Search: Company - Country - Issue, 2012

Map: Since the first local vote in Tambogrande, Peru in 2002, the "consulta", or community referendum, has emerged as a powerful tool for communities affected by unwanted mining projects to voice their collective opinion on a project through engaging in popular democracy. By giving residents of affected communities the opportunity to vote on whether or not they agree with destructive mining taking place on their land, the "consulta" can meaningfully encourage peaceful citizen participation and provide a mechanism for resistance movements to democratically voice their concerns about a particular project or on mining in general.

Cliffs Natural Resources is proposing to develop a large chromite deposit in a remote area of northern Ontario that has been dubbed the Ring of Fire. Recognising that chromium is a toxic metal that has never been mined in Canada, MiningWatch has conducted a literature review of environmental and human health issues associated with mining and processing the metal. The complete literature review and three summary fact sheets are available here.

Before the Ambatovy project is allowed to continue and before the delivery of approval to start production, the rights and needs of peasants and people affected by the construction phase – in regard to impacts on land, water, fish and forests – must be respected; the costs for compensation as result of removals, damage, and accidents must be paid; the promises made to communities when they were relocated must be fully honoured. The further displacement of people for the project must cease immediately.

News release: A delegation of Central American and North American representatives called on Goldcorp to take responsibility for the cleanup at current mine sites, and alerted shareholders to outstanding public health issues, environmental degradation and conflict.