Mining Conflict and Opposition – Page 78

Ontario Government move surprises KI – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – March 6, 2012)

March 6, 2012

The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation Chief Donny Morris says his community needs time to ponder the province’s move to make a huge tract of land north of the reserve off-limits to mining.

“For something of this size, it’s an historical event,” Morris said Monday from Big Trout Lake, a fly-in community of 1,300 Oji-Cree located 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

In a surprise announcement Sunday, Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci excluded from mining 23,000 square kilometres of KI traditional territory “to give clarity to the province’s mineral exploration industry and avoid future disagreements over the land in question.”

In 2009, the Ontario government paid Toronto-based exploration company Platinex $5 million, plus options for future royalties, when the company agreed to stop exploring south of the KI community.

NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Addresses Mineral Exploration Concerns [KI-God’s Lake Resources conflict]

March 5, 2012

March 4, 2012 10:00 AM

McGuinty Government Takes Steps to Address Mineral Exploration Impasse

Ontario has withdrawn lands in the vicinity of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) from prospecting and mining claim staking to give clarity to the province’s mineral exploration industry and avoid future disagreements over the land in question.

KI asserts jurisdiction over the land and has asked for a moratorium on mineral exploration and development. The Ontario Government has made several attempts to facilitate communication between KI and God’s Lake Resources (GLR), a junior mineral exploration company that holds a mining lease and mining claims in the vicinity of KI, north of Red Lake in Northwestern Ontario. The company’s existing mining lease and mining claims are not affected by the withdrawal.

The government remains committed to continuing discussions with both parties.

KI’s battle over mining exploration heads south – by Shawn Bell (Wawatay News – March 2, 2012)

March 4, 2012

This article came from Wawatay News: http://www.wawataynews.ca/

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (KI) is taking the fight to stop exploration on its traditional lands to Toronto. KI plans to hold a major rally in Ontario’s capital on Mar. 6 following a talk by the community’s leaders on Mar.5.

“We’re going to let the public know that this is still an issue, even though we’re way up here in the North,” KI Chief Morris said before heading to Toronto. “And to see this overwhelming support that we have.”

The rally takes place as thousands of mining company executives and government leaders from around the world gather in Toronto for the annual Prospectors and Developers Association Conference.

KI’s push into Toronto comes after Morris released a Youtube video in February announcing his First Nation’s plan to mobilize against God’s Lake Resources, a gold mining company with a stake in KI’s traditional territory.

B.C. mining company sues environmental advocacy group for defamation – by The Canadian Press (Canadian Business Magazine – March 01, 2012)

March 2, 2012

Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-publishing business magazine in Canada.

VANCOUVER – The company behind a controversial mining proposal in British Columbia has filed a lawsuit against one of its critics, alleging an environmental group has made inaccurate and defamatory comments that threaten to mislead the public.

Taseko Mines Ltd. (TSX:TKO) filed a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday targeting the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and one of its employees over statements the environmental group has made about the company’s New Prosperity gold and copper project.

The project has faced fierce opposition from environmentalists and local First Nations communities and was rejected by a federal government environmental review in 2010.

Late last year, Ottawa agreed to hear a second environmental review after Taseko promised changes designed to address environmental concerns — but those changes have done little to quiet opponents such as the Wilderness Committee.

Solid Gold, Wahgoshig Nation clash – by K. Lagowski (CIM Magazine – February, 2012)

March 2, 2012

Founded in 1898, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is a technical society of professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries.

Junior miner takes on injunction against exploration

Toronto-based Solid Gold Resources filed a notice for leave to appeal an Ontario Supreme Court injunction that ordered them to stop drilling for 120 days on territory claimed by Wahgoshig First Nation (WFN). The company has also sued the Ontario government for $100 million in damages.

The disputed area is 200 square kilometres near Matheson, Ontario, which is adjacent to the Wahgoshig reserve. The First Nation says the site contains burial grounds and is frequented by the community for hunting, trapping, fishing, medicine gathering and ceremonial purposes.

