Northwest Territories

Joint news release with Northwatch: A major new report highlights serious impacts on the Canadian boreal forest from all phases of mining activity, from exploration to closure. Two respected mining industry watchdogs – Northwatch and MiningWatch Canada – say they published The Boreal Below (an all-new and expanded version of a widely circulated 2001 report) in response to growing demand from communities across Canada for information and analysis to help understand the impacts of mining on their lives and livelihoods. It provides a carefully-documented analysis of the social, environmental, and cultural impacts of mining from prospecting to mine closure, as well as an overview of the current situation by province and territory.

Across Canada, communities and Aboriginal governments are saying they have had enough when it comes to the privileged access mining has to land under the existing system, which grants “free entry” to prospectors and mining companies under the assumption the mining is the “highest and best” use of land. In Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories, communities are organizing to end the free entry system.

The Indigenous World Uranium Summit, held in Window Rock, Arizona, on November 30 to December 2, 2006, was a vindication of the Navajo Nation’s ban on uranium mining in Navajo Nation Territory and a regrouping of Indigenous opposition to uranium mining globally. People from Indigenous communities around the world spoke about their experiences living with the effects of the mining and use of uranium, from Fiji to India to the North America.

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.

Submitted by Alternatives North.

What is BHP-Billiton so afraid of? That’s the question Mining Watch’s Joan Kuyek asked recently in Yellowknife, NWT, while speaking about the strike at the Australian mining giant’s Ekati diamond mine, 300 kilometres north of the city.

The Board of Directors of MiningWatch Canada met in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on October 1 to 3, 2004. The meeting included a tour of the closed Giant Mine and presentations from the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency, CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, NWT Chapter), and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Bringing our Board members from around the country to the NWT was a fine experience for the Board and our hosts.

The Prairie Creek Mine, located just outside the boundary of the Nahanni National Park Reserve and World Heritage Site, is an environmental and financial disaster waiting to happen. The issues are numerous and somewhat complex. They involve the mine's poor location, toxic substances, regulatory oversight, Aboriginal lands, and the expansion of one of Canada's most famous National Parks.

The Prairie Creek mine, located just outside the boundary of the Nahanni National Park Reserve and World Heritage Site, is an environmental and financial disaster wating to happen. The issues are numerous and somewhat complex. The involve the mine's poor location, toxic substances, regulatory oversight, Aboriginal lands, and the expansion of one of Canada's most famous National Parks.

The CanTung mine is located in the southwestern NWT, just inside the boundary with the Yukon. Road access is through the Yukon and the closest community is Watson Lake. The tungsten deposit was first staked in 1954 and went into production in 1962. The mine closed in 1986. After changes in ownership, it re-opened in 2001 under the management of North American Tungsten Corporation Limited. The company just announced closure of the mine after its sales agreements for concentrate were cancelled and loans were called in. The employees have all been laid off and four Directors have just resigned, including the Chief Executive Officer.