A Wilderness Committee media release states, “The Manitoba government is in the final stages of authorizing a new copper mine in Grass River Provincial Park operated by (Toronto-based) Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company (Hudbay). …Despite the fact that a full licence has not yet been granted, the provincial government has quietly allowed Hudbay to establish an advance exploration project for this mine.”
The provincial park is located about 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
The Wilderness Committee release also highlights, “The forest in the project area has been cleared, and work on the mine shaft had already commenced before the public comment period even began. …The project is situated near the edge of Reed Lake, in a crucial travel corridor for endangered woodland caribou. …While the company insists that its previous mine work in this park has had minimal impact, the devastation from Hudbay’s Spruce Point Mine Site is still plainly visible.”
In late-November 2012, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke at a public event in Toronto in support of individuals seeking justice against abuse they suffered as a result of Hudbay’s activities in Guatemala. Barlow later wrote, “I assured our Guatemalan guests that Canadians stand with them and not Hudbay and that we will walk this journey all the way with them.” In June 2012, we also noted in a campaign blog a New York Times article reporting that Hudbay “is leading an expected $225 million project to mine precious and heavy metals, including gold, silver, zinc and copper” in a remote area of Michigan near Lake Superior.
The Wilderness Committee media release can be read at http://wildernesscommittee.org/manitoba/press_release/new_provincial_park_mine_now_under_construction. Barlow’s blog on HudBay in Guatemala can be read at http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18192. To read ‘NEWS: Mining boom in Michigan raises concerns about impact on Lake Superior’, go to http://canadians.org/blog/?p=15773.
