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STOP MINES FROM USING CANADA’S PRISTINE WATERWAYS AS WASTE DUMPS
Mining companies are discarding their toxic leftovers in our lakes right now! Tail Lake (Nunavut) and Scully-Wabush Lake (Newfoundland) have already been approved and the federal government is reviewing applications to okay 14 more.
Decisions on eight bodies of water will be made by the end of this year. Visit here for a map and list of all the mines/lakes currently under review. Act now. Write your political representatives and tell them the use of natural, fish-bearing waters as mine dumps is not an option. Industry had other disposal options. These lakes must not be sacrificed. Trout Pond and Duck Pond (near Buchans, Newfoundland) were approved for destruction in this way in 2006. These lakes used to contain Atlantic salmon and brook trout and were also home to otters. They are now essentially biological dead zones. Since then, the requests from the international mining industry to use Canadian waters for their toxic waste disposal have increased at an alarming rate. Why? Because it would save them tens of millions of dollars in operating costs over the life of their mine. Why build and maintain a tailings pond if you can simply dispose of your waste in a natural lake basin? Let’s keep Canada’s precious water resources clean! Write to the decision makers today! Especially Stephen Harper, Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn and Environment Minister John Baird!! Sample Letter to politicians: Dear ________ Like most Canadians, I am very concerned about the conservation and preservation of our precious freshwater resources. With the onset of global warming we are being warned that these resources may be in jeopardy from things like drought and overuse. We are being encouraged to conserve the water resources we have and use for future generations. I believe that you have publicly stated that you share these concerns and have publicly expressed your commitment to protecting our fresh water and aquatic ecosystems. However, the current policy of your government of allowing mining companies to use pristine natural lakes as tailings dumps is directly contrary to what you are asking us as citizens to do. It is contrary to your government’s commitments to the people of Canada. I am appalled and opposed to this practice and I want you to put an end to it immediately. There are alternative, safe and environmentally effective methods of dealing with mining waste that are currently employed in other parts of Canada and around the world. I would respectfully insist that you require all new mining ventures in Canada to avail themselves of those technologies and leave our lakes alone. Federal representatives:
All letters can be mailed to the following address: House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Write your provincial representatives as well! For BC MLAs click here. Want some background? Go here. For more information contact John Werring at (604) 732-4228, extension 245, or jwerring@davidsuzuki.org.
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