Imperial Metals

These natural lakes and streams have been or are at risk of being "re-classified" as waste dumps for the mining industry. This is possible to thanks to Schedule 2 of the Fisheries Act's Metal Mining Effluent Regulations which was added in 2002. The first listings were used to 'grandfather' ongoing operations, but since 2006 it has been used to condemn pristine lakes and streams.

Colour code: yellow markers are original listings from 2002, purple are lakes that have been listed since 2002, red are in the process of being listed and blue were at risk but have been saved by citizen action and environmental reviews.

Joint news release with Ecojustice and the Canadian Environmental Law Association: Ottawa, ON – Today, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Canadian government has violated a national environmental law aimed at ensuring sustainable development. In a case centered on the proposed Red Chris mine in British Columbia, the Court ruled that the federal government cannot split projects into artificially small parts to avoid rigorous environmental assessments. The ruling also guarantees that the public will be consulted about major industrial projects, including large metal mines and tar sands developments.

Long-awaited opportunity to reinforce public participation in federal environmental assessments: On December 18, 2008, the Supreme Court of Canada decided to allow MiningWatch Canada to appeal a Federal Court of Appeal decision that had negated the public’s right to be consulted on large mines and other industrial projects.

On June 13, 2008, the Federal Court of Appeal determined that citizens do not have a right to be consulted about proposed large industrial developments.

The appeal ruling denies the public any input when federal departments that issue regulatory permits determine the “scope” of the project that will be subject to Environmental Assessment.