Abandoned Mines

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A major mining boom is underway in Keno, as in other parts of the Yukon, driven by high mineral prices. But a boom that’s good for exploration and mining companies can have an underside  for communities. The pace of development surrounding Keno is creating conditions that one resident says is like “being trapped in a living hell.” The noise, dust, huge trucks rumbling through town and concerns over exposure to toxic by-products paint a not-so quaint picture of a contemporary mining town.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Theory and Practice of Perpetual Care of Contaminated SitesIn fall 2010, Alternatives North hired Dr. Joan Kuyek to do a study. Giant Mine in Yellowknife has 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide to take care of. There is a plan to freeze this arsenic, so it can’t leak out and hurt the people and the land. For the Environmental Assessment of this plan, Alternatives North asked for a study of how contaminants are managed in other places.

Monday, May 2, 2011

In February 2011 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) began a process to develop a mineral strategy for the province. This is a welcome initiative as the last comprehensive policy review for the mineral sector was in the 1970s. As a starting point the government released a discusion paper and then hosted a number of community consultations and two themed workshops. MiningWatch participated in a workshop titled Environment Sustainable Mining held in St. John's on April 7 and submitted written comments on April 14.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Western Canada Wilderness Committee news release: The Wilderness Committee is responding to the appalling news from Sherridon, Manitoba, where a government funded reclamation of an abandoned mine site continues to show that government and industry are not ready to deal with the long-term environmental damage resulting from mining.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

While definitions vary, abandoned mines are most consistently defined as those mine sites where the mine operator or exploration company has ceased or suspended indefinitely their activities, be that exploration, mining or mine production, without rehabilitating the site. Some parties make a distinction between abandoned mines, those being all mine sites in the condition just described, and orphaned mines, those being abandoned mines for which an owner cannot be identified.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Quebec is one of the world’s most important mining jurisdictions with mineral production of 4.5 to 5.5 billion in 2006 and 2007 respectively. It has also been ranked as the world’s friendliest mining jurisdiction and called a “Mining Paradise” by its Minister of Natural Resources.

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Boreal BelowJoint 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.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Yukon Supreme Court has made a very significant decision (January 3, 2007) that grants the Canadian government leave to pursue the “oppression remedy” to “pierce the corporate veil” in order to hold perpetrators of bad mining practices responsible for their actions, even if they are operating under different corporate names. BYG Resources owned ...
Thursday, April 13, 2006

MiningWatch Canada learned today, through an application under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, that the two mining companies in Ontario with the largest environmental footprint have been allowed to "self-assure" their mining operations against closure and abandonment. The companies themselves estimate the cost of that clean-up as over $585 million.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

by Gregory Reynolds
HighGrader Magazine
Fall 2002

It has been labelled the “the worst environmental disaster” in Ontario. It has been criticized by mining opponents as “corporate greed” running wild. Some taxpayers are unhappy that $14 million of their money has been spent - and $14 million more is needed - to restore 500 hectares of land left devastated after the mine closed, the miners moved on to other sites and the shareholders spent their dividends.