J78B;E<9EDJ;DJI &>cigdYjXi^dc ?IIK;I0 '8dbbjc^inHigj\\aZh (LViZgGZhdjgXZh )6X^YB^cZ9gV^cV\Z )BZgXjgn *8nVc^YZIV^a^c\h +B^c^c\GZ\jaVi^dc^c8VcVYV 97I;IJK:?;I0 -6ajbWgZgVB^cZ!6g\Zci^cV &%BVga^cB^cZ!<jViZbVaV &&HVcBVgi^cB^cZ!=dcYjgVh &'B6E/<daYXdge^ci]Z6bZg^XVh &)Adh;^adhB^cZ!BZm^Xd &*Cj`VnB^cZ!BZm^Xd &+BVg^\daYB^cZ!JH6 &+L]Vg[B^cZ!JH6 &,>beZg^VaEgd_ZXi!JH6 ?DJ>;F?F;B?D;0 &-EZVhfj^id!BZm^Xd &.EjZWadK^Z_d!9db^c^XVcGZejWa^X CEH;?IIK;I0 '%AVWdjg '&L]d7ZcZÒih4BZZii]ZZmZXji^kZh ''>ckZhi^c\^c8dcÓ^Xi 79J?ED0 '(L]ViidYd ');ddicdiZh '+8gZY^ih ?D9JHEKDE:K9J?J;H?D=J>;?DED:KIJHOIF?D The nexus of mining companies, the mainstream media, of close to a billion dollars in Goldcorp alone. Meanwhile, the Canadian government, International Finance Institu- NGOs like World Vision use mining company money to tions and bought off NGOs work hard to keep the reality carry out projects in affected communities, and groups like of large-scale, open pit mines out of picture, keep commu- the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) nity resistance marginalized, and no matter what, to keep work to convince people in resistance that they should dia- talking about “development.” This report is about bringing logue with the mining sector. hard facts and community perspectives together to help Finally, groups like the World Bank, International Mon- North Americans become more informed about the nature etary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank of the mining industry. fund mining companies, and promote mining as a motor >C9JHIGNHE>C/B::II=:EA6N:GH for development. Miners are rolling in money. They’re spending whatever None of this is new, but with gold prices hovering around it takes to try and change their image, and the Canadian $1000 an ounce, the promotion machine is bigger and bet- corporate media is eating it up. ter oiled than ever before. Last year, Bill Clinton teamed up with Vancouver min- 8DJCI:GHE>C/<D>C<IDI=:GDDIH ing financer Frank Giustra to create a $300,000,000 fund D;8DBBJC>INHIGJ<<A:H to promote “sustainable development” in mining affected The facts on the ground, when they become visible, speak communities throughout Latin America. for themselves. Local struggles against mining are strug- In February, the Clinton Fund, known as the Clinton gles against exploitation, which benefit the few at the ex- Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, hosted a star-stud- pense of communities. These struggles are not new, but ded fundraiser in Toronto with the Canadian mining es- often come from a long history of resistance against oc- tablishment, where John Travolta, Elton John, Shakira and cupation, oppression and outside domination. Wyclef performed for a doting crowd of mining brass, who Deforestation, erosion, water contamination and water paid $300,000 a table for the evening. shortages are common issues in mining affected commu- In the slightly less glamorous background, Canada’s in- nities. Contrary to industry spin, two hundred jobs over fluential vanguard of right wing, “free-market” research, 10 years does not mean entire villages are happy and em- the Fraser Institute, has started a new Global Centre for ployed. Increased violence, alcoholism and prostitution Mining Studies. This center will most likely cater to the can turn peaceful villages into conflict zones: San Miguel industry’s need to have “facts” that support weaker envi- Ixtahuacan, the village closest to Goldcorp’s Marlin mine, ronmental standards and lower taxation rates. has implemented a 10pm curfew because of the jacked up tensions in the community since the company arriced. Meanwhile, Industry mainstays like the Mining Associa- tion of Canada and the Prospectors and Developers As- In the long term, local people are left with long-term con- sociation of Canada continue to lobby for lower taxes and tamination and a destroyed environment, while North more lax environmental standards in Canada and the world Americans count their paychecks and stock earnings, over; the Canadian International Development Agency without ever paying the consequences for the destruction helps Canadian mining companies across Latin America they are profiting from. and globally by financing and assisting mining law “re- This report comes out of community requests for infor- form” and the “modernization”; and Canadian embassies mation about the wider activities of Goldcorp around the worldwide provide services, political sway and promotion world. In the next 25 odd pages, this report seeks to ex- for Canadian mining companies. plain these activities, and in a small way, to crack open the “Ethical investment” funds do their part by investing heav- well financed, industry spin. ily in companies like Goldcorp, misleading their clients The counterspin is about hard facts, about the realities into believing that large-scale mining is environmentally people face on the ground, about the nature of mining ex- and socially responsible. Similarly, public pension funds ploitation, about community organizing in favor of life and like the Canada Pension Plan, as well as various union the environment, and about international solidarity. It is pension plans across Canada have a combined investment about what each of us can do to change the world. 