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The earth provides resources but they must be used with the common good in mind.
Mining Company DisastersNovember 21, 2020 - GCCM Article
In 2015 a dam managed by the mining company Samarco (a subsidiary of Vale S.A) burst in Brazil in the state of Minas Gerais, in the municipality of Mariana. The swath of mud big enough to fit 16,000 Olympic swimming pools kills 19 people and destroys entire communities. A little more than three years later, a different dam managed by the mining company, Vale S.A., burst again the same state of Brazil, Minas Gerais, in the municipality of Brumadinho. But this time, the loss of human life is exponentially worse. The avalanche kills more than 250 people, burying “women, men, animals, and vegetation.” Click on the image below to learn more and see a 78 sec video 
The long struggle for rights and justice.
Looking Ahead: Proposals for a Just and Inclusive Recovery
June 23, 2020 - Tamarack Institute
Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible EnterpriseMay 20, 2020 - D&P
The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, lacking the power to compel testimony or the submission of documents, cannot effectively investigate allegations of human rights abuse linked to Canadian mining, energy, and garment companies’ global operations and supply chains.
Be part of the solution! Sign the e-petition to the House of Commons. Also see #power2investigate #CAN4mHRDD The Liberal Government promised to address this critical justice issue, but to date little has been done. Help call on government to do the right thing. See earlier posting (April 25, 2019) on this issue below. - FVC The divestment movement is working!February 26, 2020 - 350.org
We all need to speak up and act. It is not a futile action.
'Completely unsustainable': How streaming and other data demands take a toll on the environmentJanuary 6, 2020 - CBC - Thomas Daigle
Tech firms look for solutions as data centres use huge amounts of power to fuel streaming and social media. 
For those of us binge-watching TV shows, installing new smartphone apps or sharing family photos on social media over the holidays, it may seem like an abstract predicament.
The gigabytes of data we're using — although invisible — come at a significant cost to the environment. Some experts say it rivals that of the airline industry... How much power does it take? Anders Andrae, a researcher at Huawei Technologies Sweden whose estimates are often cited, told CBC News in an email he expects the world's data centres alone will devour up to 651 terawatt-hours of electricity in the next year. That's nearly as much electricity as Canada's entire energy sector produces. ....LEARN MORE Climate emissions from tropical forest damage 'underestimated by a factor of six'November 5, 2019 - The Guardian
Assessment Reports on Biodiversity - VideoSeptember 26, 2019 - Our Lady of Hope Province
In March 2018, IPBES launched four Assessment Reports on #biodiversity and #EcosystemServices - one each for #Africa, the #Americas, #AsiaPacific and #Europe and #Central Asia. Together they are the most important expert contribution of the past decade to the state of knowledge about nature and nature's contributions to people.
Pledge To “Wipe Right”: Use Recycled Toilet Paper
August 28, 2019
(USA) National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is raising awareness about how a simple product like toilet paper is devastating our forests and is calling on consumers to use recycled toilet paper in order to conserve that resource. Canada has the same problem. 
As a conscious toilet paper consumer, pledge to:
Take the NRDC PLEDGE. ELDORADO - The Struggle for Skouries
August 21, 2019
Processing Plant in the pristine forest of Skouries
‘ELDORADO — The Struggle For Skouries‘ is a prize-winning documentary about the civic struggle against destructive resource extractionism at Europe’s largest mining project located in Halkidiki, Northern Greece.
Chronicling the resistance against high-risk gold mining and the abusive criminalization of the anti-mining movement by the Greek government, it is a compelling document of neoliberal ideals and human rights abuses playing out in one of the most crisis-ridden countries of Europe. The documentary is partly based on SOMO report ‘Fool’s Gold’. It is important to note here that the Canadian Vancouver-base mining company Eldorado Gold is the primary developer of this mining site. The documentary shows the resistance against high-risk gold mining and the criminalization of the anti-mining movement by the Greek government and was financially supported by Eldorado. Update: New government in Greece offers hope for Eldorado’s stalled gold mine (July 24, 2019)
In September, the company said it would seek 750 million euros (US$836 million) from the government in damages it attributed to the delays. © Thomson Reuters 2019 Nestlé's sucking Ontario dry
August 15, 2019 - SumOfUs
What should an effective corporate watchdog look like?June 29, 2019 - Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability
With deadline looming, charges recommended in Mount Polley mines disasterJune 29, 2019 - Globe and Mail
In August, 2014, Mount Polley’s massive tailings dam breached at the copper and gold mine in B.C.’s Cariboo Region near Quesnel Lake, sending about 24 million cubic metres of waste and mine water into nearby waterways.
JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS An expert panel concluded the failure of the dam was a preventable accident due to a flawed dam design. Five years later and the mining company has yet to take responsibility or face charges. Let us remember this when news mines are being proposed in vulnerable places. It's incumbent on the Crown to do the right thing and see that the mining company takes responsibility - FVC Is China's fishing fleet taking all of West Africa's fish?May 16, 2019 - BBC News
The BBC investigates illegal and unsustainable fishing off the west coast of Africa to find out how one of the most fertile ecosystems on earth has been pushed to the brink.
Correspondent: Paul Adams Video Journalist: Charlotte Pamment (subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1rbfUog) Ombudsperson: What good is a watchdog with no teeth?
ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE: Canadian Government Reneges on Promise to Create Independent Corporate Human Rights Watchdog
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 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.... 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
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