Impacted Communities Confront Barrick Gold at Annual General Meeting
Indigenous representatives from Papua New Guinea and Chile traveled to Canada this week to speak at Barrick Gold’s annual shareholders meeting.
Representatives of the Diaguita Huascoaltinos, from Chile, and from Porgera, Papua New Guinea, lead a march of about a hundred people to the headquarters of Barrick Gold, after raising their complaints to shareholders inside the annual general meeting in Toronto.
“Barrick has made it impossible for us to live on our traditional land. It is contaminated, unhealthy, we have no land left to grow our food and we are constantly targeted by the mine security,” explained Mark Ekepa, the chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association. “We want to be resettled as a community, but Barrick refuses to negotiate with us.”
Jeffrey, from Porgera, Papua New Guinea, addresses the crowd gathered outside Barrick' headquarters.
Idolia, from the Huasco Valley in Chile, joins the protests outside Barrick's AGM after addressing the shareholders directly inside the meeting.
See Amnesty Report: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA34/001/2010/en/2a498f9d-39f7-47df-b5eb-5eaf586fc472/asa340012010eng.pdf
"Support for Barrick is Support for Rape, Murder and Violence" - Strong messages from the hundred protesters gathered outside the Barrick AGM, showing their support for indigenous representatives speaking inside the meeting.
More info on Barrick Gold: http://www.protestbarrick.net/article.php?id=590
To speak to Indigenous representatives contact Sakura Saunders: 647-838-8455, sakura.saunders@gmail.com
Jethro Tulin, Executive Officer, Akali Tange Association: jctulin@gmail.com
Daniela Guzmán, Technical Advisor, Diaguita Huascoaltinos: daniela.guzman@gmail.com
ProtestBarrick
Protesters hold up a banner with Barrick Gold's corporate logo, altered slightly to resemble a pile of coffins.
Agua Si, Oro No!
Barrick Destroys. About a hundred protesters gathered outside Barrick Gold's AGM showing their support for indigenous representatives speaking inside.
Zafar Baluch, from the Baloch Human Rights Council joined protesters as they marched towards Barrick's headquarters to raise concerns regarding the proposed Reko Diq Project in Baluchistan, Pakistan.
Mining is Killig the Earth!
Group Stages Mock Death Outside RBC Branches
Rainforest Action Network (RAN) organized a die-in outside two Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branches to protest the bank’s involvement in the tar sands. The following text is from a press release put out by RAN:
Group Stages Mock Death Outside RBC Branches in Protest of Bank’s Involvement in Dirty Oil
Feigned Collapses Represent Real Impacts of Tar Sands Destruction and Water Pollution of First Nations Throughout Athabasca Delta
RBC Die-in
Toronto - Customers visiting RBC’s newly opened downtown banking centre today were met with the sight of motionless bodies strewn along the pavement in front of the bank entrance. The bodies were those of approximately 15 Rainforest Action Network (RAN) activists who, in protest against RBC’s continued financing of Alberta tar sands production, feigned death after symbolically drinking contaminated tar sands water.
RAN activists take a drink from the Athabasca water cooler.
Leading all other Canadian banks, over the past four years RBC has provided $8.9 billion in financial support to companies operating in the tar sands. The tar sands, which are devastating the regional environment, contaminating water sources, undermining local First Nation’s people’s health and preventing Canada from meeting its climate commitments, have become a source of global shame for Canada. RAN is asking RBC to cease financing tar sands production and instead, provide financing for the production of renewable energy.
Would you drinking water from the Athabasca River?
“RBC, as Canada’s largest bank, is positioned to lead the country towards a future of energy sustainability and environmental stewardship,” says RAN activist Kimia Ghomeshi. “Instead, RBC has chosen to become the ‘ATM’ for companies seeking financing for dirty tar sands production. I think RBC’s customers would like to know what their bank is doing with the money in their savings and chequing accounts.”
Kimia Ghomeshi describes the RBC as the "ATM for companies seeking financing for dirty tar sands production."
