Joint news release with Council of Canadians and Common Frontiers: Yet another anti-mining activist has been murdered in El Salvador. Canadian civil society organizations are calling for a full investigation into the murder of Juan Francisco Durán Ayala, the fourth such death in two years that local organizations believe are linked to the presence of Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining in the department of Cabañas.

Salvadoran Juan Francisco Durán Ayala, anti-mining activist and university student, has been murdered (background information below). Join the Environmental Committee of Cabañas (CAC) and Juan Francisco's family in calling on the Attorney General and National Civilian Police to carry out an exhaustive investigation into the material and intellectual authors of this brutal murder and to and protect the lives of all anti-mining activists in El Salvador.

On a flashy new website, Taseko claims that it has addressed all of the issues raised by the review panel and that it continues to work collaboratively with the First Nations on whose traditional territory the massive open pit operation would be located. Ramsey Hart, Canada Program Coordinator for MiningWatch Canada commented, “These claims are more PR fiction than reality, and represent a gross misrepresentation of the federal review panel’s findings — and of Taseko’s toxic relationship with First Nations.”

Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that does not apply EA legislation to mine development — several jurisdictions also apply their EA process to mineral exploration. Clearly Ontario is out of step with the rest of Canada and Ontarians' expectations regarding decision making about mining in the province.

Contents:

• Crossroads on the Tundra: Baker Lake struggles under pressure to allow uranium mining
• Courting Justice: Victims of mining abuses sue in Canada
• Having the Ruggie Pulled Out From Under Us: From “Sanction and Remedy” to non-judicial grievance mechanisms
• Outdated Mining Act Leads to Multiple Conflicts Over Exploration and Mine Development in Quebec
• Quebec Mining Conflicts from East to West, North to South
• MiningWatch and Papua New Guinea Partners File Complaint on Porgera Mine
• Mining Mongolia: Ivanhoe, T-shirts, NGOs, and Wikileaks

Open letter - The Wixárika indigenous people delivered the following letter to President of Mexico Felipe Calderón in Mexico City on May 9, 2011. A delegation from the Wixárika people then presented the same letter to First Majestic Silver shareholders on May 19, 2011, during the company's annual general meeting in Vancouver. The letter expresses concern about the impacts that a proposed silver mine will have on one of their most important sacred ceremonial sites, called Wirikuta.

Quebec, Wednesday May 18, 2011 – Quebec still ranks near the bottom of the heap in the collection mineral royalties, according to an analysis (see Tables 1 and 2) released today by the coalition Québec meilleure mine! and MiningWatch Canada. Despite changes to the royalty regime in 2010, Quebec still lags behind other Canadian jurisdictions with only 2% of the gross value of mineral production retained in royalties.

News release: After a year in which every major human rights body has called for the suspension of the Marlin mine in Guatemala, on Wednesday Goldcorp asked its shareholders to trust its judgment instead.

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.

MiningWatch Canada takes the position that there should be a total moratorium on uranium exploration and new uranium mines across Canada. The conditions that would alter this position are stringent and unlikely to be met by the industry any time soon, if ever. MiningWatch Canada will continue to support communities seeking to clean up existing contamination and/or trying to monitor and enforce the strictest protective measures at uranium mine and mill sites.

(Revised November 2006.) Investigating mining as it relates to aspects of the economy, the environment, and communities; a cross-curricular programme relating Reading, Geography, and Science, this package contains everything needed to deliver an effective, skill-based unit. Prepared by Beth Nicol and Marilyn Crawford. Available as a PDF file (2.3 MB) (58 pages). Published by the Canary Research Institute for Mining, Environment and Health.