Global News reports this week on growing public backlash to Canadian mining company Infinito Gold’s proposed open-pit gold mine in Costa Rica. The firm was denied a permit for the mine by several court decisions and as of 2011 there is a ban on all open-pit mining in the country. Infinito is now threatening to take Costa Rica to investment arbitration under a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA) with Canada, demanding $1-billion compensation from the developing country.
Last month, the Calgary chapter of the Council of Canadians delivered a petition signed by 14,000 asking Infinito’s CEO to drop the investor-state threat against Costa Rica and leave the country. Nearly 250,000 people have now signed that same petition, which is on the SumOfUs website, as explained in the Global report, which also features interviews with Council of Canadians water campaigner Meera Karunananthan and Jamie Kneen with Mining Watch Canada.