Mining in Remote Areas Issues and Impacts - MiningWatch Canada

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CommunityImpactsM. Wall. Women and developmentin northwest-48ern Ontario (Alternatives,v.14(1), Feb. 1987)In this article, writer Miriam Wall addressesthe issue of the roles of womenin communities based upon extractiveresource industries (such as logging andmining). Wall examines barriers towomen’s participation in the politicaland economic life of these towns, andsuggests ways to increase the inclusionof women in decision-making positionswithin the communities.Miners sent to remote49sites to work suffer fromstress (Financial Post,09/13/88, p. 5)Fly-in mining, where workers aretransported into remote mine sites forspecific lengths of time, is the alternativeto the historical pattern of establishingmining towns. The typical patternsare working for 7-14 days and spendingthe same amount of time at home; orworking 3 months or more and taking 3-4 weeks off.Mark Shrimpton, adjunct associateprofessor of geography at MemorialUniversity in St. John’s, NFLD, recentlycompleted a report on fly-in mining.Shrimpton found that added stress experiencedby fly-in miners could result inincreased accidents on the job.The report recommends shorter workand sentiments such as “you have tobe a real man to be able to work inthe mill or mine” are not uncommon.This attitude can act as a real forcein preventing women from even consideringapplying for what are oftenthe only well-paying jobs available inthe community.(48)The need for gender -specific researchhas been acknowledged in recentfederal environmental assessmentprocesses. However, the lastfederal assessment process thatwomen in Labrador participated infailed to adequately assess the impactof military flight training onwomen in the region. According towomen’s groups, the environmentalimpact statement either omitted orfailed to directly acknowledgewomen’s issues. For example, “sexualassault” was portrayed as “family orcommunity violence,” sexually transmitteddiseases” became“communicable diseases” and“women’s groups” became “concernedgroups.” (46)In September 2000, a two-daygathering was held at Lake Laberge,Yukon, called Gaining Ground:Women, Mining and the Environment.It brought together womenfrom Yukon communities affected bymining, as well as women with experiencein the health, science andsocial science sectors. (50)Land ClaimsThere are six proposed miningdevelopments valued at more than$30 billion in the Arctic, all of whichinfringe on unsettled Native landclaims. Also, in addition to the InnuNation, the Labrador Inuit Associationhas outstanding land claims affectedby the nickel find at Voisey’sBay.(51)Unsettled land claims can be asource of concern for aboriginal communitiesfaced with a proposed mineraldevelopment.In the Northwest Territories, thefederal government has awardedmineral exploration rights to landover which the Dene assert aboriginalrights and title. “Without selfgovernmentagreements, the Deneare not entitled to any revenues frommining activities, even if the mine isliterally in their backyard,” says MarinaDevine, chair of the CanadianArctic Resources Committee.(51)Case Study: The Dene NationDuring the course of the Norman Wells Pipelineand Oilfield Expansion Project in the NWT, peopleof the Dene Nation feared the bulk of benefits wouldflow to the south with the oil, and that northernerswould be left to deal with the negative impacts.The Dene repeatedly stressed that job skillstraining alone would not guarantee meaningful Nativeinvolvement in development. They called fortraining that would enable them to enhance theirtraditional renewable economy and protect their culturaland social life, to ensure that once the projectwas over they would still have families and viablecommunities to live in.Despite problems with government funding, aCommunity Development Programme was eventuallyset up. This allowed the Dene to develop specialprojects on issues such as alcoholand drug abuse, housing,economic development, communitylearning and decision making, Elders andyouth, and health and education. Training was alsoundertaken in areas of monitoring techniques, leadership,communications and other types of professionaldevelopment.The programme was discontinued after only twoyears due to lack of federal funding. What the pr o-gramme taught the Dene was that the regimes of anindustrialized economy are foreign to them, and donot reflect their values and traditions. The realizedthat their cultural heritage is the only key tohealthy social development and that this processmust be in place if the Dene are to design and ben e-fit properly from economic and political development.(52)16 MiningWatch Canada
The Taku River Tlingit First Nationis presently deep into land-claimnegotiations. However, some bandmembers are concerned that a roadproposed by Redcorp Ventures Ltd.to service the Tulsequah Chief minewill soon attract more mines to thearea. More minesmean a greaterpotential forimpacts ontraditionalTlingitlands.TlingitspokespersonMelvinJack is concernedthat,“Industryseems to begoing in underthe wirebefore ourclaims aresettled. Ifeel, to some degree, that it is interferingwith aboriginal rights.”(17)Addressing CommunityImpactsOften there is not enough leadtime given to communities to putprogrammes in place to deal with thenegative social ramifications of miningdevelopments.Like the Dene (see accompanyingCase Study), the Innu Nation ofnorthern Labrador has expressed agreat deal of uncertainty over thefuture of their communities andtheir way of life.(5) The Innu areworried about the implications of additionalsocial and economic pressureswrought by mining developmentson communities that are justbeginning to heal after years ofabuse and despair. The frantic paceof exploration and development hasnot provided Innu communities withenough time to adapt organically tothis new reality.The majority of problems experiencedby the Dene with the NormanWells Project stemmed from theirinability to change existing processesor to have any meaningful input intoToo often, the benefits of a mine are shipped out of a community alongwith the oredecisions related to the project.(52)The Innu have had a similar experience,and are frustrated by refusalson the part of the companies involved– from Archean to Inco – todeal fairly with their concerns. TheInnu have stated that the timelinesand goals of the com panies and theNewfoundland government do nottake into account the need of theInnu to determine their own visionsof an economic future for their communities– a vision that may not includethe development of Voisey’sBay.CommunityImpactsrotations, greater choice of rotations, amore homelike environment, better telephonecommunications, and employeeand family assistance programs to helpalleviate stress.Yukon Conservation Society50 and Yukon Status of WomenCouncil. 2000.Gaining Ground: Women, Miningand the EnvironmentThis pamphlet was produced followinga gathering held at Lake Laberge,Yukon, in September 2000. Copies canbe obtained by contacting the YukonConservation Society (Tel: (867) 668-5678; email: ycs@polarcom.com).Land claims threaten51 NWT diamond mine(Financial Post, 02/15/96,p.1)Two Dene Native bands have landclaims negotiations with Ottawa on a3,500 km 2 tract of land at Lac de Gras inthe central Arctic, where BHP’s Ekatidiamond mine would be situated. Alawyer who was closely following theissue of the competing claims said thatan injunction to halt the project couldbe filed if business and governmentfailed to secure a revenue-sharingagreement or make concessions to theNative bands.Dene community development:lessons from52the Norman Wells Project(Alternatives, v.14(1), Feb.1987, pp. 10-12)Author Margaret Gorman relates theprocess that Dene communities wentthrough to try to gain control over theirsociety and economy in wake of theNorman Wells Pipeline and Oilfields Expansionproject. The challenge for theDene was to convert the opportunitiesbrought by a non-renewable resourcedevelopment into long-term benefits.When the Pipeline and Oilfields Expansionproject was approved, the federalgovernment committed $20 million forprogrammes to ensure jobs, trainingand business opportunities for northerners.The government also imposed atwo-year project delay to allow time forthese projects to be put in place.Mining In Remote Areas: Issues and Impacts 17
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Page 36: Photo by Lisa SumiAcidic drainage,

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