Health

At the invitation of Brazilian activists who are supporting communities struggling against multinational mining giant Vale (formerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce) in Brazil, and with support from the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and the Canadian Auto Workers Social Justice Fund, MiningWatch’s Catherine Coumans attended the World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil in January 2009. Catherine was asked to provide local activists with information about relations between Vale and communities in Canada (Port Colborne and Sudbury in Ontario as well as Labrador), Indonesia and New Caledonia. In each of these places Inco (now owned by Vale and operating as a subsidiary, Vale Inco) is facing serious community concerns and criticism of its operations.

One of MiningWatch Canada's fundamental principles is that mining activiities, including exploration should only occur with the support of local communities. Our uranium policy also calls for a moratorium on new uranium projects.

This Toolkit was developed to help members of mining-affected communities conduct their own assessment of the health of their community and guide them in taking steps towards supporting and improving the conditions for health in their communities. The Toolkit is designed to be used by aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities where there is mining exploration or development or closed or abandoned mines. It can also be used by individuals, support groups, or institutions (academic, health) from outside the community that may be invited to help guide community members through parts, or all, of the health assessment and project planning process.

MiningWatch Canada, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, and three national trade unions charge that asbestos industry claims that “chrysotile asbestos is safe” are not scientifically substantiated. Determined to get the scientific evidence before the public, on May 23rd, we have purchased two pages in the Hill Times to put our case.

In 2004 MiningWatch Canada partnered with the Labrador West Status of Women Council and the Femmes francophones de l’Ouest du Labrador on a joint effort to explore community women’s own perceptions of the effects on their health from living in a mining town. The final report for this project, in both official languages, was launched in Wabush/Labrador City on February 15, 2005. The results provide insight into specific areas of concern for women regarding their health, but clearly also point to potential impacts from mining on community health that need to be better understood. There is a significant amount of data that has been and is being gathered by Federal and Provincial governments and the mining companies themselves (IOC and Wabush Mines, owned by Cleveland Cliffs Inc.) that needs to be shared with the community.

In 2004, MiningWatch Canada partnered with two women’s groups in the remote mining communities of Wabush and Labrador City (together known as Lab West) to consider the health implications of living in a mining town for community women. The Labrador West Status of Women Council and the Femmes francophones de l’Ouest du Labrador were interested in a community-centred participatory approach to better understand, document and communicate the health concerns of women in Labrador West.

There is no doubt that the 12 facilities located in 6 provinces which make up the Base Metals Sector are major sources of CEPA-toxic substances in Canada (sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, nickel and cadmium). From some of these facilities, emissions have actually increased over the past few years, including HBMS – arsenic, cadmium, lead; Falconbridge-Kidd – arsenic, cadmium; Falconbridge-Sudbury – arsenic, mercury; Inco-Thompson – arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel; Noranda- Horne – nickel; and Noranda-Brunswick – mercury. The increased and uncontrolled use of custom feed in these smelters has also resulted in emissions of beryllium and POPs, which were not a problem previously.

Environmentalists from across Canada were told about plans by Health Canada to gut health protection for Canadians through a proposed new "Canadian Health Protection Act" at a retreat February 17-19.

In January, MiningWatch had the privilege of visiting with inspirational people from three mining communities across Canada. Mel Quevillon, Canadian Program Coordinator, visited Labrador West (Labrador City and Wabush) in Labrador and Thompson and Flin Flon in Manitoba to meet with community members and scope out the interest in applying to be a pilot community for a project on women's health called "Overburdened: Understanding the Impacts of Mineral Extraction on Women's Health in Mining Communities".