HarbourView Digital’s Post

Natural resources are owned by the people of Australia, but mining companies don’t like paying us for the resources they take out of the ground. And when they look like having to pay more, their response is swift and brutal. It is now beyond time for the corporations that have made so much from the natural resources Australia owns to pay a fairer share. The longer that is delayed, the more the rip-off will continue and the worse essential services will become. More in Pearls & Irritations #auspol > https://loom.ly/mPCy4xA

EL 1196 Mining Warden Hearing: Protecting Our Oceans and Communities Attention all concerned citizens and environmental advocates! We want to bring your attention to an upcoming Mining Warden Hearing regarding EL 1196, scheduled for tomorrow February 6th, 2024. This crucial hearing will take place at Labur, New Ireland at 10:00 am, followed by another session at Rasirik at 1:00 pm on the same day. It is an opportunity for us to voice our concerns and objections to seabed mining in our precious oceans. EL 1196 is a significant issue that affects the well-being of our communities and the environment we rely on. We must come together and make our voices heard, standing united against the dangers posed by seabed mining. Join us at the Mining Warden Hearing to express your objections, share your knowledge, and advocate for sustainable alternatives. Together, we can protect our oceans, preserve our way of life, and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. Together, we can make a difference! #ProtectOurOceans #MiningWardenHearing #EL1196 #SayNoToSeabedMining #SustainableAlternatives #MalasFoundation #CommunityPower #environmentaladvocacy

What is sad is that Cat Lake has or has had mining in their area for decades now, some still there, some gone. It is hard to keep consistency with changing elected officials over time, the lack of resources and the expertise to handle the incoming and future developments and the associated correspondences/documents, legal obligations and community intentions to meet the required issues in planned development within the area. But also communities such as Cat Lake have had resources obtained from current and past mining operations and the need to always have a fully functional, progressive and beneficial land management system that can address new developments is a must to serve the present and future well-being of the community, it should have been done in the past and is a must to have now. There is numerous various organizations that are in and serve the First Nations within the area that have had to deal with and are involved with mining and other industries and a template/process that could/can be used by the First Nations should be in place. As each First Nation is different and with each elected group within their communities having different outlooks or goals, the template/process can only be followed if that First nation wishes to follow or not. Everytime a situation like this comes up, a re-inventing of the wheel should not have to developed or initiated to deal with or get involved with development that is occurring, planned or already there. I hope the best for Cat Lake First Nation, but there should already be systems in place to deal with this and I understand the capacity in terms of monies, resources and knowledge play a role in the First Nation's ability, but some those levers should be there already.

The annual Fraser Insititute survey of mining perceptions is out. As usual its being widely quoted. I suggest to everyone to look at page 5 of the report “Survey methodology” . It shows that out of just over 2000 questionnaires sent out only 206 full responses were received. Jurisdictions needed a minimum of 5 responses to be included. Jurisdictions with between 5 and 9 responses are noted. Given its a survey of “Perception” and not research into fact it is , by design, subjective. It would only take me and four friends to sit and reply with glowing perceptions about a jurisdiction to materially influence rankings. By same token people sitting in one part of the world with little or no experience of another jurisdiction may have their own perceptions of that other jurisdiction and so influence the survey. It’s not a report that should be relied upon for investment decisions

Thanks for the great article Sefton Darby. My students will definitely be reading this one - to help them think past the polarising debates on mining (or any other resource management issue) and conceptualise what is required from an energy transition. You are so right - it’s about what’s being extracted, and where, how, and who is doing the extracting. And I would add, who benefits, who assumes the risks/costs, and who determines significance of effects or level of uncertainty.

Be careful out there, there is a severe thunderstorm watch today for most of the Central Interior of BC. In the July 18th newsletter: exploration program and diamond drilling updates in BC and the YT, with some core photos of quartz veins. Did you know that Nicola Mining's Merritt Mill is the only facility in the Province of British Columbia permitted to accept third-party gold and silver mill feed from throughout the province? - More in their news release. Some info not included: Yukon Government provided a technical briefing on in-valley heap leach failure at Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine, Mayo, YT, Na-Cho Nyäk Dun - relevant links in comments - no new samples off-site are reporting cyanide - daily sample collection is implemented (was every 2 days) - on-site contaminated water storage and filtering are being upgraded by the company - Na-Cho Nyäk Dun calls for more information, transparency, and a pause on all mining activity in their Territory to ensure that the necessary checks and balances are in place to protect these lands and waters, wildlife and people. - in response, Yukon.ca is setting up a website for updates to the public, after government consultation with Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, CoreGeo is hired as an independent consultant, and a review is being implemented of all rights and obligations under Canadian and Territorial law. The newsletter link is in the comments! #BritishColumbia #Yukon #MineralExploration #Mining #NewsReleases

Last week, there was a heap leach failure and landslide at the Victoria gold mine near Mayo, in the traditional territory of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation, in the Yukon. 2 million tonnes of materials spilled from containment, with the potential for more to follow. Huge volumes of cyanide have escaped into the environment, with potentially devastating consequences for people and wildlife. The full ramifications of this disaster are, as of yet, unknown. The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation has called for a halt on all mining in their traditional territory. This mine was held up as the gold star for mining done right in the Yukon, but that seems to be a fairly low bar. As far as I am aware, there has not been a single hard rock mine in the Yukon that has been fully remediated and closed without leaving a toxic legacy on the environment, huge tax payer cleanups or both. Meanwhile, most of the profits move to shareholders who don't have to live with the impacts. I realize we need to mine, but we cannot afford for any industry to supersede the rights of Indigenous people, local communities and the environment. To prevent the likelihood of future disasters moving forward: 1) Mining operations should be held to the highest environmental standards. If it's not financially viable for them to do that, then the mine is not financially viable. 2) Mining has to be limited to the right locations (determined through consultative processes like land relationship planning) to maximize benefits and minimize negative environmental, community and cultural impacts. 3) Mining should only proceed with the free, prior and informed consent of any impacted Indigenous Nations.

This is a useful contribution that highlights the importance of social licence.

I agree with Dawna Hope, chief of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation in the Yukon that we should have zero-tolerance when it comes to mining’s impact on the “health of the land, the water, the fish and the animals”. Mining needs to adopt technologies that are greener and cleaner- for example mercury free and cyanide free gold extraction technologies. #mining #gold https://lnkd.in/g4WTWE5u

🌊 Dive into the insightful analysis by Drake Long, one of our #YoungLeaders, in his latest contribution to 9DASHLINE. Drake explores the multifaceted challenges of seabed mining in the Pacific Islands, covering environmental, economic, and geopolitical aspects. Enhance your understanding of this critical issue by reading the full article: https://lnkd.in/gFNg2fNP #Geopolitics #IndoPacific #SeabedMining #PacificIslands #PacificForum