[CivicAccess-discuss] Court orders environment Canada to release mining data

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

Here is a blogpost at Datalibre.ca that includes additional information.

http://datalibre.ca/2009/04/27/canadian-federal-court-orders-the-release-of-mine-pollutant-data/

On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 10:57 AM, Glen Newton <glen.newton at gmail.com> wrote:

> In the 1994 I was working at NRCan, and put the first layer-based GIS
> on the Web with NAISMap. This got us a lot  of coverage and
> Environment Canada asked us to make a map-based viewer for NPRI. So I
> went to work, moving the data into Oracle and building a search
> interface that allowed you to display the location, type and amount of
> a particular pollutant using standard cartographic symbols like the
> size of a disc symbol, etc. I worked the last 3 days awake getting it
> to finished and working, as then-minister Copps was to release it at
> noon the designated day. All went off very well.
>
> Most people using the application couldn't help noticing the huge and
> obvious lead polluter that was the Polaris mine[1] in the Canadian
> arctic on Little Cornwallis Island[2]
>
> Unfortunately the application was only up 2-3 years when it was
> yanked. It seemed that the various powers-that-be didn't like the very
> clear fashion the maps showed HOW much of WHAT was being released
> WHERE, by WHOM.
>
> I will be re-creating that mapping application, using MySql and Google
> Maps. Anyone want to get involved, please let me know. BTW the real
> datasets are here:
>  http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/default.asp?lang=en&n=0EC58C98-
> In a proprietary, non-open standards format (MS-Access).
>
> -glen
>
>
> [1]http://www.mindat.org/loc-18828.html
> [2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Cornwallis_Island
>
> 2009/4/27 Tracey P. Lauriault <tlauriau at gmail.com>:
> > Environmentalists have been working for 16 years for these data to be
> > released!
> >
> > Federal Court ruling issued on Thursday will force Environment Canada to
> > collect from the industry and divulge to the public the amount of toxic
> > compounds in tailings and waste rocks found around every mine in the
> > country.
> >
> > (
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090424.wmining0424/BNStory/National/?cid=al_gam_nletter_newsUp
> )
> >
> > Also, how the data are to be released are now being discussed.  For
> instance
> > civicaccess.ca is about the sharing of data for free and in an
> accessible
> > way in order to render the data useful for myriad applications.
>  Environment
> > Canada has a National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).  The mining
> > companies may choose to release but not in those formats.  Although, I do
> > not know why they should have a choice as to how it is released, you
> would
> > think it would be the choice of EnvCan! The article discusses whether or
> not
> > this is a suitable place to publicly release those data:
> >
> > The mining industry doesn't object in principle to revealing its
> pollution
> > information, but doesn't believe the NPRI is the proper place for the
> > disclosure, said Maggie Papoulias, spokesperson for the Mining
> Association
> > of Canada. She said the trade group is reviewing the ruling.
> >
> > I just went and looked up the NPRI dbase and the library did not work nor
> > did the data search, however, the location of facilities are downloadable
> in
> > an access dbase with location information and a number of services are
> also
> > available for mapping -
> > (http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/default.asp?lang=En&n=98A4F382-1).
> >
> > Now it will be up to people to go and use these data somehow.  The data
> > being made available is just the first step, dialogue begins when good
> > questions come up and local stakeholders can use these to inform change.
> > --
> > Tracey P. Lauriault
> > 613-234-2805
> > https://gcrc.carleton.ca/confluence/display/GCRCWEB/Lauriault
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CivicAccess-discuss mailing list
> > CivicAccess-discuss at civicaccess.ca
> > http://lists.pwd.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> -
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-- 
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805
https://gcrc.carleton.ca/confluence/display/GCRCWEB/Lauriault
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