2019.03.01: BCFED - Asbestos leading cause of workplace deaths, yet 2 violations a day reported by WorkSafeBC BC Insulators Union and BC Federation of Labour call for immediate BC government action to provincially license asbestos removal firms after BC Supreme Court ruling permanently banning company that broke rules over 230 times, has not paid fines of $635,000 over 9 years 2019.02-.16: Montreal Gazette - The asbestos legacy: Can mining residues be repurposed safely? The battle between those who say asbestos can be handled safely and those who believe it is a deadly substance for which there is no safe level of exposure has been going on in Quebec, and by extension Canada, for at least half a century. 2019.02.07: Globe and Mail - Banning asbestos is a victory for all Canadians. But the fight is not over Hopefully, fewer people will lose their lives from inadvertently breathing in the tiny particles that wreak such havoc on our bodies; the national ban also provides Canada with a platform to advocate for international action. 2019.01.02: Montreal Gazette - Too good to be true? Transforming asbestos mining residue into money A plan to extract magnesium from the mountains of asbestos-laden mining residues in the Eastern Townships is being hailed as a modern-day miracle, with governments already investing more than $40 million in public funds into one company’s project. 2018.12.28: The Observer - Milestone approaches in battle to ban asbestos A workplace health activist in Sarnia welcomes Canada’s asbestos ban set to take effect Sunday but says there is more work to do. The federal regulations announced in the fall fulfill a 2016 promise by the government to prohibit the import, sale, and use of asbestos and asbestos-containing products, with some exceptions. 2018.10.18: Globe and Mail - Federal government takes final steps toward asbestos ban The federal government has laid out the final part of its plans to ban the usage and sale of asbestos in Canada by the end of the year. 2017.05.01: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos, spying and the Canadian connection But perhaps an even hotter topic at the conference is the case of Robert Moore, who is being sued in Britain on allegations he spied on members of the anti-asbestos movement for four years. Moore attended the last meeting of the Rotterdam Convention, in 2015, under false pretences. As his case unfolds in the High Court of Justice in London, details about who he might have been working for are coming to light. 2017.01.04: Ottawa Citizen - Learn from asbestos – and do more to protect Canadians To be clear: the decision comes decades late. Thousands of Canadians have already died from mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Thousands more will suffer the same fate in the coming years. Asbestos is far and away the leading occupational killer, costing Canada billions of dollars annually. 2016.12.26: Vancouver Sun - Clearing Kawkawa Lake's asbestos — first hand — is a hot and gruelling job A group of workers and I went through mandatory field-level risk assessments to identify potential hazards to us or the public. We talked about the scope of work to be done each day, with safety procedures a major focus. I felt protected as a worker, knowing the employer had my best interests in mind. 2016.12.20: The Star - How federal politicians sheltered asbestos industry Successive federal governments — Liberal and Conservative — provided political shelter to companies mining chrysotile asbestos in Quebec, going so far as to fund the Chrysotile Institute whose purpose was to defend aggressively this particular type of asbestos as distinctly less hazardous than other forms of the magic mineral. (A paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2008 called this argument “redolent of the tobacco industry’s playbook on light cigarettes.”) 2016.12.19: CTV News - Asbestos-related deaths may continue to rise long after 2018 ban Despite the federal government’s decision to ban products containing asbestos by 2018, some medical experts predict the number of Canadians who die because of past exposure will continue to rise. Every day, about five Canadians are diagnosed with cancers linked to asbestos. It can take anywhere from 20 to 40 years for exposure to asbestos to develop into the disease, which is often aggressive and, in many cases, fatal. 2016.12.19: The Telegram - Asbestos? Good riddanceBack when there was an open pit mine in Baie Verte, asbestos was killing people. When you could drive into Thetford Mines in Quebec and marvel at the sheer amount of work required to build the massive tailings piles that surround the town’s mines, asbestos was killing people. 2016.12.17: CBC News: This week's ban of asbestos just the first step in ridding Canada of toxic substanceNow, after years of researching and reporting on the dangers of asbestos, I think all the time about my dad and brother, both mechanics, as well as other friends and family who work in the trades — electricians, contractors, renovators — who I know have all been exposed to asbestos on the job. 2016.12.15: The Canadian Press - A look at Canada's 140-year history with asbestos, to be banned in 2018The federal government says it will ban all products containing asbestos by 2018. Here's a timeline of the history of asbestos in Canada. 