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ACTION ALERT: Freshwater lakes, not 'tailings impoundment areas'June 27, 2008 The Council of Canadians is outraged that the federal government is allowing mining corporations to use Canadian lakes as dump sites and will be working with Mining Watch Canada to stop this from happening. We are calling on our chapter activists and friends to take action by telling Environment Minister John Baird and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn that Canada’s lakes should not be used as toxic waste dumps. As recently reported in the Globe and Mail, this year alone several Canadian lakes are slated to be used as dump sites by metal mining corporations. The article states, “Amendments made to federal regulations in April, 2006, have opened the door for mining companies to use fish-bearing natural water bodies for waste.” So far, “the Duck Pond mine in west-central Newfoundland, which is now owned by Teck Cominco Ltd., has been granted an amendment to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations of the Fisheries Act allowing it to deposit tailings in a fish-bearing lake,” and nine other companies will be seeking similar amendments in order to designate Canadian lakes as so-called “tailings impoundment areas.” According to a CBC report, a total of 16 Canadian lakes are already “slated to be officially but quietly ‘reclassified’ as toxic dump sites for mines. The lakes include prime wilderness fishing lakes from B.C. to Newfoundland.” Mining Watch predicts that number will soon increase. They are urging citizens across the country to take action. “The fate of many of these lakes has yet to be decided, however, there is currently a strong bias within the government towards allowing the use of water bodies to receive mine wastes.” They also note that public consultations have been inconsistent and inadequate. The Council of Canadians is opposed to the designation of freshwater lakes as “tailing impoundment areas.” Allowing a lake to be turned into a dump site for a private company is nothing short of the privatization of a public resource. Furthermore, the long-term responsibility of dealing with the social and environmental consequences of the destruction of a lake will undoubtedly lie with the community and local government, not the company. The Council of Canadians is additionally concerned that the contamination of a water body will have devastating consequences on entire watersheds. Despite the popular myth that Canada has an abundance of freshwater, Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, argues that Canada is facing a water crisis. In her book, Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, she argues that Canada’s water supply is in jeopardy due to “mismanagement, overuse and climate change.” She states, “Documents prepared by Natural Resources Canada warn that Canadians face tremendous challenges in the future, and even the leading environmental scientists do not know how long supplies will last.” We are calling for a national water policy that recognizes water as a human right, protects it from corporate control, and prevents this kind of mistreatment of Canada’s lakes. TAKE ACTION Take action by sending Minister Baird and Minister Hearn a message now! You may use the sample letter below. Please send a copy to the Council of Canadians SEND YOUR LETTER NOW: |
