EVENT: The Question of Sustainability Conference
“The Question of Sustainability: An Examination of the Canadian Mining Industry” will be a one day conference on Sunday, April 26 focusing on the Canadian mining industry in the context of economic, ecological, and cultural sustainability.
It will feature speakers from Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Chile, the Congo and Peru, as well as many First Nations speakers and academics from Canada.”The Question of Sustainability” is a conference dedicated to examining the Canadian mining industry through the lens of sustainability within ecosystems, culture, and economics.
This conference brings together indigenous people from the global south and the global north, and serves to address some of the complex social, political and environmental issues that relate to the imposition of extractive industries on traditional cultures.
Major issues include water use and contamination, human rights violations by Canadian companies operating abroad, the question of corporate social responsibility, and the autonomy and preservation of traditional cultures.
Moderated by Judy Rebick
$10 (slide scale) to cover cost of meals; free for students. Donations welcome.
venue: Earth Sciences 1050 at the University of Toronto, and 3 breakout rooms in the same building. The auditorium can serve as a fourth breakout room and the hallway (with seats) a fifth if necessary.
Hosts: Science for Peace, Students Against Climate Change / Toronto Mining Support Group, Aboriginal Students Association of York University
Endorsed by Amnesty International
The Question of Sustainability
here is the tentative schedule of the conference:
10am coffee and introductions
10:30 Open Plenary Speaker
11am – 1pm FIRST BREAKOUT SESSION
- Historic Perspectives on Mining
- Mining in the Congo
- Water Issues and Mining: Tar Sands, Gold and Uranium Mining
- Resource Economics in developing countries
1pm – 2pm lunch break
2pm-4pm SECOND BREAKOUT SESSION
- Human Rights: Issues with mine security: Tanzania, Congo, and Papua New Guinea
- ¡MesoAmerica Resiste! presentation by Beehive Collective
- Indigenous Issues and Mining: Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, Tar Sands
- Funding the destruction: TSX, Pension Funds, and Corporate Welfare
4:15 – 5:15pm SOLUTIONS break-out session
- *CSR/legislation:* A discussion of the CSR framework and current legislation related to mining issues. A private members’ bill (C300), introduced by Liberal MP John McKay in Feb 2009, will be discussed. This bill imposes tighter controls on the provision of government support to Canadian extractive companies. Also discussed will be the Tar Sand Commission recently proposed by the Federal government.
- *Popular Education:* A discussion of how to build awareness within our communities about mining issues, in a way that engages people and builds off the knowledge that they already possess.
- *Legal Battles/United Nations: *A discussion about the use of lawsuits and the UN as a way of demanding corporate accountability.
- *Direct Action! *A discussion of how Direct Action is used in various campaigns.
- *Shareholder Activism/Divestment:* A discussion of different tactics engaging with shareholders, institutional holders, and “ethical” mutual funds.
5:30-7:30 Closing Plenary
