Our web site is finally up and running. Pay a visit to miningwatch.ca to catch up on the latest news from MiningWatch Canada, consult our documentation, or look at some eye-catching maps of acid mine drainage sites in Canada.
Since the last newsletter, we've issued press releases regarding the involvement of Canadian gold mining interests in police shootings in Ghana; the federal government's billion-dollar liability for abandoned mines; the visit of Indonesian environmentalist Anto Sangaji to Canada to highlight the risks around Inco's operations in Sulawesi; and the shortcomings of the Mining Association of Canada's environmental report for 1999.
We sent out a short piece called Balancing the Books: The Hidden Costs of Mining in response to the annual mining industry Parliamentary lobby day. We also made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding the Export Development Corporation (see Newsletter #1 for details on this campaign). Mining's Toxic Orphans: A Plan for Action on Federal Contaminated and Unsafe Mine Sites was submitted to the relevant cabinet ministers.
Press response has been very positive; for example, our piece on federal liability for abandoned mines was widely picked up in the Northern media, where most of the federal responsibility lies.
In this issue:
- Contamination from abandoned mines gets a higher profile
- Environmental and human rights repercussions of Canadian mining investment in Ghana, West Africa
- “On the Ground Research” conference getting off the ground
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act under review
- Regional grants program announced
- First-ever Annual General Meeting set for Toronto, March 3-5, 2000