Author: Zoe Mullard

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Mining and Metagenomics: Public Acceptability and Translational Praxis

Mining and Metagenomics: Public Acceptability and Translational Praxis

The Translational Research Group (TRGR) at UBC (Department of Applied Ethics) is undertaking an exciting and unique Mining and Metagenomics project.  There is ongoing research that looks at how mining companies can explore and exploit properties of organisms in their natural environment and how this can help to reduce ARD.  What is innovative about this TRGR project is the integration of the social, natural and applied sciences. The project is looking at the development of a genomic tool for monitoring and improving passive mitigation of mine drainage. But it is also working to better understand how the processes by which the mining industry and its stakeholders make decisions about what water treatment (passive or active) to use.  The project also wants to explore the implications of those processes for the adoption of novel genomic technologies in the larger context of emerging field.

The research questions provide some important ideas about how this project will help companies approach mining issues in a holistic manner.

Question 1 – What socio-economic, geographic, and historical factors affect the adoption of AMD treatment technologies in BC’s mining industry?  This question takes a multidisciplinary and historical (evolutionary) look at why certain treatment systems (passive or active) have been adopted locally.  This is a useful approach in order to look at future decisions and mine management policy, particularly as there have been some concerns around mining projects that could require thousands of years of monitoring activities.

Question 2 – What is the nature of stakeholder engagement in decisions on technological change? How and why do perceptions of novel technologies vary across different stakeholder groups? How do stakeholders differentiate between active and passive treatment systems?  This question allows the researchers to address some of the perceptions that communities have about mining particularly looking at the reception of emerging technologies. This could provide important insight for how to approach and inform communities about details of mining project management, as well as providing an opportunity to further educate communities about mining projects. The end result could lead to productive opportunities for dialogue.

For more information about the project, please see: Mining and Metagenomics

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Upcoming event: Reflections on the Red Chris Mine Decision

Upcoming Event

Reflections on the Red Chris Mine Decision

There will be a panel discussion on the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision regarding the Red Chris Mine case as well as the implications of this seminal decision on the law and practice of environmental assessment in Canada.

Thursday, February 11, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Liu Institute for Global Issues, Multipurpose Room
6476 NW Marine Drive, UBC

Panel experts will include:

• Lara Tessaro, Staff Lawyer, Ecojustice, Co-counsel for Miningwatch Canada
• Mark Haddock, Director, Environmental Tribunals Project, University of Victoria
• Diana Valiela, Barrister and Solicitor, Co-counsel for the Red Chris Development Co.

Please register for this event at: http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/liuinstitute/register-red-chris-mine

Hosted by UBC’s Centre for Global Environmental and Natural Resource Law and the Liu Institute for Global Issues

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A Career in Mining is something worth talking about!

A Career in Mining is something worth talking about!

Despite current economic conditions, the Canadian mining industry is facing a substantial workforce shortage due largely to its aging workforce. According to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), 60 000 to 90 000 new workers will be needed to meet anticipated Canadian production targets through to 2017. We also know that the general public has a number of misperceptions of the mining industry that may deter new and non-traditional workers from exploring career opportunities in mining.

To attract workers to the mining industry, MiHR has launched the ‘Explore for More’ attraction, recruitment and retention campaign, and an important part of this campaign involves community outreach through speaker presentations.

To facilitate these presentations, MiHR has developed an online Speakers Bureau where representatives can register to speak about the exciting careers in mining. Teachers, community groups, and others can then search for a speaker who fills their need for a career presentation in mining, and request the speaker through the online portal.

We need your help!

MiHR is currently looking for volunteer speakers to facilitate these presentations!

Speakers must:

  • Have knowledge of and/or experience in the mining industry
  • Be passionate about the industry
  • Be willing to share their enthusiasm and insights

They play a vital role in raising awareness about the mining industry and steering interested individuals to appropriate career and educational resources. As a speaker, you may be invited to give presentations at schools, community centres, industry organizations or career fairs.

What you will gain:

  • Relevant volunteer experience for your resume, and scholarship applications
  • Experience in presentation facilitation – to a variety of audiences
  • Sense of well-being that comes from being a role-model – you will be introducing the industry to many people/youth who may have otherwise never considered a career in mining. You will be helping to shape the future workforce of the industry.
  • Great conversation starter for your next conference J

Volunteer Details

When you register as a speaker (by setting up an online profile), you can select which types of groups you are comfortable speaking with. You can also determine the regional presentation radius, and indicate scheduling that works best for you.

Presentation requests will be sent to you by email, at which time you can decide whether to accept it or not; you set your own schedule. We ask that speakers commit to a minimum of 2 presentations per year.

Regional Resource Providers (RRPs) are available across Canada, and they have free resources to support presentations. These resources include:  pop-up banners, mining videos, and career tools kits. You can contact the RRP closest to your presentation location; they will ensure resources are delivered to the presentation location on the required dates.

To become a speaker, visit www.acareerinmining.ca and click on Speakers Bureau where you can register online. There, you will also find downloadable versions of all the materials you will need to make a presentation, and links to all relevant resources and contacts.

If you have any questions, or would like assistance in registering, please contact Jen Clark – Outreach Coordinate MiHR – jclark@mihr.ca For more information on these resources please visit www.acareerinmining.ca.