Tar sands projects, which extract and process bitumen, a type of crude oil, have become the leading cause of CO2 emissions growth in Canada. A water intensive process, production has resulted in the creation of over 130 km2 of toxic tailing ponds, which are now estimated to leak 11 million litres of polluted water into the Athabasca watershed daily. Downstream from the tar sands, a Government of Alberta health study has confirmed that First Nations’ communities are now experiencing elevated levels of rare cancers.
RBC Creates Climate Chaos
The protesters emphasized that RBC’s support of tar sands production is not consistent with its public commitments to leadership in the areas of corporate environmental sustainability and water conservation. As Melina Laboucan-Massimo, who is a member of the Lubicon Cree Nation, asked at the recent RBC annual shareholders meeting, “If RBC is serious about supporting clean water, why are they financing projects that are contaminating the lakes and rivers around my community?”
RBC Die-in
RBC’s “Create” PR campaign touts RBC’s environmental credentials. In one TV ad publicizing the RBC ‘s Blue Water Project, we are asked to:
“Think of all the water in the world … oceans, rivers, lakes. It may seem like a lot but only a small fraction is fresh water, and there’s only so much to go around, which is why it is so important to protect it.”
In a November 2008 speech to an environmental group, CEO Gordon Nixon proclaimed that “water is the problem of the ages” and that “life depends on water. It’s high time we remembered that.”
"Life depends on water" - RBC CEO Gordon Nixon.
Yet, in contrast to the $3 million in donations under the Blue Water Project in 2008, RBC in the same year financed an estimated minimum of $641 million with oil and gas companies operating in the Alberta tar sands. An estimate of RBC’s total fossil fuel financing based on public records shows over $50 billion financed across all business lines in 2007 (see: www.climatefriendlybanking.org) And since 2002, RBC has directly invested over $63 billion in tar sands companies such as Encana, Suncor, and Canadian Natural Resources.
Drinking from the Athabasca Water Cooler
According to industry information, toxic lakes in the tar sands stretching over 50 km leak over 11 million litres a day of contaminated water into the environment. First Nations downstream are growing increasingly concerned about water quality and elevated cancer levels and have sued the Province of Alberta over adverse environmental impacts. Tar sands are also Canada’s fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas pollution. (more at: www.ran.org/tarsands)
RBC Die-in
RBC Die-in
RBC Die-in
RBC Die-in
RBC Die-in
RBC Die-in
For more information:
Global Day of Action Against Open Pit Mining
Solidarity protests were held in Toronto and Montreal in Canada, in Melbourne, Canberra and Newcastle in Australia, as well as in Bankok, Thailand, and Mexico City, Mexico, as part of the Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit Mining. These protests targeted Canadian Embassies, specific mining companies’ offices, as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange, to show their solidarity with communities around the world that have been impacted by Canadian mining projects.
The following images are from the protest outside the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the text is from the information handouts that participants were handing out to passers by:
Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil, and See No Evil at the Toronto Stock Exchange.
“The Canadian economy funds projects to the shame of each Canadian. There are no human rights requirements to be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Canadian government supports these companies even as human rights workers are killed and communities poisioned. Canada is getting a bad name from these widespread human and environmental catastrophes.”
The colorful group of protesters engaged the rush-hour traffic passing by in discussions to let them know about the increasingly negative reputation Canada is getting around the world because of the actions of Canadian mining companies.
Some of the cases the protesters highlighted from around the world included:
The Philippines
“Political killings of left-leaning activists, clergy and journalists in the Philippines have been escalating steadily under the Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and have been linked to open criticism of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The human-rights group Karapatan estimates that over one thousand activists have been killed since Macapagal-Arroyo came to power in 2001. Nearly all of the cases remain unresolved.”
We Resist Canadian Mining -- A message of support for the Global Day of Resistance Against Open-pit Mining from Timuay Boy Anoy, the traditional chieftain of the Subanon land in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte where TVI Pacific is operating a large scale open pit mine in the Philippines.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
“Eight Canadian mining companies have been called to account for commercial activities that have contributed to conflict in the war-torn country. It is estimated that 3-5 million people have died in the Congo in recent years due to the war. Moreover, Canadian companies have been implicated in providing logistical support to the Congolese Armed Forces.”
