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Jack Woodward is a lawyer representing the Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Lac La Biche. Woodward and the group are arguing that the Cree’s constitutionally protected right to hunt and fish on that land has been obstructed by tar sands development in Alberta’s North.  CJSW’s Joe Burima had a chance to speak with Mr. Woodward.To…

Cites Beaver Lake Cree Nation legal action as key liability for investors. Byline: Matthew BergerAlberta’s sprawling tar sands region holds the second largest oil reserve in the world after Saudi Arabia, but investors lured by the promise of black gold should think twice about the environmental risks, a Canadian investment fund warns.In a new report,…

Byline: Erin HitchcockA study prepared for the Tsilhqot’in National Government says Taseko Mines Ltd. underestimated the potential risk of the proposed Prosperity mine to surrounding lakes and rivers. Stratus Consulting concluded in its study that information provided to date “does not permit a reasoned evaluation of potential adverse effects to water quality, water quantity, fish…

Byline: Ken MacInnis Three chiefs from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs have announced their support of the Tsilhqot’in National Government’s opposition to the use of Fish Lake as part of the Prosperity mine project. In a letter to project proponent Taseko Mines’s vice president of corporate affairs Brian Battison, the federal review panel,…

TNG concerned for future of the salmon runs Williams Lake, November 12, 2009 – A team of mining experts reviewing Taseko Mines Ltd.’s proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project has concluded that the information provided to date “does not permit a reasoned evaluation of potential adverse effects to water quality, water quantity, fish and wildlife under…

Lawsuit seeks to halt expansion of Athabasca tar sands into Cree territory. By Alex Ross. In May 2008, the Beaver Lake Cree launched a lawsuit against the government of Canada and the province of Alberta to prevent the expansion of the tar sands into their territory, located in Lac La Biche, Alberta. According to the…

To make mining operations work, they will have to kill Fish Lake By Peter Zimonjic Fish Lake, BC – It’s shortly after sunrise and the air over Fish Lake is cold, crisp and still.  The eastern faces of the Taseko mountains at the south end of the valley are just beginning to reflect the soft…

Some members of the Tsilhquot’in First Nations said they will do whatever it takes to halt a proposed open pit gold and copper mine 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, B.C. Vancouver — About 30 members of the bands — which are also known as the Chilcotin First Nations — and their supporters rallied outside…

Press Release For immediate release   Taseko Mines EIS on Prosperity deficient a second time; First Nations suggest investors and public take note Williams Lake, October 19, 2009 — The federal panel reviewing the proposed Taseko Mines Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project sent the mining company’s revised environmental impact statement (EIS) back a second time, saying…

A Victoria lawyer leads an international case that could eventually force the Canadian government to protect habitat – and stop expansion of the tar sands. Excerpt: “If indeed Canada simply honoured its constitutional obligation of protecting native rights to hunt and fish, we would also protect our biodiversity, our forests, our grasslands, our carbon sinks,…