2016.12.15: The Star - Canada to ban asbestos by 2018 The Canadian government is moving to ban the use of asbestos by 2018, Science Minister Kirsty Duncan announced Thursday. The ban on asbestos, which the World Health Organization declared a “human carcinogen” in 1987, will apply to the manufacture of any products containing the substance, as well as on imports and exports. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/15/canada-to-ban-asbestos-by-2018.html 2016.12.15: CBC News - Full asbestos ban, changed codes and regulations expected by 2018By 2018, the federal government hopes to ban asbestos in Canada and change rules and regulations about the deadly material, which contaminates tens of thousands homes and buildings across the country and kills thousands every year. http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/ottawa/asbestos-ban-announcement-1.3895843 2016.12.09: CBC News - Asbestos ban to be announced by federal government next week Asbestos should be banned in Canada, says Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, who hopes the private member’s bill he introduced this week to prohibit the known carcinogen will put further pressure on the Trudeau government to take action. 2016.12.08: The Globe and Mail - Liberal MP hopes private member's bill will push Trudeau to ban asbestos Asbestos should be banned in Canada, says Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, who hopes the private member’s bill he introduced this week to prohibit the known carcinogen will put further pressure on the Trudeau government to take action.2016.12.07: Sarnia Observer - Letter to prime minister signed by Sarnia activists The letter signed by more than 60 health, labour and environmental organizations, as well as 52 individuals, calls for the federal government to ban asbestos use in Canada, and establish an expert panel to address challenges with asbestos management and removal across the country. 2016.12.07: The Globe and Mail - Ottawa urged to ban asbestos immediately amid new data The federal government should take immediate action to ban asbestos in Canada and establish an expert panel to review how the deadly substance is managed and disposed of in the country, a group of prominent organizations is urging, at a time when new annual numbers show asbestos is again – by far – the top on-the-job killer in Canada. 2016.11.30: St Catharine Standard - Asbestos continues to be a killer “I don’t know what the reason is. They came out and said they supported this issue and the fact that they are dragging their feet is extremely disappointing,” says Mark Cherney, business manager of IBEW Local 303 Niagara. 2016.11.28: Windsor Star - Asbestos imports continue despite Canadian mining ban Asbestos imports nearly doubled in value between 2011 and 2015, to $8.2 million last year. Meanwhile, the numbers and cases of deaths attributed to mesothelioma — an aggressive form of cancer caused primarily by workplace asbestos exposure — has been on the rise, according to figures released this year by Statistics Canada. 2016.11.28: The Observer - Asbestos opponents waiting for Liberals to act on promise Buist said, “It's terrible” that the federal government still hasn't acted on a ban and allows products with asbestos to be used and imported. “There's going to be a problem for a whole new generation of workers, even if it's a number of years down the road,” she said 2016.11.24: Petebrough Examinar - Peterborough and District Labour Council urges federal ban on asbestos Councils across the country are asking for a ban on importing and exporting asbestos, a ban on products containing it as well as a national registry to help inform people about the risks of being exposed to the silicate mineral. 2016-10.26: Journal of Commderce - B.C. Insulators welcome federal asbestos inventory "I think the inventory that the feds have done is a fabulous inventory and it should have been done long ago," said Lee Loftus, business manager with the B.C. Insulators Union. 2016.10.12: Hamilton Spectator - The Spectator’s View: Canada’s shameful record on asbestos As has been noted here before, the Trudeau government has carved itself out an ambitious agenda. Its progress to date is mixed. But the government's slowness on others is a mystery, which easily leads to suspicion and cynicism in the absence of believable justification. Take, for example, the commitment made by Justin Trudeau during the election campaign to ban asbestos. 2016.10-12: Glove and Mail - What happened to Justin Trudeau’s promise to ban asbestos? Sometimes public-policy choices involve weighing contradictory evidence and competing objectives. Careful consideration is needed to make the right decision. This is not one of those times. The government is staring at an empty net goal with its promised asbestos ban. It should stop skating and just shoot already. 2016.10.11: Globe and Mail - Liberals under fire for delay on asbestos ban A year after the Liberals were elected with a promise to ban the use of asbestos in Canada, no such move has been made – inaction that is dismaying to health experts, labour groups and families affected by asbestos-related diseases. 