Court orders pollution data from mining made public
BY JULIET O'NEILL, CANWEST NEWS SERVICEAPRIL 24, 2009 2:01 PM
A compelling photo of toxic waste at a nickel mine.
Photograph by: National Gallery of Canada, Edward Burtynsky
OTTAWA — A court has ordered the federal government to make public pollution data on toxic mine tailings and waste rock at 80 metal mining facilities across the country.
The Federal Court ruling was hailed Friday as a significant victory by Ecojustice, Great Lakes United and MiningWatch Canada to end secrecy about levels of lead, arsenic, mercury, cyanide and other chemicals contained in tailings and waste rock.