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

Mon Apr 27 11:32:14 EDT 2009

Hi,

This is a rather interesting case. Glen, we might be interested in  
helping you, please let us know what kind of assistance you might  
need. As a former environmental consultant, I did a lot of NPRI  
reports. The key group that would be interested in this type of data  
would be local communities who are exposed to the pollutants (think of  
the St. Lawrence Cement case - thought that was not NPRI pollutants).

I know there are companies doing mapping with odour issues, but I have  
yet to see much on other air emissions.

In fact, at my company, Nimonik, we are thinking of developing an NPRI  
calculation tool. The Feds have an online reporting system for final  
data, but before you enter your data on pollutants you need to  
calculate it. An easy-to-use web based tool would probably useful for  
a lot of people. It would probably not cover the big industrial guys,  
but would cover the 80% of more normal businesses that report to NPRI.

We also blogged on this issue today, sorry for the self-promo,http://www.nimonik.ca/2009/04/environment-canada-ordered-to-enforce-npri-laws/

Glen, I would be interested in talking more, please drop me an email  
when you get a chance.

Cheers,

Jonathan

On 27-Apr-09, at 11:05 , Tracey P. Lauriault wrote:

> 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
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > 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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