The Province reports today, “British Columbia’s mining executives on Wednesday welcomed plans by the B.C. government to create eight new mines and expand nine existing ones over the next three years. The government also announced it will move immediately in streamlining the regulatory process that can often take years. …There are (currently) 19 major mines in operation around the province… Karina Brino, the president of the Mining Association of BC told those at the launch of the new initiative the plan bodes well for the long-term sustainability of the mining industry.”
Shout Out speakers Chief Marilyn Baptiste, Councillor Anne Marie Sam, Campaigner Tria Donaldson
The Council of Canadians
Speaking to about 600 people in Courtenay, BC this past September, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke against BC premier Christy Clark’s ‘plan’ to diminish environmental regulations to speed up the approval of eight new mines and the expansion of nine existing mines in the province, and the Schedule 2 provision that allows for mine tailings to be dumped into freshwater lakes across Canada. (It should be noted that we have also encountered the Mining Association of BC in Federal Court. The association has intervened to back the Schedule 2 provision that we are challenging in court through our participation in the Sandy Pond Alliance, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=13098.) For more on Barlow’s speech in Courtenay, please see http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11006.
We are raising cautions and concerns about the impacts on water of a number of mines in British Columbia including the Prosperity Mine at Fish Lake http://canadians.org/blog/?p=15055, the Raven coal mine on Vancouver Island http://canadians.org/blog/?p=13223, the Ajax copper and gold mine in Kamloops http://canadians.org/blog/?p=15107, the Mount Milligan mine http://canadians.org/blog/?p=4518, and a lead-zinc mine at Ruddock Creek http://canadians.org/blog/?p=10708.
Shout Out Against Mining Injustice, June 1-2 in Vancouver
This conference will feature prominent opponents of these mines including Chief Marilyn Baptiste of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation which is challenging the Prosperity Mine; Anne Marie Sam a Councillor with the Nak’azdli First Nation opposing the Mount Milligan mine; and Tria Donaldson of the Wilderness Committee which taking on the Raven coal mine.
To register for the Friday evening public forum and/or the Saturday component of plenary sessions and workshops, please go to http://canadians.org/shoutout.
