Effects of mining on Indigenous lands and the people: Who gets the royalties; who makes the decisions?
Mining: Who gets the royalties; who makes the decisions?
September 1, 2013 
Nunavut premier, Eva Aariak
It may sound like sacrilege in this land of hewers of wood and drawers of water, but some argue that building an economy around what comes out of the ground is not the best path to prosperity. Mining and energy are expected to pump billions into northern Canada in the next few years - but at what cost? Who will share in the wealth, and who will make the decisions?
Guest-host Karin Wells talks to Eva Aariak, Premier of Nunavut, about her desire for more control over the exploitation of her territory's mineral resources.
Karin Wells also speaks with Catherine Coumans of MiningWatch Canada who says Nunavut would be better off with a focus on diversifying its economy, rather than relying on mineral exploration and development.
Corporate Social Responsibility and the NGO's:
Two years after Ottawa began supporting Canadian mining companies abroad by funding partnerships with Canadian non-governmental organizations, the battle rages on. Are NGO's that play the game, selling out? Harry Kits is with World Vision Canada, which has partnered with Barrick Gold on several community projects in Peru. Robert Fox is executive director of Oxfam Canada, which has decided not to participate in these types of government-sanctioned partnerships.
This week's guest-host Karin Wells, has produced three documentaries about conflicts between Canadian mining companies, and developing countries. You can listen to them here.
Unfinished Business tells the story of 11 Guatemalan women who are suing Hud Bay Minerals, a Canadian mining company, for complicity in their rape.
In The Gold at the Roof of the World, Karin visits Barrick Gold's Pascua Lama mine in Chile.
And in High Stakes Poker, the saga of Pacific Rim, a junior mining company from Vancouver, which claims it has been deprived of its right to start a gold mine, and is suing the government of El Salvador.