WFN first discovered Solid Gold’s drilling crew on Treaty 9 land in the spring of 2011. According to the court decision, the crew did not say who they were working for, and the First Nation was only able to ask for consultation after research and enquiry revealed Solid Gold’s identity. After WFN tried and failed to contact the company, the provincial government wrote Solid Gold in early November to let them know about their duty to consult.

Mediator called in for Solid Gold talks – by Ron Grech (Timmins Daily Press – March 2,2012)

March 2, 2012

Mining firm, First Nation and provincial government continue discussions

A facilitator has been brought in to help mediate discussions involving Solid Gold Resource Corporation, Wahgoshig First Nation and the provincial government.

Solid Gold is a mineral exploration company that was forced by an injunction to halt drilling on a 200 square-kilometre claim outside the boundary of the Wahgoshig reserve. Darryl Stretch, president of Solid Gold, said the discussions held in the presence of a facilitator were an

“attempt to honour the court order that says we need to do consultation” with Wahgoshig. However, it appears both sides are still far from reaching an agreement.

“In their Statement of Claim, the First Nation is asking for a declaration that no one will explore on that Crown land there unless they get written permission from that First Nation,” said Stretch.

Wahgoshig First Nation/Solid Gold Conflict – CBC Radio Sudbury (Morning North Program – Markus Schwabe – February 29, 2012)

March 1, 2012

CBC Radio Sudbury – Morning North Program Mining claims and First Nations traditional territory CBC Reporter Martha Dillman looks at the mining claims system in Ontario as a case between a northern First Nation and a junior mining company continues to be discussed in provincial court. Click here to listen: http://www.cbc.ca/morningnorth/past-episodes/2012/02/29/mining-claims-and-first-nations-traditional-territory/

Wahgoshig First Nation/Solid Gold Conflict – CBC Radio Sudbury (Points North Program – Jason Turnbull – January 26, 2012)

March 1, 2012

CBC Radio Sudbury – Points North Program Northern mining company suing Ontario Gov’t Wahgoshig First Nation recently won an injunction against junior mining company Solid Gold Resources claiming it was exploring on its traditional territory. The mining company is now suing the province over claims it had on the land in question. Click here to …

Conflict, confusion over provincial mining claims -(CBC Thunder Bay – March 1, 2012)

March 1, 2012

This article is from CBC Thunder Bay website: http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/

Ontario’s mining act being updated to address relations between exploration industry and First Nations

Last year, the exploration industry spent close to a billion dollars looking for minerals in Ontario. But some prospectors say the rules are not clear when it comes to staking claims — particularly on First Nation traditional territory.

That’s resulting in conflict and court cases. Mining companies or prospectors are granted exploration claims through the province.

But, traditional land surrounding First Nation territory is not marked on the province’s mining map — because the province can’t actually pin it down.

Clive Stephenson, a provincial mining recorder with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, said traditional territory is a relative term.

MINING WATCH NEWS RELEASE: ROYALTIES, ENVIRONMENT AND CITIZENS’ RIGHTS : SURVEY RESULTS SUPPORT DEMANDS OF QUEBEC MINING REFORM COALITION

February 27, 2012

http://www.miningwatch.ca/

Monday, February 27, 2012

For Immediate Release

ROYALTIES, ENVIRONMENT AND CITIZENS’ RIGHTS: SURVEY RESULTS SUPPORT DEMANDS OF QUEBEC MINING REFORM COALITION

Montréal, Sunday, February 26, 2012. “The survey by Léger Marketing on the mining industry confirms the relevance and importance of our work over the last four years” stated Ugo Lapointe of the Coalition Québec meilleure mine (Better Mining Coalition). According to the survey, a majority of residents of Québec including the Abitibi region (the most active mining area of Québec) agree that there is a need for further reforms to improve royalties, environmental protection and respect of citizens’ rights. “It’s very encouraging. It shows that our positions are supported by the people of Québec, even in the mining regions where the industry lobby is most active” added Lapointe.

