Red Chris mine tailings pond

Mining

Canada is home to some of the world’s largest mining companies and major mining operations. The top five minerals mined in 2016 in Canada were gold, copper, potash, iron ore and coal. Mining contributed greatly to the economic development of Canada over the last century. However in more recent years the high environmental and social impacts of mining has cast the industry in a new light.

While scientific and public understanding of the impacts of mining has changed dramatically in recent years, regulations have been slow to keep pace. In B.C., the government has faced criticisms over its tailings ponds regulations in the wake of the 2014 Mount Polley mining disaster. First Nations have also called for reforms to gold rush-era laws that allow companies to stake claims without free, prior and informed Indigenous consent — one of the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that B.C. adopted in 2019.

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How our journalism makes a difference
Here at The Narwhal, we do journalism differently. As an independent non-profit, we’re accountable to you, our readers — not advertisers or shareholders. So we measure our success based on real-world impact: evidence that our reporting influenced citizens to hold power to account and pushed policymakers to do better.

Our stories have been raised in legislatures across the country and cited by citizens in petitions and letters to politicians.

Take our reporting on Alberta’s decision to allow cougar hunting in parks, which was cited in an official ethics complaint against the parks minister. And, after we revealed an oil and gas giant was permitted to sidestep the rules for more than 4,300 pipelines, the BC Energy Regulator started posting the exemptions it grants publicly.

This kind of work takes time, money and a lot of grit. And we can’t do it without the support of thousands of readers just like you.

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Anna Maria Tremonti, founding host of CBC Radio’s The Current and member of The Narwhal’s board of directors
As a journalist who has spent decades asking questions that cut through noise, I’m cautious where I place my trust. The Narwhal has earned it — through rigorous, independent reporting, careful, on-the-ground storytelling and a clear commitment to the public interest. It’s why I’ve become a member myself. Will you join me? The Narwhal needs to add 400 new members this month to keep telling these important stories. And if you join now, you’ll get a special tote bag as thanks.
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A note from Anna Maria Tremonti
Headshot of journalist Anna Maria Tremonti
Founding host of CBC Radio’s The Current and member of The Narwhal’s board of directors