Protesters gather against a Canadian mining company in the Dominican Republic.
(Photo: J. Cafio/CJI)
May 4, 2021 – Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) joins over 80 organizations around the world in expressing their solidarity and support for communities in the Dominican Republic resisting Barrick Gold’s planned expansion in the country, where the company already operates an open-pit mine in Pueblo Viejo. In a letter sent to the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Energy and Mining, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Barrick Gold’s President and CEO and Barrick Pueblo Viejo’s President, the signatories expressed their concern on the environmental and social impacts the expanded operations will have on the country. Their concerns centre on the country’s vulnerability to climate change, the health and safety of the communities in the affected areas, the poor environmental track record of Barrick Gold in the country and the lack of transparency of the entire decision-making process.
To read the letter: In English | en español