Conducted between February 17 and 19 for the Journal de Montréal the survey questioned 600 people, with a good representation of respondents from Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Results of the survey include:

– 59% of the Québec population judges current royalties to be insufficient, including 73% of Abitibi-Témiscamingue residents

Cool It (Environmental Documentary – 2010)

April 5, 2015February 26, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming is a book by the Danish statistician and political scientist Bjørn Lomborg. The book is a sequel to The Skeptical Environmentalist (first published in Danish in 1998), which in English translation brought the author to world attention.

Lomborg argues that many of the elaborate and expensive actions being considered to stop global warming will cost hundreds of billions of dollars without the same return on investment, often are based on emotional rather than strictly scientific assumptions, and may have very little impact on the world’s temperature for centuries. Lomborg concludes that a limited carbon tax is needed in the First World as well as subsidies from the First World to the Third World to help fight ongoing humanitarian crises.

Media

The New York Times says

“ In his short new book, “Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming,” Mr. Lomborg reprises his earlier argument with a tighter focus. He tries to puncture more of what he says are environmental myths, like the imminent demise of polar bears. ”
—The New York Times, [1]

An Inconvenient Truth (Environmental Documentary – 2006)

April 5, 2015February 26, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.[citation needed]

Premiering at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opening in New York City and Los Angeles on May 24, 2006, the documentary was a critical and box-office success, winning 2 Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song.[4] The film also earned $49 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing documentary film to date in the United States.[5]

The idea to document his efforts came from Laurie David who saw his presentation at a town-hall meeting on global warming which coincided with the opening of The Day After Tomorrow. David was so inspired by Gore’s slide show that she, with Lawrence Bender, met with Guggenheim to adapt the presentation into a film.

Not Evil Just Wrong (Mining Documenatry – 2009)

April 5, 2015February 26, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Not Evil Just Wrong (2009) is a documentary film by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer that challenges Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth by suggesting that the evidence of global warming is inconclusive and that the impact global-warming legislation will have on industry is much more harmful to humans than beneficial.[1] The movie was filmed in 2008 and was screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[2] and at the Right Online conference in 2009.[3]

Despite earlier screenings at conservative political conferences, filmmakers promoted a “premiere” on October 18, 2009.[4] The film attempted to break a World Record for largest simultaneous premiere, which is currently held by the documentary The Age of Stupid, another global warming documentary.[5] The film’s website claims that there were 6,500 U.S. screenings and 1,500 foreign screenings and reached 400,000 people.[6]

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How Green Was My Valley (Mining Movie – 1941)

February 25, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 drama film directed by John Ford. The film, based on the 1939 Richard Llewellyn novel, was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and written by Philip Dunne. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and Roddy McDowall. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards,[1] winning five and beating out for Best Picture such classics as Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Suspicion and Sergeant York.

The film tells the story of the Morgans, a close, hard-working Welsh family at the turn of the twentieth century in the South Wales coalfield at the heart of the South Wales Valleys. It chronicles a socio-economic way of life passing and the family unit disintegrating.

In 1990, How Green Was My Valley was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Matewan (Mining Movie – 1987)

February 25, 2012

This information is from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Matewan (1987) is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers’ strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia.[1]

Based on the Battle of Matewan, the film features Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe and Will Oldham.

Plot

It was 1920 in the southwest West Virginia coal fields, and, as the narrator recalls, “things were tough.” In response to efforts by miners to organize into a labor union, the Stone Mountain Coal Company announces it will cut the pay miners receive, and will be importing replacement workers into town to replace those who join the union. The new workers are African Americans from Alabama and are coming in on the train, but the train is stopped outside town and the black men are told to get off. Derided as “scabs”, they are then attacked by the local miners, but manage to get back on the train and continue their journey.