Mining and Dams
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VIEW: CIDA, World Vision support of Barrick Gold mine in Peru misplaced, says Arnold
Former Common Frontiers coordinator Rick Arnold writes in Embassy, “Controversy erupted recently about new funding arrangements announced by the Canadian International Development Agency that would hook CIDA up with the mining industry and have both channelling funds to South America and Africa via a handful of international NGOs.” “One of those projects connects CIDA, Barrick…
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NEWS: The murder of Fr. Restrepo and the proposed Canadian-owned mine in Marmato, Colombia
The National Catholic Reporter recently reported on the killing of Fr. José Reinel Restrepo in Marmato, Colombia. “The basic details surrounding the assassination of Restrepo are by now well-known in Colombia. On the afternoon of Sept. 2, Restrepo shuttered the church, mounted his small motorcycle and puttered down the unpaved, tortuously steep mountain road past…
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NEWS: Veracruz governor rejects Caballo Blanco mine in Mexico
La Jornada Veracruz reports (in Spanish), “The Veracruz state government formally expressed its opposition to the installation of the Caballo Blanco mine by Goldgroup company, considering that it is a viable project and that is incompatible with the environmental characteristics of the area where intends to operate, and was announced by Governor Javier Duarte de…
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UPDATE: Campero protests proposed Caballo Blanco mine in Veracruz, Mexico
According to the Vancouver-based mining company Goldgroup’s website, “Caballo Blanco, Goldgroup’s 100%-owned advanced stage flagship gold project, is located 65km northwest of Veracruz, Mexico’s largest port city. The project consists of two large areas of epithermal gold mineralization: Northern Zone, where the main La Paila Zone is located, and the Highway Zone. In 2011, Goldgroup…
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NEWS: Canadian mining company’s plans in Argentina stopped over water concerns
Mexico City-based Blue Planet Project organizer Claudia Campero Arena notes that Montreal-based Osisko mining corporation’s proposed Famatina gold mine project in Argentina has been stopped due to widespread concern over water consumption and pollution. Protests against the proposed mine included a demonstration of more than 300 people in front of the Canadian embassy in Buenos…
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NEWS: Proposed Canadian copper mine threatens water supply of Arizona town
The Globe and Mail reports, “Florence, Arizona is up in arms over plans by a Canadian company to build a copper mine right in the middle of town. The proposed mine, by Vancouver-based Curis Resources Ltd., has garnered national attention and brought out some heavy hitters, including Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and developer Robert Sarver,…
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Chilean Patagonia in the Balance
Dams, Mines and the Canadian Connection By Alex Latta and Kari Williams for The Council of Canadians Far away, on the southern cone of South America in Chilean Patagonia, exists one of the most beautiful, still-virgin territories on Earth. There, an intense struggle is taking place that most Canadians have never heard of, but that…
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Calgary-based company loses bid for open pit gold mine in Costa Rica
Calgary-based Infinito Gold Inc. wants to operate an open-pit gold mine in Costa Rica’s Northern Zone near the Nicaragua border. As reported by Tico Times, “In 2006, then-president Óscar Arias signed a decree saying the mine was in Costa Rica’s public interest and gave the go-ahead to the project, which was already facing stiff opposition…
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Vermont water as a public trust law challenges quarry permit
The Burlington Free Press reports that, “In the first cases involving Vermont’s 2008 groundwater protection law, an state Environmental Court judge has ruled that regulators must take additional steps to consider the impact on groundwater when reviewing projects with a potential to pollute.” “Judge Merideth Wright on Wednesday reopened a permit issued last year by…
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Blackfire mine in Mexico shut down over environmental concerns
The Canadian Press reports that, “A Mexican mine run by a Canadian company embroiled in a controversy around the death of a local activist (Abarca Roblero) has been shut down over environmental concerns.” “Abarca Roblero was known as a passionate critic of Blackfire, which he blamed for contaminating local rivers and for killing local crops…