Unless the Trudeau government takes a sharp turn from its current course, it’s starting to look as if fixing Canada’s environmental assessment law is going to be added to the growing list of bold commitments that it won’t deliver on. At the end of June, the federal government released a discussion paper outlining its plans. They amount to little more than tinkering with the Harper government’s devastating 2012 re-write of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Here's a set of key recommendations from various industry experts, practioners and analysts that believe catostrophic failures of mining waste facilities can be avoided if regulators take the following actions (NOT EXHAUSTIVE - additional comments welcome):

Governance:

(Fredericton/Ottawa/Vancouver) A delegation of regional and national Indigenous communities and advocacy groups will be attending the annual Canadian Energy & Mines Ministers Conference on August 13-16 in St. Andrew's, New Brunswick.

(Kamloops) This United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UNDRIP was seen as a major milestone with respect to the cooperation and solidarity between indigenous peoples and Member States.

(Vancouver) As today marks the third anniversary of the Mount Polley mine disaster and the time limit to file charges under BC laws, Indigenous advocate Bev Sellars announced that she filed private charges against Mount Polley Mining Corporation (Imperial Metals) at the Provincial Court of British Columbia this afternoon in Vancouver.

Accomplished filmmaker Robert Moberg is seeking support to complete a documentary film about the social and environmental aftermath of the devastating Mt Polley mine disaster in central British Columbia — the largest mining spill in Canadian history. MiningWatch Canada invites the public to support this project. Donations can be made online until August 30, 2017: www.kickstarter.com/projects/turbidity/turbidity-the-mt-polley-mine-disaster

For as long as I can remember, the waters of B.C.'s Quesnel Lake played an important role in my community. We fished for trout and swam in its depths, camped along its shores and picked berries and medicines in the surrounding Cariboo Mountains. The entire time, we were sharing our Xat'sull language and culture with our children.

Court hearing follows letter from CEAA advising company that drilling program for New Prosperity is illegal

Victoria, B.C. – The Tsilhqot’in Nation is in BC Supreme Court in Victoria today challenging a provincial drilling permit issued to Taseko Mines Limited.

Originally published at https://democracyctr.org/resource/the-anti-mining-struggle-in-el-salvador-corporate-strategies-and-community-resistance/

By Carol Linnitt • Sunday, July 23, 2017

As the three-year anniversary of the Mount Polley mine disaster approaches, so too does the deadline for the province to lay any charges against mine owner Imperial Metals.