Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam news release: Quebec – The Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam (ITUM) have submitted recommendations on Quebec's Mineral Strategy to the National Assembly. After a thorough review of the proposed amendments to the Mining Act, and faced with the unwillingness of Quebec to recognize fundamental Aboriginal rights, ITUM has concluded that there is a massive gap between the position of the Uashaunnuat and the government regarding the legal title of mineral resources.

Penobsquis Homeowners' news release: A group of Penobsquis homeowners are taking action against PotashCorp for damages resulting from their mining activities. Sixty water wells have been lost in the Penobsquis area affecting upwards of 200 people. The removal of the water from the mine is causing the ground to settle and shift even more than is expected from normal mine operations. This land movement is causing damage to homes and property. In addition to water loss and land movement, residents suffer from dust, noise and light pollution, lost property values, stress, and other issues.

Joint news release with Ecojustice and Great Lakes United: New data released Friday in response to a lawsuit won last year by Ecojustice, on behalf of Great Lakes United and MiningWatch Canada, is beginning to shine a light on the toxic legacy of Canada's mining and tar sands industries. Unfortunately, despite a lawsuit and a government order to report pollutant releases, some facilities have failed to comply.

On Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 7:30 PM in the small community San José Nueva Esperanza in the village of Maquivil, municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Ms. Diodora Antonia Hernández Cinto was shot. Two unknown young men showed up at her house asking for a place to stay. When they were refused housing, they asked to buy a cup of coffee. When Ms. Hernández went to give them their coffee, they shot her in the head near her right eye, causing significant blood loss. The two men ran off in the direction of San José Ixcaniche. Ms.

Canadians want just and sustainable development not fake lakes and abuse of Aboriginal rights!

The federal review panel on the proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine has released its final report. It has concluded that the project, if approved, would have significant and lasting negative environmental effects and represent a significant loss to the area's First Nations.

(Update) Bill C-300 - a "responsible mining bill" - goes to a vote in the House of Commons in September or October.

News Release from Klippensteins, Barristers and Solicitors: (Toronto, June 16, 2010) An Ontario judge has ruled that former Canadian Ambassador to Guatemala, Kenneth Cook, slandered Ph.D. student and videographer Steven Schnoor by making false statements about a documentary video that Schnoor made that was critical of the practices of a Canadian mining company.

University of Toronto law professor Audrey Macklin and Tom Shrake, CEO of Pacific Rim Mining, testify on Private Member's Bill C-300 before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Meeting no. 22, June 8, 2010. (Actually Mr. Shrake's comments are more general as he admits he isn't actually familiar with the Bill.)

The creation of large volumes of waste, including solids, liquid effluents, and air emissions, is a fact of life for mining and mineral processing operations. Depending on the minerals’ natural geology and how they are processed these wastes can often be hazardous to the environment and human health. Solid wastes including waste rock and tailings are, by volume, the most significant waste generated by mining and mineral processing. Solid wastes are typically in the tens to hundreds of millions of tons of waste for a single mine.

Community leaders from the region of Cabañas and Santa Marta have come under serious threat in the past months. Please help press Salvadoran authorities to make sure the threats and violence are stopped, and make sure Canadian officials, the Canadian public, and Canadian companies operating in the region are aware of the situation - and your concern.