Brazil: New catastrophic spill from mining dam threatens thousands of lives
from London Mining Network
Richard Solly from the London Mining Network told ICN: "The catastrophic spill from Brazilian company Vale's Brumadinho mining waste dam in Minas Gerais state is the second massive waste dam collapse in Brazil in recent years. The last one was at Mariana, in the same state, in November 2015, at the Samarco iron ore mine owned by Vale and London-listed mining company BHP. The 2015 disaster had a much greater environmental impact, but Friday's disaster seems to have taken perhaps fifteen times as many lives - up to 350 people are still missing and may be dead.....
....Our colleague Rodrigo Peret OFM, of the Churches and Mining Network in Brazil, who is is the area of the spill, said: "Three years after Mariana, this new crime of the mining company Vale is evidence of the way the authorities and mining companies systematically ignore the constant denunciations made by community, civil society organisations and social movements. The mining company Vale remains unpunished, with irresponsible and illegal conduct covered up by public authorities. This new disaster shows that mining is based on a development model which is unsustainable and lethal." LEARN MORE What would it cost to clean up Alberta’s oilpatch? $260 billion, a top official warnsNovember 7, 2018 - The Star
The estimated liabilities are far higher than any liability amount made public by government and industry officials. READ MORE and yet:
Last Thursday, I(Jody Chan), The Leap, sat on a call with journalists, investors, and oil and gas industry executives as Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) announced their 2018 third quarter earnings: $1.8 billion. Yes, you read that right: $1.8 billion, in just three months of 2018. And yet, CNRL has over 10,000 inactive wells that are over 15 years old and have yet to be cleaned up. READ MORE AND SEE HOW TO TAKE ACTION Also see Canada's National Observer story where the Alberta’s fossil fuel industry regulator will resign over this issue. Where is the Federal Government on this? - FVC Honduras Catholic Church to Aura Minerals & all mining companies: “GET OUT OF OUR TERRITORY”
October 2, 2018 - Rights Action
Statement by Bishop & Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán (Honduras), saying ‘No’ to Aura Minerals destruction of Azacualpa cemetery, ‘No’ to Aura’s cyanide-leaching, open-pit mining.
(L: bones of bodies illegally exhumed by Aura Minerals, left lying around in Azacualpa cemetery. R: local citizen stares in one of the over 100 graves emptied out. Photos: Azacualpa environmental committee)
The Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán, in Honduras, demanded that Aura Minerals (Canadian/U.S.) gold mining company and its subsidiary MINOSA and ALL the mining companies, close all of their operations and depart from Azacualpa, in clear support to the local community. READ THE STORY MASSIVE FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES CONTINUE, BUT TRUE COSTS ARE HIDDEN FROM CANADIANS
September 23, 2018 - Environmental Defense
What’s the dumbest policy in the world? Public cash for oil and gas!
Canada’s federal government handed out hundreds of millions of dollars per year in public money to oil and gas companies between 2016 and 2018, despite its longstanding commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Take action: Tell Canada to stop funding fossils. Actually, the final figure is likely much higher, but a lack of transparency from the federal government makes many subsidies to climate polluters difficult to quantify. With the recent purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, that number is likely to be higher still. READ MORE PLUS: The Star reports:
“This has more to do with the oil price crash and crafty industry tax accounting than significant action by Canada’s government,” said Patrick DeRochie, climate and energy program manager of Environmental Defence. “Combining carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidies is like trying to bail water out of a leaky boat. If you don’t fix the leak, you are never going to fix the problem.” Open for Justice: Increasing corporate accountability in CanadaSeptember 9, 2018 - Mining Watch Canada
On January 17, 2018, The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) is greatly encouraged by the Minister of International Trade’s announcement of the creation of a Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise. The human rights ombudsperson will investigate complaints concerning the overseas operations of Canadian companies and will issue public findings on allegations of harm. The office will make recommendations for redress; regarding corporate eligibility for government services; and with respect to policy and law reform. Read Executive Summary: Establishing a human rights Ombudsman for Canada’s international extractive sector (pdf)? Take Action: Ask your member of parliament to support this initiative.
Dozens of scientists from over 20 countries explain how mining, logging and fossil fuels disrupt the water on earthAugust 8, 2018 - Canada's National Observer
Rare old growth trees in the Great Bear Rainforest. Photo by Andy Wright
Canadian government departments should work closer together to determine how the interaction of forests and water is being disrupted by fossil fuel extraction, mining and logging, says a Canadian scientist at the centre of a new report presented to the United Nations.
