2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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Barrick and CommunitiesIndigenous PeoplesConstructive dialogue is the cornerstone of our engagementapproach with Indigenous Peoples in the areas where we haveoperations and exploration projects – including the Tahltan FirstNations at our Eskay Creek mine, the Pic River First Nationsnear the Hemlo mines, the Western Shoshone at Cortez Hills inNevada, Native Alaskan communities neighboring the DonlinCreek project, the Diaguita of the Huasco Alto near our Pascua-Lama project in Chile and the Wiradjuri Condobolin communitynear the Cowal mine in Australia. Our consultation activitiesare customized, adapting to local realities, historical culture andcontext, to the specific needs of our projects and the individualIndigenous communities affected by our operations. At oursites around the world, Barrick works effectively with ourIndigenous partners to develop sustainable land use plans,environmental monitoring programs, employment and procurementopportunities, formal collaboration agreements andcultural protection projects.For example, the Cortez mine in Nevada has engaged withWestern Shoshone Tribal leaders and community members formany years. Originally a joint venture, early in 2008 Barrickacquired 100 percent ownership of Cortez and the adjacentCortez Hills project. Consistent with our commitment to directand open engagement, Barrick convenes frequent dialoguesessions open to all Western Shoshone community members.These forums provide a constructive process for sharing informationon the mine, community updates, addressing issues ofconcern and helping to create an environment of cooperation.Many Western Shoshone community members participate inwide-ranging educational, economic and community wellnessopportunities generated by our mining activities. For moreinformation on our engagement with the Western Shoshone,please visit our website.SecurityBarrick explores and operates in places in the world where ouremployees and assets may need to be protected from theft andrelated violent activities. In these places we employ securityThe Diaguita CommunityBarrick is working in partnership with the Diaguita communityof the Huasco Alto near our Pascua-Lama project,developing programs that contribute to the strengtheningof their culture and traditions. Aspects of the programinclude: workshops that combine commercial training andreviving ancestral Diaguita artisanal techniques, participationin fairs and cultural and productive gatherings, andthe Forestry and Agricultural Cooperation Program thatprovides technical training andspecialized services to Diaguitacommunity members wholive in geographicallyisolated locations.staff or retain contractors to protect our employees and assets.In 2006 we developed a comprehensive security policy basedon the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights(VPSHR). The policy will be implemented globally in 2008. In2007 assessments of all ‘at risk’ operations were conducted incollaboration with an independent expert on the VPSHR.As part of our security program, all security managers andsecurity officers who carry firearms have received human rightstraining and all operations where firearms are used are governedby the requirements of the United Nations Guidelines forthe Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (asrequired by the VPSHR). In addition to meeting the protectivesecurity requirements for our people and operations, 2007 sawan expansion of our security programs in partnership with localcommunities. An example of these programs is the initiative atour Tanzanian operations where people from local villages areprovided training and engaged, via a village security organization,to assist our operations with security services.Managing Grievances and ConflictBarrick’s commitment to listen and respond to the concernsof local residents helps to build goodwill and trust with ourhost communities and other local stakeholders. Through ourcommunity feedback mechanisms, we are kept informed aboutissues and concerns in the community and we can respondquickly to settle minor issues or disputes before they escalateinto more significant grievances. Discussion on significantissues for 2007 can be found on our website.16 Barrick Responsibility Report 2007
COWAL MINE:A Study in Sustainable DevelopmentIntroductionThe success of Barrick’s Cowal Gold Mine, located in NewSouth Wales (NWS), Australia, can be attributed to a strongsense of responsibility to the community and the environment.Upon acquiring the undeveloped Cowal project from Homestakein 2001, Barrick recognized the importance of maintaining thesupport of the community and investing back into the region.To address this need, the Company embarked on an extensiveprogram of community engagement, beginning during theproject’s earliest days. During this process, Barrick gained aclear understanding of the interests of the farmers and otherresidents located in the communities around Lake Cowal, aswell as members of the Wiradjuri indigenous community.Building a Robust EconomyDuring the earliest stages of mining exploration in the LakeCowal area, hiring and training opportunities were providedlocally, commencing what would become a long-term economicstimulus promoting the development of the region.Prior to this time, the Lake Cowal region had slid into a stateof economic decline, characterized by an aging population andlimited job opportunities. The need to reinvigorate the localeconomy may be one reason the Lake Cowal communitieswere predominantly supportive of the mining project from theoutset. In a 2004 survey conducted by an external marketresearch company, only seven percent of surveyed communitieswere negative to the presence of the proposed mine.Employment figures at the height of the mine’s construction,between early 2004 and April 2006 peaked at 700, includinglocally hired and trained geological technicians, explorationdrillers, and construction workers. According to a subsequentsurvey in 2006, the year the Cowal mine poured its firstgold, the negative attitude towards the mine had declined tofour percent.Today, most of the 250 employees at the Cowal mine andapproximately 60 contractors reside in West Wyalong andneighboring towns, including Forbes and Condobolin. In 2007,total wages and salaries for this group were estimated at $16million. Compounding this fiscal injection into the region arestatutory payments and royalties to local and state governmentsamounting to $4 million in 2007. This economic impacthas been further strengthened as a result of a “buy local”policy that gives preference to local goods and services whenfeasible. More recently, this has involved the purchase of a fleetof 40 light vehicles, as well as trailers, employee clothing andbus and cleaning services from local suppliers. In addition, wehelp to support community-based organizations, especiallywhere the influx of Barrick employees has had an impact, suchas the Bland Children’s Services Unit. In this case, Barrick contributed$80,000 towards the construction of an expandedfacility in West Wyalong that now provides pre-school, familydaycare, a toy library and vacation care services to workingfamilies in West Wyalong.This process of proactive community engagement remains anongoing priority. A community complaints hotline has beenestablished to promptly identify and address the concerns oflocal residents. Barrick also extends invitations to communitygroups to visit the Cowal Mine and produces a communitynewsletter when required to keep residents fully informed asto Company activities. This Responsible Mining approach hashelped to make the Cowal Gold Mine an employer of choiceand an important part of the fabric of the community.Environmental Conservation ParamountAmong the Company’s central responsibilities is meeting rigorousenvironmental standards for the management, protectionand conservation of Lake Cowal, a nationally recognized wetlandecosystem. Lake Cowal forms part of a large wetlandsystem in the Lachlan Catchment in Central New South Wales.The lake is ephemeral, meaning it fills primarily due to riverflooding but not during drier years or, as has been the casemost recently, drought years. When flooding occurs, the lake ishome to significant concentrations of water birds and becomesBarrick Responsibility Report 2007 17
Page 1: BarrickResponsibilityReport 2007
Page 8: 25 Years of Responsible MiningA Cul
Page 11 and 12: operation of the Company. In 2007,
Page 13 and 14: Active and genuine engagement with
Page 15 and 16: For example, we recently opened a n
Page 17: Barrick brought together a multi-di
Page 21 and 22: understanding about how agriculture
Page 23 and 24: Attracting, retaining, motivating a
Page 25 and 26: WORK-LIFE BALANCETo retain high-qua
Page 27 and 28: Improving safety and health perform
Page 29 and 30: Barrick Health SystemOver the last
Page 31 and 32: Barrick’s goal is to minimize our
Page 33 and 34: are audited, in general, every two
Page 35 and 36: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INTENSITY(
Page 37 and 38: OFF-SITE SPILLS:Operation Substance
Page 39 and 40: About Barrick Gold CorporationBarri

2007 Responsibility Report - English (PDF) - Barrick Gold Corporation

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