2016.10.03: CBC News - Canada-wide asbestos inventory 'a positive step,' say health and safety advocates After years of lobbying, an official public inventory of Canadian government buildings containing asbestos is now available online — and workplace health and safety advocates say the document is a good start. 2016.09.15: Niagara This Week - Region supports comprehensive asbestos ban Guay, a health and safety advocate who joined Niagara Regional Labour Council vice-president Chris Grawey in calling for regional politicians to support a comprehensive ban on imported products containing asbestos, said the mesothelioma her dad was diagnosed with in 2011 quickly ate away at him. 2016.08.19: Windsor Star - Essex County council backs campaign to ban asbestos Labour councils across the country are trying to persuade the federal government to ban the use, export or import of asbestos, by seeking the support of municipal leaders. 2016-07-16: The Star - Ottawa’s shameful foot-dragging on asbestos continues: Editorial The roots of our dangerous obstinacy are political. Successive prime ministers have defended the deadly mineral in the hopes of winning votes in rural Quebec, where asbestos mining was an important industry for more than a century. Only last summer, three years after the last of Quebec’s mines shut down amid dwindling demand, did Ottawa finally acknowledge that “asbestos, if inhaled, can cause cancer and other diseases.” 2016.07.05: Globe and Mail - Trudeau must live up to his pledge to deal with asbestos Unless it quickly lives up to its word, this won’t be the last time the government will be embarrassed by Kathleen Ruff. She is among Canada’s most indefatigable crusaders, a woman who never hesitates to speak truth to power and won’t stop until power actually hears her and acts. 2016.07.04: Ottawa Citizen - Ruff: Time for a firm stand against asbestos, Canada One of the key promises made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is that his government will restore Canada’s badly tarnished image on the international stage. Canada is back, says the prime minister. Canada will support global policies based on evidence and play a positive role at the United Nations. Trudeau’s pledge has been welcomed by most Canadians and by the international community. 2016.06.26: Globe and Mail - Asbestos-related cancer costs Canadians billions A first-ever estimate of the toll of asbestos-related cancers on society pegs the cost of new cases at $1.7-billion per year in Canada, and notes that is likely an under-estimate. 2016.06.05: Montreal Gazette - How one single-minded activist helped turn the tide on asbestos A longtime human rights activist based in Smithers, B.C., Ruff has toiled, for the most part, behind the scenes. But without Ruff’s dogged determination to rally health experts, victims and politicians to speak out and take action, Quebec might still be mining and selling the deadly fibre to developing countries for decades to come, with the active support and blessing of the federal government. http://montrealgazette.com/storyline/how-one-single-minded-activist-helped-turn-the-tide-on-asbestos 2016.05.11: CBC News - Canada 'moving forward' on asbestos ban, Justin Trudeau says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made the federal government's first commitment to move forward with a plan to ban asbestos. Trudeau made the comments Tuesday while speaking at Canada's building trades union policy conference in Ottawa. 2016.04.28: CBC - Check out this national inventory of federal buildings containing asbestos CBC has produced a national inventory of federal buildings containing asbestos by contacting 24 federal departments and agencies that provided a list of properties containing the substance. 2016.04.22: The Star - Asbestos imports on the rise, families and unions call for total ban Trade unions and affected family members say it’s long past time to ban all asbestos products in Canada, calling them the country’s number one workplace killer. A tearful Michelle Cote, whose boiler maker father was diagnosed with deadly, asbestos-caused mesothelioma in 2014, told an Ottawa news conference that no one deserves to die this way. 2016.04.16: iPolotics - Experts, activists baffled as to why asbestos is still not banned “To me, the delay is completely inexplicable. Every day that passes, people are going to die from asbestos-related exposure. It’s completely irresponsible,” said David Boyd, an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and the author of Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Law and Policies. 2016.04.11: Ottawa Citizen - Asbestos banned in construction, renovations at federal sites CBC News has learned a federal government department has banned asbestos use in new construction and renovation projects at buildings it operates — the new policy took effect on April 1. 2016.03.28: Ottawa Citizen - Time to end the use of asbestos in Canada For years, Canada was criticized for the unconscionable practice of exporting asbestos, a deadly carcinogen, to developing countries. A decade later, Canada no longer exports asbestos, thanks to the closure of the last mine in Quebec for economic reasons in 2011. But Canada now imports increasing volumes of products made from asbestos. 2016.03.27: Globe and Mail - Pressure mounts on Ottawa to join wide ban on asbestos A letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this month notes that Canada still allows the use of asbestos and lacks a comprehensive strategy to phase out the substance or to promote safe substitutes. 