“There’s an emerging scientific body of evidence that is starting to suggest that it’s not just what happens when the raindrop falls to the ground...but that the forests produce water,” says Canadian scientist Irena Creed. #cdnpoli #cdnsci Oil and gas extraction, logging and mining all has an impact on the connection between forests and water, she said. Canada should examine how much resource extraction should be halted in order to ensure the ecosystem’s forest-water balance isn’t disrupted. READ MORE.... July 18, 2018 - The Narwhal
Canada’s mining giants pay billions less in taxes in Canada than abroadCompanies pay Canada a tiny fraction of what they pay other countries to extract gold
Mining companies operating in Canada are paying just a fraction of the fees, taxes and royalties they pay in other countries. That's often in addition to underfunded mine liability. Pictured here is the abandoned Giant Mine in Yellowknife, one of the country's largest gold mines, which operated for 70 years before closing and leaving Canadians with an estimated billion-dollar cleanup. Photo: Matt Jacques / The Narwhal READ THE FULL STORY
If you're a Canadian taxpayer, congratulations: you just bought a pipeline.
In an announcement today, Finance Minister Bill Moreau delivered the shocking news that the federal government will spend at least $4.5 billion to bailout oil giant Kinder Morgan. It's a stunning ripoff for Canadians — today, and for generations to come. The hypocrisy of a climate leader government buying its own pipeline is astounding as is the financial risk they just laid on all Canadian taxpayers. And perhaps more egregiously, this all took place while the question of whether approval of the pipeline was un-constitutional remains before the courts. READ MORE. Also see the following information from....... 
February 13, 2018 - SumOfUs & Canadian Mining Watch
The Canadian government is just days away from deciding the fate of the massive Ajax copper-gold mine. If built, the mine would destroy an ecologically-sensitive area that is home to over 250 different animal, plant and bird species, and sits on the sacred lands of the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation (SSN), where 7,000 year-old cultural artifacts have been uncovered.
The BC government just did the right thing and said no to this project that would sit mere kilometers from homes, schools and a hospital -- putting residents at risk of water contamination and health problems from toxic pollution. This is an incredibly positive first step -- but both levels of government need to reject the project to stop it. Now, we need to up the pressure on the Federal government to follow BC’s lead and put the final nail in the Ajax mine’s coffin. ......Read More Six Reasons To Be Concerned About the Ajax Open Pit Mine in Kamloops, B.C.
Every year, $31 billion of food ends up in a landfill in Canada alone. This isn't just stale bread and mouldy produce. This is good to eat food of all sorts. Produce, dairy, grain, protein, and everything outside of those.
Yet, nearly one million Canadians rely on food banks each month, and about four million Canadians are "food insecure", of which 1.5 million are children. In 2015, the French government passed a law forbidding supermarkets from wasting and deliberately destroying food that can still be eaten. Instead, supermarkets have since been required to donate all unsold food products to charity such as food banks. READ MORE AND TAKE ACTION Clean up Canada's fracking mess - David Suzuki FoundationFebruary 3, 2018
Allowing methane to go into the air is one of the worst things we can do if we want to stop climate change.
Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for 25 per cent of the already observed changes to Earth's climate. Yesterday, we released Fugitives in our midst: Investigating fugitive emissions from abandoned, suspended and active oil and gas wells in the Montney Basin in northeastern British Columbia. The report shows of 178 oil and gas sites investigated:
Trudeau Government Must Act after Striking Workers Murdered at Canadian-Owned Mine in Mexico
TORONTO – The murders of two strikers at a Canadian-owned mine underscores the widespread repression of basic labour rights in Mexico – even when the employer is Canadian, the United Steelworkers (USW) says.
