A concern about the social and environmental destruction caused by Canadian mining companies brought me to the fourth annual Mining Injustice Conference organized by the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, held at the University of Toronto.
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ACTION ALERT: Sherritt Must Be Accountable for All Human and Environmental Damage Caused by the Ambatovy Project
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...
Honduran Congress Consults with Canadian Government and Mining Companies -- But Not Its Own People
Honduran civil society organizations are once again denouncing Honduran authorities for refusing to consult with them over a new mining law.
Goldcorp Shareholders Ask Company to Ensure Full Independent Financing and Disclosure of Closure Plans for Marlin Mine
Shareholder Resolution: Three Goldcorp shareholders have filed a resolution with the company to be voted on at its 2012 Annual General Meeting. The resolution asks Goldcorp to fully fund the closure and post closure of the Marlin mine in Guatemala, consult with local communities regarding closure...
Canadian Media Misses Castro’s Message
On Monday, our national media seemed taken aback when Fidel Castro pointed a finger at Canada. Confusion arose from not wanting to hear what he had to say.
Another Mining Horror Story? Sherritt International Corporation’s Ambatovy Project in Madagascar
Civil society groups are demanding that the government of Madagascar force Sherritt International's Ambatovy project to deliver on its promises of environmental safeguards, local jobs, and social responsibility by revising Malagsy mining and investment laws and regulations.
Ontario Government Misses Opportunity to Increase Revenues from Mining
With an overwhelming emphasis on reducing expenditures, this week's Ontario Budget misses an important opportunity to increase provincial revenues from the mining sector. When compared with other Canadian jurisdictions, Ontario has the lowest corporate tax rate for mining and recoups the lowest...
Federal Government Hides Behind Budget with Changes to Environmental Assessment
The Harper Government™ has made no secret of its plan for environmental protection, planning, and assessment; it’s a necessary complement to its economic strategy, which essentially consists of extracting as much wealth from the ground as quickly as possible, unencumbered by niceties like public...
Where Do the NDP Leadership Candidates Stand on Corporate Accountability?
In the latest edition of Embassy Magazine, NDP leadership candidates were asked to articulate their top foreign policy priorities. The positions were pretty similar; most included elements of climate change, fairer trade, and a less militarized approach to diplomacy. None included corporate...
Statement Regarding Quebec Court of Appeal Decision in Canadian Association Against Impunity v. Anvil Mining Limited
Our concern centres on the apparent denial of the possibility that the victims of the violence in Kilwa could seek redress from a Canadian company in Canadian courts, with the ancillary concern that transnational corporations, mining companies in particular, and Anvil Mining in specific, may be able...
Eroding Democracy: FTAs, Corporate Rights and Resource Extraction in the Americas
Manuel Pérez Rocha is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. He is also the Coordinator of Networking for Justice in Global Investment, and is a member of the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade (RMALC).
In February 2012, he spoke at Ottawa University on the...
No Habitat - No Fish / No Protection - No Habitat
Blog post: An internal government memo leaked to fisheries biologist Otto Langer suggests that the Federal government plans on removing a crucial provision of the Fisheries Act – one of Canada’s most important environmental laws.
Mexico and Canada uphold impunity in Blackfire case
Communiqué: The Mexican Network of Mine Affected Communities – Chiapas echoes calls for an end to impunity in the case of Blackfire Exploration and for greater responsiveness from both Canadian and Chiapas authorities to requests for further information.
Peruvians Oppose CIDA’s Joint CSR Initiative with Barrick Gold and World Vision
Opinion: Rick Arnold, former coordinator of Common Frontiers Canada, argues that the CIDA-funded CSR project with World Vision and Barrick Gold is aimed at the pacification of local dissent over a new Barrick project in La Libertad, Perú, rather than local economic development.
Canadian Mining Overseas: Counter to Development Goals and Discrediting Canada
Presentation: Dr. Anthony Bebbington, Higgins Professor of Environment and Society, Director of the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, testified to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International...
Indigenous Rights and Mining: Submissions to the UN Committe on Elimination of Racial Discrimination
In February 2012 during the CERD's 80th session the Committee reviewed Canada's 19th and 20th reports. Prior to the review interested parties submitted comments to CERD on Canada's progress, or lack there of, in implementing the Convention and responding to the Committee's earlier recommendations. A...