2016.02.14: Vancouver Sun - B.C. labour groups want jail time for alleged asbestos-removal culprits An asbestos-removal company is in court this week to face accusations it repeatedly exposed its workers to the deadly construction material. Labour organizations in British Columbia are calling for jail time against Seattle Environmental director Mike Singh and his son Shawn Singh. 2016.02.03: CBC News - Federal labour minister says she will consider asbestos ban The federal government is considering a ban of asbestos in construction projects in Canada, but for now it's "monitoring the situation" according to Maryann Mihychuk, the federal minister of employment, workforce development and labour. 2016.02-02: CBC News - Federal government still using asbestos in new construction CBC News has confirmed the federal government continues to use asbestos-containing materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings, even though asbestos is a known carcinogen and toxin. 2016.01.28: CNC News - Ottawa Taxation Centre workers astonished after asbestos found in ceiling Government workers at the Canada Revenue Agency's Ottawa Taxation Centre tell CBC News they're astonished management didn't tell them they were exposed to asbestos in the ceiling over several years. 2016.01.21: Occupational Safety - Cases of cancer caused by asbestos on rise Described as a "cruel'' disease, mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs as a result of inhaling asbestos dust and fibres. Like asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma can take 20 to 40 years to develop and begin causing symptoms, among them painful coughing, shortness of breath and severe weight loss. About 60 per cent of those affected die within a year of diagnosis. The five-year relative survival rate is seven per cent. 2016.01.21: CTV News - Cases of cancer caused by asbestos on the rise, StatsCan says The numbers of cases and deaths from mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused primarily by workplace asbestos exposure, have continued to rise and show no signs of abating, recently updated figures from Statistics Canada show. 2016.01.07: Globe and Mail - Asbestos exposure leads rise in deaths of B.C. construction workers Deaths of B.C. construction workers jumped 40 per cent last year, an increase fuelled by the number of workers who have died after being exposed to asbestos while on their jobs decades ago. 2016.01.06: Halifax Water issues tender for asbestos removal at Lake Lamont plant In a hazardous material assessment report issued in December 2014, ALL-TECH Environmental Services Ltd. said that in addition to the materials listed in the report, mould, asbestos debris, rodent and bird feces had been found on surfaces throughout the building. Those areas included ceilings, walls, pipes and equipment. Herald News: 2015.12.26: Winnipeg Free Press - Crusader against asbestos loses her life to asbestos-related disease ThunderSky had been dealing with asbestos-related lung disease and a family member said she had mesothelioma, an extremely rare form of lung cancer. ThunderSky’s half sister Rita Swain died in 2008 after an over three-year battle with mesothelioma. 2015.12.27: CBC News - Raven Thundersky, indigenous health advocate, dies at 50 Thundersky was involved in the call for an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW), but was perhaps most vocal on health issues faced by people living in homes with asbestos-containing insulation. 2015.11.29: Montreal Gazette - Concordia prof under pressure to denounce colleague's pro-asbestos paper Anti-asbestos activists are turning up the heat on Concordia University by demanding a high-profile faculty member at the university’s John Molson School of Business join international scientists and health experts in calling for an official retraction of a pro-asbestos report. 2015.10.01: Burnaby Now - Daughter lobbies for action on asbestos After making some connections, the pair launched the Asbestos Related Research, Education & Advocacy (AREA) Fund in 2010. 2015.07.25: Montreal Gazette - Concordia to review asbestos report Concordia University is reviewing a report it commissioned and published on public relations lessons that can be learned from Quebec’s asbestos industry. The review comes after the report was decried as “replete with inaccuracies and bias,” by a group of 10 scientists and human-rights advisers. 2015.07.14: Vancouver Sun: WorkSafeBC cracks down on home demos and renos over asbestos concerns Work safety officials say they are stepping up enforcement of home renovations in B.C. over concerns about asbestos after a high number of contractors were caught trying to cut corners last year. 2015.07.06: Herald - Ottawa’s shameful record on asbestos Health Canada was widely congratulated last week for recently revising its website to more accurately reflect global scientific and medical knowledge on the risks of inhaling asbestos, a known carcinogen. 2015.07.03: The Star - Ottawa should ban asbestos entirely: Editorial The about-face was clumsy and long overdue, but welcome. The Canadian government has finally admitted there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. 