Congo bribes
Trust me with your money, says the corporate clown.
Burma
“The largest single mining investment in Burma, Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., is a company registered in the Yukon to take advantage of Canada’s generous tax breaks for foreign exploration and development. Neither the mining industry itself, the Canadian stock exchanges, nor the laws governing corporations in Canada, currently provide any safeguards against the impacts of irresponsible mining on communities and the environment in conflict-torn countries like Burma. Reports from people in the area indicate severe environmental damage and the use of forced labour in building roads to the mine.”
Handing over some information to workers inside the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Ecuador
The Canadian junior mining company Copper Mesa is currently facing litigation for perpetuating human rights abuses by hiring paramilitary to intimidate local farmers and indigenous peoples who opposed mineral exploration of their lands. The TSX is also named in the suit and is currently being sued for $3 billion for allowing Copper Mesa to raise funds on the exchange despite prior knowledge of Copper Mesa’s human rights violations in Ecuador.
See no evil at the Toronto Stock Exchange
Honduras
“Canada is the only nation to support the recent coup by Honduras military. President Zelaya had proposed nationalizing mineral resources in his country, a position extremely unpopular with Canadian mining interests in the country. The Canadian company Goldcorp, has been linked to human rights abuses and ecological destruction in the country. Goldcorp has received nearly one billion dollars from Canadian Pension Plan subsidies. ”
Stop Goldcorp's repression in Central America.
Papua New Guinea
“Allegations of rapes, beatings and killings of community members by Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) security forces have been prevalent for at least a decade. In April, 2009 security forces burned the 300 houses of local indigenous peoples to the ground – these villagers have claimed these lands as traditional territory and were not consulted properly about mining development. Moreover, The PJV mine empties millions of tons of tailings directly into the nearby 800 km-long river system. Norway’s Government Pension Fund has dropped its shares in Canada’s Barrick Gold as a result of Barrick’s waste disposal practices at Porgera.”
This is happening right now in Papua New Guinea
Canada
“Mining in Canada has faced increased resistance from communities in Canada, particularity from First Peoples who have witnessed the destruction of their lands and culture with mining development. In particular, tar sands developments have created the largest ecological disaster on earth.”
Uranium too hot to handle ... in cottage country
Ramara & Kawartha Lakes (Ontario) Against Mining
Mining our planet is for once only, toxic tailing ponds leak for ever.
Meanwhile in Mexico City, activists are marking the first Global Day of Action Against Open-Pit mining with a 36-hour sit-in outside the Canadian Embassy building in Mexico City.
“The sit-in is a nonviolent protest to demand that the Canadian government intervene in the case of New Gold’s Cerro de San Pedro mine”, said FAO member Juan Carlos Ruiz Guadalajara. “The mine is still operating despite having lost its environmental permit in a recent court ruling. We are reminding the embassy that we will continue to raise our voices against corruption, human rights abuses and environmental destruction”.
Capital Rule$ - TSX, CPP, and EDC fund Destruction
"Hey wanna make some money?" Asks the corporate clown, "invest in my mining company and we'll all be rich! Rich! They don't even have rules for us, so we can get away with anything!" It's Awesome!!"
"I believe in the Harper dollar!" says the corporate clown
Trust me with your money
The colorful group of protesters engaged the rush-hour traffic passing by in discussions to let them know about the increasingly negative reputation Canada is getting around the world because of the actions of Canadian mining companies.
"Mining gold is completely unecessary!" says the toxic bride sitting on a pile of toxic waste. "80% of newly mined gold is used for jewelry!"
"But I have never seen any evidence"
no comment
"But no one ever told me"
Learn More from Organizations in Support:
photojournalist Alex Felipe
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Centre, Philippines
Frente Amplio Opositor, Mexico
Timuay Anoy and the Subanon indigenous communities, Philippines
