Erik BJORGAN for Parliament

Ecojustice is in Ottawa at the Supreme Court of Canada, and you can watch it Live!

“We are pleased to let you know about our appearance before the Supreme Court, defending the public’s right to participate in environmental reviews of major development projects.

The case revolves around the contentious Red Chris mine, an open-pit copper and gold mine proposed for northwestern B.C. The mine would be built adjacent to an area christened by local First Nations the “Sacred Headwaters” – the birthplace of three major salmon-bearing rivers of the Stikine, Nass and Skeena.”

You can watch it live October 16th beginning at 9:30 a.m. here:

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Ecojustice/81068fae7f/389482f7f9/a69a148ba3/cas=32797

Learn more about the case here:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Ecojustice/81068fae7f/389482f7f9/f26ab4e376/utm_campaign=Update%3A%20Watch%20Us%20Live%20Tomorrow%20at%20the%20Supreme%20Court&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%202

Source: The Canadian Press
May 15 02:43
EDMONTON – Environmentalists are calling for changes in Canada’s mining regulations.
Current rules, first established 150 years ago, allow any licensed prospector to establish a mineral claim without first consulting with nearby communities or taking into account unique ecosystems or wildlife habitat.

Environmental oversight doesn’t come until later. That claim then supercedes other proposals for the land such as conservation. It can also complicate aboriginal land claim negotiations.

A report by the International Boreal Conservation Campaign says there are about 583 thousand square kilometres of mineral claims staked within Canada’s boreal forest – about 10 per cent of the region’s total area.

It finds conflicts right across the country – from B.C., where most resource development occurs on land still in a claims dispute, to Quebec, where the number of claims has doubled since 2004.