“On Saturday, November 18 – four days after the Canadian government was warned of the potential for such violence – an armed group murdered two striking workers from the Canadian-owned Media Luna gold mine in the state of Guerrero,” said Ken Neumann, the USW’s National Director for Canada. “The root of these brutal murders is the widespread repression of labour rights in Mexico – including by Canadian companies,” Neumann said. “We are once again urging the Canadian government to intervene with Mexican authorities and the company to recognize the basic rights of Mexican workers and prevent further violence. The Mexican government and this Canadian company must ensure this conflict is resolved without further bloodshed.” READ MORE.... Is Justice Possible in Canada or Guatemala for Hudbay Minerals/CGN Mining Repression?November 1, 2017 - The Upside Down World
Angelica Choc and 9 of the 11 women from Lote 8. Source: Rights Action
Thirteen Q’eqchi’ plaintiffs, suing Hudbay Minerals and CGN (Guatemalan subsidiary company, formerly owned by Hudbay) for mining related repression, will travel to Toronto (11 of them in November 2017; 2 more in early 2018) to be deposed by Hudbay lawyers as part of the precedent-setting Hudbay/CGN lawsuits.
Two of these mining repression victims are also pursuing a parallel but separate criminal trial in Guatemala against Mynor Padilla, former head of security of Hudbay/CGN. Given the history of impunity and immunity from accountability that Canadian-based mining companies have enjoyed in Canada, forever, and given Guatemala’s endemic impunity, corruption and repression (that global companies know about and benefit from), the question remains whether justice will be possible in Canada and/or Guatemala for Hudbay/CGN mining repression? READ MORE..... Read their horrific story yet their courage to continue to fight for justice and the future of their children and grandchildren. The Canadian justice system continues to be indifferent. Canada has the second-worse mining record in the world: UNOctober 27, 2017 - DESMOG-CANADA
Canada has more mine tailings spills than most other countries in the world, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which urges governments and the mining industry to improve safety, accountability and oversight.
During the last decade there have been seven known mine tailings spills in Canada, only one less than reported in China, which tops the list, says the report. The UNEP assessment “Mine Tailings Storage: Safety Is No Accident” looks at 40 tailings accidents, including the 2014 Mount Polley disaster that saw 24 million cubic metres of sludge and mine waste flooding into nearby waterways. READ MORE
Let's unbottle water
Anger Boils Over at North Mara Mine - Abuses Unaddressed
This again reinforces the need for the Canadian Government to appoint an Ombudsperson with the powers to address the wrongdoings of Canadian mining companies. See an earlier posting below to see how your fraternity can help to bring justice to the people affected. Read more.....
Or go to CNCA. June 12, 2017, David Suzuki Foundation
Cascades: Canada's first recycled paper products company
What makes recycled paper products eco-friendly?
Not so long ago, you couldn't buy anything made of recycled paper. Now companies turn waste into products people use every day. Paper and cardboard come from processing trees, using chemicals, energy and water. Recycling one product to make another reduces the pressure on natural resources. Our "forest" is urban — it's in the recycling bin. Cascades recycles and works to improve methods and processes. We now use 2.7 times less energy and 6.5 times less water to manufacture our products than the average in the Canadian paper industry. Read Full Article The 'Canada Brand': Violence and Canadian Mining Companies in Latin AmericaThe Justice and Corporate Accountability Project has documented troubling incidents of violence associated with Canadian mining companies in Latin America. In general, neither the Canadian government nor industry are monitoring or reporting on these incidents. Read the executive summary below.
Canada needs an ombudsperson now!
Government officials have told us that they plan to create an ombudsperson for the extractive sector – yet they have not announced it officially and it was not in the federal budget. We need to hold them to their word! Join members of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) for a Month of Action for Mining Justice in May. Join us in creating a groundswell of support that decision-makers won’t be able to ignore.
To learn more about mining justice and the demand for an ombudsperson, visit: cnca-rcrce.ca/ombudsperson. Do what you can to help bring justice to the people affected. Demand access to justice in Canada for Ecuadorian Amazon communities struggling with an environmental disaster caused by Chevron-Texaco. 24 years of struggles without getting real access to justice! For more information: http://chevrontoxico.com/about/ Please share the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1887262491491822/ Submitted by Andrew Conradi, ofs, National JPIC Animator, May 12, 2017 Mining Disaster in BC, Letter to B.C. Government, Call for Action
Mining Injustice
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Mining
The OFM JPIC International Council (ICJPIC) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 19-26 June, 2014 and focused on lifestyle, mining and hunger. The OFM JPIC Meeting of the Americas in Bogota will also have mining as one of its focus areas.
The two Canadian OFM Provinces (Christ the King & St. Joseph) and the Canadian OFS, to some extent, are supporters of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), which is also Caritas Canada. The Franciscans support CCODP by promoting CCODP campaigns through parishes, retreat centers, friaries, fraternities and as individuals.
