. | . |
Guatemalan duo brings Goldcorp fight to Ottawa
Ottawa (AFP) Dec 9, 2009 Two indigenous Guatemalans filed a complaint with the Canadian government on Wednesday accusing mining giant Goldcorp of polluting their community. Goldcorp's Marlin mine contaminated water supplies and damaged homes while the company harassed protestors, Maudilia Lopez Cardona and Carmen Mejia Aguilar said on behalf of the residents of San Miguel Ixtahuacan, a municipality in southwestern Guatemala. The complaint was submitted under Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational firms requiring companies to respect the health and environment of the communities where they operate. "They've come here to ask the government of Canada to ensure that Goldcorp respect their rights and the rights of their community," a translator said on behalf of Cardona and Aguilar. The case was handed to the National Contact Point, a Canadian foreign affairs department committee that probes complaints from communities harmed by Canadian industries operating abroad. The committee is tasked with offering non-binding recommendations to firms on meeting the OECD guidelines and how to best settle disputes with locals. Goldcorp denied the accusations that its blasting at the Marlin mine caused cracks in area residents' homes, that it had discharged dirty water in local rivers or that it harassed locals. "We have also contracted an independent third party to assess our performance on the promotion and protection of human rights in Guatemala and to recommend ways in which we can improve our performance," company spokeswoman Tanya Todd told AFP. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
Confirming Untold Levels Of Oil Sands Pollution On The Athabasca Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 08, 2009 After an exhaustive study of air and water pollution along the Athabasca River and its tributaries from Fort McMurray to Lake Athabasca, researchers say pollution levels have increased as a direct result of nearby oil sands operations. University of Alberta biological sciences professor David Schindler was part of the team that conducted a long term air and water study and found high level ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |