Budget bill amendments diminish feds’ role in assessing climate impacts of major projects

OTTAWA / Traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people – Environmental and public interest groups are expressing deep frustration over proposed amendments to the Impact Assessment Act introduced in the Budget Implementation Act. The groups are concerned that with these amendments, the government is abdicating its responsibility to properly assess the climate impacts of projects across Canada.

Neil McGee, The Globe and Mail

Barrick Gold Corp. is being accused of using the virtual format for its annual general meeting to suppress critical questions from stakeholders.

After holding a hybrid AGM last year that allowed stakeholders to show up in person, the Toronto-based gold mining company, which is the world’s second biggest by market value, went to a virtual-only format this year.

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OTTAWA, ON – Surging violence surrounding Canadian mining projects in Ecuador should raise red flags for the Canadian government as it commences trade talks with the Ecuadorian government, MiningWatch Canada, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Amnesty International Canada said Tuesday.

On May 6, 2024, a regulatory amendment to the Regulation respecting mineral substances other than petroleum, natural gas and brine will come into force in the province of Quebec. The purpose of this regulatory amendment is to better take into account the concerns of populations affected by "impact" exploration work. But what do these changes actually entail? In a nutshell:

Re: Conflicts caused by Canadian mining company Solaris Resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Dear Ambassador,

We, the undersigned nine organizations, are writing to you to express our deep concern about an escalation of violence and conflict associated with the Canadian mining company Solaris Resources Inc, who is attempting to advance its Warintza project in the collective and ancestral territory of the Shuar Arutam People, located in the province of Morona Santiago, in the Cordillera del Cóndor.

The following post was written by Beyond Extraction and was originally published here.

The province has proposed a draft regulation detailing when exactly the minister can take over the permitting process from conservation authorities. The list includes uses such as housing, transportation, hospitals, highways and community services.

Barbara Patrocinio, QP Briefing (iPolitics)

"It is outrageous that the judge is allowing this trial to go forward despite the lack of any evidence of a crime," said one observer.

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams

Human rights defenders on Wednesday condemned a Salvadoran court's decision to uphold what critics say are politically motivated murder and illicit association charges against five environmental activists.