2015.07.03: Globe and Mail - Ottawa’s change of heart on asbestos welcome but late his week, The Globe learned that the government had quietly changed its web page on the health risks of asbestos. The difference between the old web page and the new one is categoric. The old began, “Asbestos was a popular material used widely in construction and many other industries. 2015.07.02: CTV News - Asbestos update: How Health Canada's advice has changed Health Canada has updated the online information it provides to Canadians about the risks of asbestos, conceding that exposure to the substance in any form is dangerous. The HealthyCanadians.gc.ca website now says that any amount of asbestos inhalation can lead to "cancer and other diseases." 2015.07.02: The Observer - Advocates in Sarnia calling for ban on asbestos use in Canada Changes Health Canada has made to how the federal department's website describes the health risks of asbestos are being welcomed in Sarnia, a community hit hard by occupational diseases, including mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. 2015.07.01: Globe and Mail - Ottawa reverses stand on health risks of asbestos in ‘landmark shift’ Health Canada has strikingly revised its position on the health risks of asbestos exposure, bringing the federal government more in line with other developed countries. The recent changes to the department’s website are significant, with the page about asbestos replacing information that was dated from 2012. Among the shifts, the site no longer says one form of asbestos – chrysotile, the type that Canada mined and exported for years that is still most commonly used – is “less potent” and does less damage than other types. The World Health Organization and other medical bodies have long said all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. 2015.05.16: CTV News: Russia helps block export restriction on asbestos Four countries including Russia have blocked a bid to add chrysotile asbestos to a list of dangerous substances subject to export restrictions, participants at a UN meeting in Geneva said Saturday. 2015.05.14: Counter Currents - India Blocks Listing Of Chrysotile Asbestos In Rotterdam Convention India along with a handful of countries including Russia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Cuba once again blocked the listing of Chrysotile Asbestos in the Prior Informed Consent list (PIC) at a UN convention meeting currently underway in Geneva, using bogus science and advocating “controlled use”. We would like to point out that “Controlled” or “safe” use of all varieties of asbestos including Chrysotile is a “myth” and that all major independent scientific bodies including the WHO and ILO have categorically stated that Chrysotile (white) asbestos cannot be safely used. 2015.05.04: Globe and Mail: Canada urged to lobby to have asbestos added to UN hazardous list Canada should ban asbestos inside its borders and lobby aggressively to have the chrysotile form of the carcinogenic mineral added to the hazardous substances list of a United Nations treaty, according to a commentary published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2015.03.27: Globe and Mail - Asbestos imports rising in Canada despite health warnings According to Statistics Canada figures, imports of asbestos-related items rose to $6-million last year from $4.9-million in 2013. The bulk of these goods consisted of asbestos brake linings and pads, which hit $3.6-million in imports in 2014, a seven-year high. 2015.03.11 CBC News - Asbestos registry demanded for federal public buildings Tradespeople who say they were unknowingly exposed to asbestos while working in federal buildings say it’s time to develop a registry to let workers know what hazards may be in Canada's public buildings. 2015.02.27 The Star - Canada is on the sidelines when it comes to banning asbestos trade Canada is sending a terrible message to the rest of the world. Oppose responsible trade; reject scientific evidence; obstruct international co-operation. 2014.02.14: Globe and Mail - Researcher Patricia Martens turned dry data into stories When she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos, she recognized the opportunity to speak up and support the campaign to have Canada join other developed countries in banning asbestos. 2014.12.15: Globe and Mail - Asbestos revealed as Canada’s top cause of workplace death Asbestos exposure is the single largest on-the-job killer in Canada, accounting for more than a third of total workplace death claims approved last year and nearly a third since 1996, new national data obtained by The Globe and Mail show. 2014.11.24: Globe and Mail - Asbestos exposure: We’re just at the beginning of a health crisis I spent four years of my life working with a team, based at Memorial University, designing, developing, and implementing an occupational exposure and disease registry for the 2,500 or so former employees of the asbestos mining and milling operation in Baie Verte, Newfoundland. The operation functioned from the mid-1950s until it finally closed in 1994. 