts from mining. It is used ...
Sunday, July 1, 2001

[Report by MiningWatch Canada and the Sierra Club of Canada] Unlike most developed countries, Canada has no national program to deal with contaminated sites. Abandoned mines and tailings ponds create toxic nightmares, contaminating rivers, lakes and surrounding lands.  Local communities are left to deal with the toxic legacy, or, frequently, to cope and live with the contamination and its impacts on their health and the health of their children. Recent increases in imports of hazardous waste from our trading partners, paired with Canada's inability to deal with existing waste properly increase the urgency for developing an effective national program to deal with the problem.