[read overview]

Mining (In)Justice Conference

ProtestBarrick was a lead organizer for the second year in a row for the Mining (in)Justice: At Home and Abroad conference, which brought together leaders from community-led anti-mining movements throughout Canada with those from around the world impacted by Canadian mining operations. This year�s Mining (In)Justice conference brought together over 200 participants, many from impacted communities. In addition to hosting workshops where participants could share stories from their own struggles, there were two caucus sessions where groups could meet and strategize. Caucuses were held on action-planning, building a national network, spanish-speaking caucus, directly impacted communities caucus, and more!

Read more about the Mining (in)Justice Conference
Watch videos of the presentations during the Mining (in)Justice Conference

IMAGE: ProtestBarrick co-editor, Sakura Saunders (standing) with participants at a caucus meeting at the Mining (In)Justice conference. PHOTO: Ben Powless.

___

United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

This year, ProtestBarrick hosted an international delegation of four in New York for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). At the Permanent Forum, the Porgeran delegation had the honor of reading the statement for the Asia-Pacific caucus and had a number of high level meetings. Meetings were held with James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on human rights, as well as Chris Albin-Lackey, Senior researcher at Human Rights watch and a meeting with several people from Amnesty International.

IMAGE: Mark Ekepa, Chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association, and Jethro Tulin, Executive Officer of the Akali Tange Association, show Chris Albin-Lackey (HRW, not pictured) and Sakura Saunders an aerial map of Porgera while explaining how the mine has created a man-made island of waste swallowing two villages that are seeking relocation. Chris has since been to Porgera two times. PHOTO: Allan Lissner.

___

Barrick Gold Annual General Meeting & Protest

This year�s Barrick Protest was the biggest it has ever been, with well over 100 in attendance, including an 8-member delegation from Papua New Guinea and Chile, a 10-piece samba band and many colorful banners and painted signs. It included a two hour rally outside of Barrick�s meeting, followed by a march to the company�s headquarters and speeches from representatives of impacted communities. The shareholder action got a lot of press, including an amazing front page business section article in the Toronto Star and another favorable article on the Canadian Press, Canada�s newswire service. In fact, weeks after the Barrick protest, reports in the Canadian Press on the subsequent Goldcorp AGM referenced back to the Barrick protest in detail, including three paragraphs about the concerns and actions of the Diaguita Huascoaltinos.

See photos of the protest

IMAGE: Representatives of the Diaguita Huascoaltinos, from Chile, and from Porgera, Papua New Guinea, lead a march of about a hundred people to the headquarters of Barrick Gold, after raising their complaints to shareholders inside the annual general meeting in Toronto. PHOTO: Allan Lissner.

___

March trip to Papua New Guinea

This year, the Porgera Landowners Association invited ProtestBarrick co-editor Sakura Saunders to visit Porgera, Papua New Guinea at their expense. Sakura quickly raised an additional $1500 ahead of the trip to pay for video cameras, digital still cameras, and a small laptop computer to bring to Porgera as resources to give to the community. During the trip, Sakura did numerous interviews with the men, women, school teachers and leaders of the communities directly impacted by Barrick�s Porgera mine. Look forward to a video soon!

Read �Mining Through Roots: Displacement, Poverty and the Global Extractive Industry�

IMAGE: These home are about to fall from a landslide caused by the expanding waste dump. Instead of resettling the landowners, Barrick prefers to give each landslide victim cash compensation. The villagers then crowd into increasing squashed living quarters. PHOTO: Sakura Saunders.

___

PorgeraAlliance.net website

This year, the Porgera Alliance website was upgraded and transferred to a wordpress site at PorgeraAlliance.net. The new site is updated regularly with first-hand reports and news releases from Porgera, offers much more organization than the former porgeraalliance site. With 10 different categories of posts and a background page that includes a summary of each issue area and an archive of the formal international actions taken to date, this website offers a professional platform for the Porgera Alliance to communicate their cause as an independent entity.

http:///porgeraallince.net

___

SaveLakeCowal.org website & Legal campaign

This is the 10th year of the Save Lake Cowal campaign. ProtestBarrick co-editor Natalie Lowrey has been a lead campaigner since early 2004. Working closely with Wiradjuri Traditional Owners, Natalie is rebuilding the Save Lake Cowal website to celebrate this significant grassroots Australian campaign. In early 2011 a publication of the campaign will also be launched. The 10-year legal campaign against Barrick Gold�s mining operation on Wiradjuri land on Lake Cowal continues, resulting in the second successful injunction against the expansion of the mine and the ongoing Native Title case still pending in Australia�s Federal Court.

http://savelakecowal.org

___

This year, ProtestBarrick co-editor, Sakura Saunders was invited to a conference hosted in Canada�s House of Commons [image right]. MP Peter Julian�s Walking the Talk: Human Rights Abroad was held to examine violations of human and environmental rights at the hands of Canadian corporations abroad, and to explore legislative solutions such as MP Peter Julian�s Bill C-354 to amend the Federal Courts Act in the interest of international human rights. Saunders spoke on one of the four panels offered at this conference, which looked at popular sector responses and strategies in North America to the abuses committed abroad by Canadian extractive industries.

Listen to Sakura's talk here

___

Lake Cowal fly-over

On Sunday 21 November 2010, Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville �Chappy� Williams, ProtestBarrick co-editor, Natalie Lowrey and photojournalist, Conor Ashleigh in taking an aerial flight over Lake Cowal. Lake Cowal, an ephemeral lake which has been dry for over 10 years, has a wet and dry cycle of 20 years. Wiradjuri Traditional= Owner, Neville �Chappy� Williams has warned of the big wet seasons. In the past two months this area has seen huge amounts of rainfall and flooding, Lake Cowal is currently 75% full of water. Once paradise to much wildlife and leisure time for locals, Lake Cowal now has Barrick Gold�s large open cut pit penetrating into its lake bed.

These aerial photos testify to the absurdity of Barrick Gold�s mine in Lake Cowal. When more rains come, or even the floods (Lake Cowal sits in a huge flood plain) how will Barrick prevent the flow of water from entering its operation? How will they be able to contain the toxic waste that sits in the two 1km square tailing�s ponds that sit below the flood level? And if they are able to escape this potential disaster how will they be able to rehabilitate what was once a pristine wetland and significant Wiradjuri cultural site to its original health?

Aerial photos of Lake Cowal can be seen here

IMAGE TOP: Barrick Gold�s mine in Lake Cowal. BOTTOM: Wiradjuri Traditional Owner, Neville �Chappy� Williams and ProtestBarrick co-editor, Natalie Lowrey. PHOTOS: Conor Ashleigh

___

Thanks to all our friends, supporters and allies

Our very best,
Sakura Saunders and Natalie Lowrey
protestbarrick founders and editors