By James Wilt • Thursday, July 20, 2017

A massive open-pit copper mine might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about solar power.

But the construction of photovoltaic panels actually require a wide range of metals and minerals to build. Nineteen, to be exact, including silica, indium, silver, selenium and lead. Most can be found or produced in Canada.

By Judith Lavoie • Wednesday, July 19, 2017 - 10:52

One of the first controversies likely to land on the desk of newly minted Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Michelle Mungall is what to do about the proposed massive Ajax gold and copper mine on the outskirts of Kamloops that is opposed by Kamloops city council and the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation.

Following the suspension of two of Tahoe Resources’ mine licences in Guatemala on July 5, Tahoe Resources’ suppliers, workers and the Guatemalan Industrial Association have engaged in a smear campaign in the Guatemalan press against the Centre for Environmental, Social and Legal Action (CALAS) and its members for having brought the claim against the Ministry of Energy and Mines that led to the decision. The defamation puts CALAS and its members at risk of further violence.

Diesel fumes, silica dust and radon gas—to name three examples of well-known air pollutants in mines— continue to affect thousands of miners across Canada and the world. Too little attention is paid to the health costs and impacts of this reality.  

Thanks to the work of organizations such as the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) in Ontario, Canada, we get to know a bit more about this ongoing reality.

(Oakland/Reno/Ottawa/Tatamagouche/Toronto) On Wednesday July 5, the Guatemalan Supreme Court of Justice announced that it was temporarily suspending two of Tahoe Resources’ mining licences until a suit against the Ministry of Energy and Mines is resolved for discrimination and lack of prior consultation with Indigenous Xinka communities in the area of the company’s Escobal silver mine.

(Ottawa) Barrick Gold Corp.’s top brass flew to Tanzania for a meeting with President Magufuli on June 14 to deal with accusations by the Tanzanian government that Barrick’s local subsidiary Acacia (63.9 % owned by Barrick) has failed to pay taxes owed, is underreporting the value of minerals exported out of Tanzania, and is operating without a legal licence.

(Ottawa) More than seven years since the murder of Mariano Abarca in Chicomuselo, Chiapas, his widow and children announced this week that they have filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against the Mexican government. Mariano was shot at close range and murdered outside his restaurant on November 27, 2009 in connection with his leadership in the fight against the social and environmental impacts of Blackfire Exploration’s barite mine that operated for two years in Chiapas.

Yesterday, Clean Energy Canada released a study supporting more metal mining in Canada to support clean energy development. While pointing out that the Canadian mining industry falls well short of social and ecological “responsibility”, the report’s promotion of raw materials extraction is oddly anachronistic.

At its annual general meeting in Vancouver last week, wannabe deep sea miner Nautilus Inc. failed to inspire shareholders with confidence in its Solwara 1 venture in Papua New Guinea.[1]

Without sufficient funds to complete its equipment build, Nautilus’ 2019 mining start date for its flagship Solwara 1 project is unlikely to be met. Its financing strategy has been spectacularly unsuccessful with commercial operation delayed year after year since 2011.

(Ottawa/Washington, D.C./Melbourne) Reviewing OceanaGold reports issued in the lead up to its June 23 annual general shareholders meeting in Toronto, it is difficult to tell that the company was at the centre of international controversy over two of its mine projects in 2016 and early 2017. Ignoring significant problems in El Salvador and the Philippines, however, will not address the reputational risk that the company continues to face.