Canada's toxic mine tailings secret goes to court

Comment:  Another myth that modern uranium mining is safe!

Information on toxic pollution from mines being hidden from public
Submitted by Jode Roberts — Feb 25, 2009 11:20 AM
Information on toxic pollution from mines being hidden from public [January 19, 2009]

TORONTO Jan 19, 2009

Canada's Federal Court will be hearing a lawsuit today against the Minister of the Environment for failing to ensure that Canada's mining industry publicly reports the hundreds of millions of kilograms of toxic pollution it generates each year.

The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court in late 2007 by Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) on behalf of MiningWatch Canada and Great Lakes United. The Application for Judicial review alleges that the Minister broke the law when he directed mining companies to not report huge amounts of pollution sent to tailings ponds and waste rock piles to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).

"We are arguing that the Minister has ignored his legal duties under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to provide the public with the full extent of pollutants released by mining companies in Canada," said Justin Duncan, Staff Lawyer with Ecojustice. "The Canadian public - and especially residents living downstream from mining operations - have the right to scrutinize the environmental and health hazards these mining companies continue to create"

Pollution in the form of mine tailings and waste rock - the data being withheld from the Canadian public - accounted for more than 97% of the total pollutants reported by the U.S. mining industry.

"Given the enormous amounts of carcinogens and heavy metals like lead and mercury reported in U.S. mine tailings, it is absurd that Canadian mines are being let off the hook and not reporting this massive form of toxic pollution," said MiningWatch Canada spokesman Jamie Kneen. "Whether you live in Smithers, British Columbia, Voisey's Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, or anywhere in between, Canadians have a right to know what poisons industry is releasing into our air, water, and soil."

For further information please contact:

Justin Duncan or Marlene Cashin, Ecojustice (416) 368-7533 ext.22 or ext. 31 John Jackson, Great Lakes United, (519) 744-7503 or 519-591-7503 (cell) Jamie Kneen, MiningWatch Canada (613) 569-3439

Read more at:
http://www.ecojustice.ca/media-centre/press-releases/canadas-toxic-mine-tailings-secret-goes-to-court/