Rio Tinto

There are no clean diamonds. Exploring for them, digging them out of the ground and selling them requires sacrifices from the natural environment, from the wildlife and fish that live on it, and from the Aboriginal people who depend on it.

We want to ensure that the public understand that Canada’s Aboriginal communities are engaged in a daily power struggle to ensure that the mines benefit their people, and to ensure that these mines do not irreversibly damage the intricate web of life on which we all depend.

The winners of the 2003 Dirty Digger Awards have been decided. The awards are being made to coincide with the Mining Journal's 'Outstanding Achievement' Awards, to be presented at the Mines and Money Congress on 3rd December 2003.

International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) announcement:

Submarine Tailings Disposal ("STD" in industry jargon) is the practice of dumping mine tailings into the sea through a submerged pipe. It is a serious and growing threat to ocean ecosystems especially in the Pacific. This package brings together case studies and background information on the ocean dumping of mine wastes. Published jointly by MiningWatch Canada and Project Underground, June 2002, in English and Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). Available as a series of PDF files.

The Export Development Corporation has been brought forcefully to our attention by communities and non-governmental organizations that have to deal with the impact of Canadian mining development abroad. They want to know what role Canadian institutions play in perpetuating the problems they face, and what — if anything — Canadian citizens are doing to support them. In order enable you to better understand the on-the-ground impacts of the mining projects that EDC supports, allow me describe some of these problems.