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Articles of Interest News Policy

Bill C-300 – CSR Debate in Canada and Abroad

Blow is an article from the Vancouver Sun.

It outlines some of the debate that surrounds the bill, particularly around the question on monitoring and investigation activities that would be undertaken by the government in order to ensure that companies are complying with the guidelines.

Sat Jan 16 2010
Byline: Fiona Anderson

Hot debate on corporate responsibility abroad

As long as Canadian mining companies work in emerging markets, complaints about adverse effects on the local community are going to arise. But how can Canadians be sure that local companies aren’t misbehaving?

MiningWatch Canada is advocating the passage of Bill C-300 — “An Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries.” The private member’s bill, brought forward by Liberal MP John McKay, passed second reading and was before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs when the prime minister recessed Parliament until March. The prorogation order allows reinstatement of private members bills and, if passed, the bill would force the government to create corporate guidelines consistent with Canada’s international commitments on human rights and environmental sustainability. Companies that fail to comply with the guidelines would be ineligible for funding from Export Development Canada.

But the mining industry is against the bill, not because it doesn’t want to comply with the standards, it says, but because the bill doesn’t provide for funding — no private member’s bill can — and the guidelines that need to be followed are too vague. On top of that, three years of roundtable discussions have led to a four-pronged approach that includes developing guidelines and appointing a corporate social responsibility (CSR) counsellor, who was appointed in October.  “The problem with C-300 is it really sets all of that aside,” said Laureen Whyte, vice-president of sustainability and operations at the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.

“It’s not based on the outcomes of those roundtable discussions. It instead offers up a pretty punitive way of investigating complaints, and it frankly doesn’t, and it can’t, provide for the resources that’s needed to do proper investigations.”  The CSR counsellor, on the other hand, has the funds needed to do the necessary investigations, which can be costly.  “It’s really hard from afar to identify what’s really going on, and so you need to have local information that you can rely on,” Whyte said. “You also need to have some ability to assess the factors that are at play. And it takes a huge amount of resources to do that.”  Without the ability to investigate, the situation remains as it is now, a media play, Whyte said.  It’s easy for people to complain that companies are making them sick or poisoning their water, especially to the media, Whyte said.  The CSR counsellor can take those complaints and “create a space for constructive dialogue,” to try to find a resolution.
Read more

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Mining and Community Health: A British Columbia Based Research Project

This paper was produced as part of the Mining and Community Health project, a collaborative research initiative between the School of Population and Public Health and the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia. It identifies key findings regarding characteristics associated with British Columbia mining communities, the mining industry and academics to consider. Associated research projects, author acknowledgements and information, and citations are provided at the end of the report.

To download the report please go to: http://www.cher.ubc.ca/researchreports/publicationlist.asp
Authors: Janis Shandro, Mieke Koehoorn, Malcolm Scoble, Christie Hurrell

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News

Mining and the Vancouver International Film Festival

For anyone who is interested, the Vancouver Film Festival is starting next week (Oct 2009). There are four movies that feature mining as part of the action.  Those movies (and links) are:

Continue reading “Mining and the Vancouver International Film Festival”
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News

Next SWG Meeting – Oct 2nd

The next SWG Meeting will be held on October 2nd, 2009 in the Conference Room.

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Since this is a Mining Sustainability Blog….

…why not blog about the application of Web 2.0 in mining operations?

There is no question – the blogosphere is out there and it continues to grow.  But how does blogging and other web 2.0 technologies impact mining.  Is it ok to have random individuals doing uncontrolled reporting on the mining industry?  How has civil society started to mobilize itself virtually?  If a mining company hosted a blog with a local community, what would be the exit strategy if it went awry? Or could collaborative communication technologies be the key to building transparency and trust between mining companies and their stakeholders, thereby contributing to sustainable governance structures?

Continue reading “Since this is a Mining Sustainability Blog….”
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Coal Mining and Carbon Storage

In continuation ….
Mountaintop removal is an international climate change issue: Over 500 massive mountains and 1.5 million acres of hardwood deciduous forests have been clear cut and blown to bits in the US; and the coal exported from mountaintop removal operations, including millions of tons to dirty coal-fired plants in China, contribute to the growing carbon dioxide emissions climate crisis. Meanwhile governments from around the world prepare to examine the option of paying countries not to cut down their forests in order to maintain these areas as storage for carbon and to mitigate climate change. The idea falls under the “Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (UN-REDD)” scheme, up for debate this year’s climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

Continue reading “Coal Mining and Carbon Storage”
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Old King Coal

Old King Coal

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released its annual British Columbia Mining Survey, which provides a succinct review of the some of the economic trends of the local mining industry. There are also some comments on environmental and social issues, however the focus is on finances. This is particularly interesting in light of this year’s economic downturn.  What was striking about the report is that BC’s mining industry, overall, has not suffered a downturn, but rather, based on the answers of the 40 (aprox) respondents, gross mining revenues increased by $1.5 billion to $8.4 billion in 2008, up from $6.9 billion in 2007.  This is largely because of spikes in coal prices and increased demand.  Coal has been an important part of BC’s economy for many generations, but has rarely gets attention from the general public.  Coal-bed methane projects have gained exposure, yet there seems to be some apathy around coal mining.

Continue reading “Old King Coal”

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