Reforming Mining Laws and Policies

Features

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. Globally, communities are demanding a say in their own futures, and Indigenous peoples in particular are increasingly demanding free, prior, informed consent for development projects that will affect them.

Latest News

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

News release: Today, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake are re-affirming their opposition to the proposed exploration activities of the junior mining company Copper One (TSX-V: CUO) within their unceded traditional territory. Copper One’s Rivière Doré project is within the area of an existing co-management agreement that Barriere Lake signed with Quebec and Canada in 1991 (the Trilateral Agreement).

Monday, February 25, 2013

Media advisory: (St. John’s, Newfoundland) The federal Fisheries Act was intended to protect fish and fish habitat in part by prohibiting the dumping of harmful substances into fish-bearing waters. The intent of the Act has been diluted by regulations that give the mining industry an exemption to allow the conversion of pristine lakes, wetlands, and streams across Canada into mine waste dumps. Among these is Sandy Pond, a lake near Long Harbour, Newfoundland, that was known for its trophy trout.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

As the BC mining industry’s Roundup 2013 conference winds down national and regional NGOs are emphatically calling for substantial reforms to the rules the industry operates under. While communications from the industry have focussed on the growth in exploration activity and spun the industry’s potential in a positive light, the reality is there is a growing level of frustration and tension around many projects in the province. Changes are urgently needed to resolve these existing and emerging environmental and social conflicts. In order to stimulate a more sober analysis of the situation, MiningWatch Canada, David Suzuki Foundation, Rivers Without Borders and Friends of Clayoquot Sound are releasing a Top 40 list of mining reforms needed in BC.