2014.06.17: Globe and Mail - Federal opposition raises asbestos-policy issue The federal Conservative government is refusing to join the rest of the developed world in declaring that there are no safe uses for asbestos, even though the material is the top workplace killer in Canada and deaths from exposure are expected to rise. 2014.06.16: Global News: Former Newfoundland asbestos mine workers fight government Mon, Jun 16: It’s been 20 years since the mine in Baie Verte, N.L. stopped producing asbestos. But those who worked in the mine and breathed toxic dust say authorities are ignoring science and are denying them compensation. Ross Lord reports. 2014.06.16: Globe and Mail: Ottawa's sunny outlook on asbestos is out of step with the facts Ottawa’s sunny outlook about asbestos is out of step with the facts and is sending a confusing signal to Canadians. 2014.06.12: Globe and Mail - The Invisible Epidemic Asbestos is the top on-the-job killer in Canada. But a Globe and Mail investigation has found that this stark fact has been obscured by the country’s longstanding economic interest in the onetime “miracle mineral.” 2014-03-24: Under The Influence CBC - Selling Danger Even when those products were used exactly as advertised - they created enormous hazards, physical risk, and in some cases, even death. We'll explore how we invited Asbestos and DDT into our homes as miracle products, how certain games for children ended up posing incredible risks, and how a much-heralded drug ended up being one of the most devastating products in modern history. 2014.02.23: Toronto Star - Revolutionary Toronto cancer treatment gives asbestos victims new life The technique used by Dr. John Cho and Dr. Marc de Perrot at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre has doubled survival times in patients with mesothelioma, according to research they published last month. Their success has drawn attention from around the world and they say doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota will soon attempt to use their method. 2013.10.14: The Telegram - Theatre’s future hinges on funding Concerns over the presence of asbestos in the theatre forced the university to close it in February 2012. It was cleared later that month for internal use by faculty and staff. 2013.09.30: Gazette - Some of McGill University’s harshest critics will be speaking at a full-day conference on asbestos and research ethics Tuesday. Last year, McGill was accused of a “whitewash” when it released what some scientists and activists considered a biased report after an internal investigation into misconduct charges against retired professor John Corbett McDonald. 2013.09.10: McGill - Asbestos Conference 2013 The McGill Faculty of Medicine is pleased to announce a free full-day academic conference, open to the public, focused on the topic of asbestos. Conference attendees will be invited to engage in a baseline discussion about what asbestos is, how it has been used historically and its impact on human health, as well as participate in a dialogue for the future with respect to research policy, ethics and the broader context. 2013.09.09: CBC News - Justice sought with new asbestos registry The union representing people who worked at a notorious asbestos mine on Newfoundland's Baie Verte Peninsula is demanding changes to eligibility criteria that prevented most of them from receiving compensation. The United Steelworkers union says health information gathered by the Baie Verte miners' registry shows people who were unfairly denied for compensation to exposure to asbestos. 2013.07.31: Shaw TV - GO! Island Walk for Truth - Asbestos Kills, Powell River 2013.07.23: Globe and Mail - Guatemalan mine claims against HudBay can be tried in Canada, judge says Justice Carole Brown’s ruling, handed down Monday, means that the claims of 13 Guatemalans can proceed to trial in Canadian courts. The decision opens the door to other cases in which companies could face liability on their home turf for incidents that happen overseas. 2013.06.10: RightOnCanada - Rotterdam Convention in crisis, say civil society groups Civil society groups attending the Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva are expressing grave alarm that the Convention has been hijacked by the asbestos industry, which is determined to prevent the environmental and health protections of the Convention from being implemented. 2013.06.25: RightOnCanada - Asbestos lobbyists determined to sabotage UN Rotterdam Convention Eighteen asbestos lobbyists will be attending the UN Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva with the sole purpose of defeating the recommendation of the Convention’s expert scientific body that chrysotile asbestos – the only form of asbestos sold in the world today – be placed on the Convention’s list of hazardous substances, which would require safety warnings and Prior Informed Consent be obtained before asbestos is exported. 2013.05.05: The Star - Russia, Zimbabwe pick up the asbestos baton from Canada At the UN Rotterdam Convention conference in Geneva this coming week, asbestos lobbyists will be working to defeat the recommendation of the convention’s expert scientific committee to put chrysotile asbestos on the convention’s list of hazardous substances. 2013.04.28: The Record - Liberals will not finance Jeffrey mine if re-elected A $58 million loan issued by the previous Liberal government last summer to support the restart of the Jeffrey asbestos mine will not be reissued if the Liberals regain power, according to newly-chosen Quebec Liberal Party leader Philippe Couillard. 