1 | goldcorp 9ECCKD?JOIJHK==B;I \ehWYYekdjWX_b_joWdZh[Ye]d_j_ed 50% of newly-mined gold FACT: is taken from Indigenous lands Who profits from large-scale open pit gold mines, and who pays? The answer to this question, too often, is that huge benefits flow to a small group of North American mining ex- ecutives and shareholders, while entire communities pay the price of water, land and air contamination, increased water competition, increased militarization and repression, alcohol and drug use, violence and prostitution in their villages. Community organizing against large-scale mines has helped prevent or delay mine construction. In many countries, com- munity struggles have put the “who benefits/who pays” ques- tion on the national agenda. If communities hadn’t organized in favor of life and against destruction, mining companies Æ6cjbWZgd[YZaZ\Vi^dch[gdbi]gdj\]dji - particularly in the global South - would operate in almost <jViZbVaVigVkZaZYidi]Zbjc^X^eVa^ind[8dc" total impunity, aided by governments with little regulatory XZeX^cIjijVeV^cdgYZgidViiZcYi]Zb^c^c\ enforcement capacities. eaZW^hX^iZl]^X]idd`eaVXZdc;ZWgjVgn&'i]! '%%,#HdbZXVbZiddWhZgkZ!di]Zghidhjeedgi Goldcorp’s mines are in the center of many of these com- i]ZegdXZhh!l]^aZhdbZidd`i]Zi^bZidaZVgc munity struggles. i]ZhiZehhdVhiddg\Vc^oZVh^b^aVgXdbbjc^in XdchjaiVi^dcWVX`]dbZ#H^cXZi]Z?jcZ'%%* s4HE1UECHANTRIBEONTHE&ORT9UMARESERVEIN#ALI- eaZW^hX^iZ^cH^eV`VeV!HVcBVgXdh!YdoZchd[ fornia have been involved in a battle against the (aptly Xdbbjc^i^Zhi]gdj\]dji<jViZbVaV]VkZgZ" named) “Imperial Project,” a proposed 880 foot deep, egdYjXZYi]ZegdXZhh^cVcViiZbeiidhVkZi]Z^g mile-wide, open pit, cyanide-leaching gold operation, for iZgg^idg^Zh!a^[ZhinaZVcY\ZcZgValZaaWZ^c\cdi more than a decade. The proposed mine is near a sacred dcan[gdbi]Zb^c^c\^cYjhign!Wjidi]ZgbZ\V" AREAFORTHE1UECHANPEOPLES)NRESPONSETOTHESTRUGGLES egd_ZXih^ckdak^c\]nYgd"ZaZXig^XeaVcih!bZ\V" OF THE 1UECHAN TRIBE IN THE 3TATE OF #ALIFORNIA edgih!^aa"eaVccZYgdVYlVnh!dgi]Zd^a^cYjhign#Ç passed legislation requiring that mining companies “back photo and caption: James Rodríguez, Mimundo.org fill open pits near sacred sites and restore them to pre- mining conditions when the mining operations end.”1 against the mine, one voted in favour, and one abstained. Backfilling, according to Goldcorp, makes the proposed This action later sparked off more than 17 referenda in Imperial mine unprofitable. concessioned areas in the Guatemalan highlands. So far, Goldcorp, through its fully owned subsidiary Glamis Im- the municipality of Sipakapa has not accepted any pay- perial Corporation, is currently fighting the Californian ments from the company, and continues to resist against legislation through North American Free Trade Agree- “further mine expansion, mineral exploration or exploita- MENTARBITRATION ANDTHUSFAR THE1UECHANPEOPLESHAVE tion” in their territory. managed to prevent the construction of another open- s!T!LUMBRERAIN!RGENTINA WHICHISONEOFTHELARGEST pit, cyanide leaching mine in their territory. copper mines in the world, affected communities have s4HE-ARLIN-INE 'OLDCORPSLARGEST#ENTRAL!MERI- organized to press criminal charges against the mine op- can operation, has become a national issue in Guatemala erators (Goldcorp, Xstrata and Northern Orion) for the because of the company’s and the Guatemalan govern- damage they have done to the natural environment and ment’s failure to properly consult with local Indigenous especially to water resources. 2 populations before mine construction began. s!TTHE3AN-ARTIN-INEIN(ONDURAS THE3IRIA6AL- Community resistance in the municipality of Sipakapa, ley Environmental Committee has organized since 2003 where 15 per cent of the mine was to be located, led to against the expansion of the mine, and managed to keep the organization of a community referendum (consul- the company from building a pit into the municipality of ta), which rejected mining activity: 11 townships voted El Porvenir. They are currently working to demand repa 2 | goldcorp +++`lkqfkrbalkkbuqm^db M7J;HH;IEKH9;I \ehWYYekdjWX_b_joWdZh[Ye]d_j_ed ÇC_d_d]ÊiceijYeccedYWikWbjoÈ Water pollution is one of the most common negative effects Goldcorp’s propsed Peñasquito project, located in a dry of mining and can occur in any of the following forms: Acid area in Mexico’s Zacatecas state, is applying for permits to Mine Drainage (see box p. 4), heavy metal contamination pump up to 40 billion liters of water per year. According to and leaching, processing chemicals pollution, or erosion and Goldcorp, “Presently the required hydro-geological studies sedimentation.4 are being made that will prove to authorities (CNA), that the aquifers in the region have enough available water to Unfortunately, water contamination is not the only “water provide this amount.”6 worry” of communities living near mine sites or planned mining areas.