CCODP conducted education and action campaigns about mining in:
The 2006-2011 programs focused on three distinct but related areas - mining, land and water i.e. the promotion of sustainable human development through participatory management, democratic control, and equitable distribution of resources. The slogan was: Life before profit!
Read more here from Andrew Conradi, National JPIC Animator, Canada.
The two Canadian OFM Provinces (Christ the King & St. Joseph) and the Canadian OFS, to some extent, are supporters of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), which is also Caritas Canada. The Franciscans support CCODP by promoting CCODP campaigns through parishes, retreat centers, friaries, fraternities and as individuals.
CCODP conducted education and action campaigns about mining in:
- 2006 - Canadian mining called to account,
- 2007 - Call for an ombudsman,
- 2008 - Mining, land, water and food and
- 2013 - Renewed call for an Ombudsman: A voice for justice.
The 2006-2011 programs focused on three distinct but related areas - mining, land and water i.e. the promotion of sustainable human development through participatory management, democratic control, and equitable distribution of resources. The slogan was: Life before profit!
Read more here from Andrew Conradi, National JPIC Animator, Canada.
Rail or pipeline? It's about how to reduce our need for both.
Rail versus pipeline - wrong question
Rail or pipeline? Is that really the question? According to the recent David Suzuki Foundation article, both transportation methods come with significant risks. Shipping by rail leads to more accidents and spills, but pipeline leaks usually involve much larger volumes. One of the reasons we're seeing more train accidents involving fossil fuels is the incredible boom in moving these products by rail. According to the American Association of Railroads, train shipments of crude oil in the U.S. grew almost 25 times from 2008 to 2012! Beyond the danger to the environment and human health, the worst risk with fossil fuels is the carbon emissions from burning their products. Many climate scientists and energy experts, including the International Energy Agency, agree that to have any chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change, we must leave at least two-thirds of our remaining fossil fuels in the ground. Pipelines and fossil fuel development are not great long-term job creators either, and pale in comparison to employment generated by the renewable energy sector.
Government Response to FI NFLD Fracking letter
On the 4th December 2013, the Franciscan International Advocacy Office received a reply from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to the letter they prepared back in September with the Sisters of Mercy. The response from the government is a reiteration of the Nov. 4 press release announcing the moratorium on fracking.
The FI September letter is educational and well worth a read not least because of its substance but also because of all the references. Congratulations to all involved!
The FI September letter is educational and well worth a read not least because of its substance but also because of all the references. Congratulations to all involved!
Tap or Bottled Water - social and moral question
The Holy Father wrote: " ..... purchasing is always a moral — and not simply economic — act. Hence the consumer has a specific social responsibility ....." (Benedict XVI, 2009, Caritas in Veritate, 66) How true this is when we consider whether to drink regular tap water or bottled water. The Holy Father also wrote “It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination.” (Benedict XVI, 2009, Caritas in Veritate, 27)
As Franciscans, according to rules 15 and 18, we have a duty to Sister Water, a god-given gift for the common good. If the water in your area is not fit for human consumption or sanitation, then, make your voice heard. Also remember those in the world who rely on bottled water, privatization of a common good. Then, from an ecological standpoint, what are the effects of all that plastic (creation and disposal) on the environment?
This video provides enlightening facts and statistics to help discern whether to drink municipal tap water or bottled water. Viewer discretion is advised due to some coarse language.
As Franciscans, according to rules 15 and 18, we have a duty to Sister Water, a god-given gift for the common good. If the water in your area is not fit for human consumption or sanitation, then, make your voice heard. Also remember those in the world who rely on bottled water, privatization of a common good. Then, from an ecological standpoint, what are the effects of all that plastic (creation and disposal) on the environment?
This video provides enlightening facts and statistics to help discern whether to drink municipal tap water or bottled water. Viewer discretion is advised due to some coarse language.
The Water Wealth Project
The WaterWealth Project is about empowering community residents to regain control over decisions that affect their home waters - the rivers, lakes and aquifers that are the arteries of our towns, cities and regions.
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Hydraulic Fracturing
The NB Provincial Government's determination to solve its fiscal deficits through "hydro fracking" has become a major controversy in New Brunswick. The Ban Fracking Facebook site gives some insight into the extent of the protests and the potential effect of corporate greed to extract the natural resources at any cost. Science warns that there are too many unknowns for government to rush down this path. Is a moratorium warranted? For more information see the sites listed below:
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