2013-04-25: CBC News - Contractor in fight with Public Works after asbestos exposure Job to replace sinks at B.C. prison exposed workers to carcinogen. Instead, the British Columbia contractor said he was exposed to high levels of asbestos, almost lost his business and has been fighting with federal government bureaucrats for more than three years 2013.04.18: CBC News - Reporting asbestos in public buildings now mandatory Public buildings in Saskatchewan are now required by law to report if asbestos is present. The province has passed a bill that will make Saskatchewan the first province in Canada to require mandatory reporting of asbestos in public buildings. Under the new legislation, information about asbestos will have to be disclosed in a public registry. 2013.04.10: Yahoo.ca - Registry of workers of Baie Verte asbestos mine in Newfoundland completed The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission says the registry will be used to help adjudicate occupational disease claims for former workers of the shuttered mine in Baie Verte. The commission says the information in the registry will also help patients under care for asbestos-related illness. 2013.04.05: CBC News - Quebec's asbestos promotion policy may be ending Quebec's government appears to be on the verge of officially turning its back on the asbestos industry, according to comments made by the province's natural resource minister. 2013.03.26: CBC News - Asbestos in at least 180 Quebec health care sites Documents obtained by Radio-Canada through access to information requests reveal 180 health care sites in the province contain asbestos, and there could be more. The buildings known to contain the carcinogenic fibre, which was once used as a fire-retardant, include various hospitals, clinics, and long-term care homes. 2013.03.21: The Star - Asbestos love-in runs its course; The Harper’s government fondness for the cancer-causing chrysotile asbestos industry seems to have run its course. As part of Thursday’s budget, Ottawa will send $50 million over the next seven years to help the commmunities of Thetford Mines and Asbestos, Quebec diversify their economies away from exploiting the dangerous mineral. Canada has taken heat for keeping its asbestos industry alive and shipping exports to countries like India, an effort that requires federal and provincial subsidies. 2013.03.14: The Canadian Press - Saskatchewan backs mandatory asbestos registry for public buildings The Saskatchewan government says it will back proposed legislation to make reporting of asbestos in public buildings mandatory. Labour Minister Don Morgan said Thursday that a private member's bill will go to committee that will consider things such as what information would have to be provided on the registry. 2013.03.11: CTV News - Highest award for man who battled for asbestos registry "This award is a great way of honouring Howard's work," Todd said. "There is one more thing we can do to help save the lives of so many more innocent victims. We can contact our MLAs and tell them that it's important to the people of Saskatchewan that they vote in favour of Bill 604." 2013.02.27: Vancouver Sun - Deadly asbestos-related disease ‘heart-wrenching’ for families Fernie was angered by a story in The Vancouver Sun Monday that revealed Skylite Building Maintenance, and its successor company Seattle Environmental Consulting, racked up more than 250 orders for violations for exposing workers to asbestos under the Workers’ Compensation Act of B.C. and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, as well as more than $280,000 in fines dating back to 2009. 2013.02.26: McGill Tribune - Asbestos at McGill: one year later As a large research university, McGill is one of the world’s leading institutions when it comes to scientific breakthroughs. With this title, however, comes great responsibility and a stringent public eye. 2013.02.25: The Star - UN cancer-research agency IARC denies influence by Russian asbestos industry World Health Organization (WHO) cancer-research agency says article in The Lancet poorly researched. Russia has replaced Canada in blocking moves against chrysotile. 2013.02.18: RightOnCanada.ca - The International Chrysotile Association Continues Its Deadly Work Around The World Right now, a battle is being waged in Europe to hold the asbestos industry accountable for its criminal negligence in hiding the risks of asbestos, thus causing thousands of deaths. 2013.02.04: La Presse - Amiante: une Québécoise obtient gain de gause aux États-Unis L'annonce à l'origine de cette surprenante manne avait été diffusée par un important cabinet d'avocats américain, Motley Rice, qui lance régulièrement des campagnes dans les médias pour identifier des victimes potentielles de l'amiante. 2013.02.04: La Presse - Un long parcours truffé d'embûches Mme Therrien obtient un rapport indiquant que plusieurs écoles de la commission scolaire pour laquelle travaillait son mari, sur la couronne nord de Montréal, comportaient des flocages d'amiante. 2013.02.04: La Press - Vers un recours collectif de victimes de l'amiante Le gouvernement du Québec pourrait bientôt voir se former un recours collectif regroupant les personnes de la province ayant été indûment exposées à l'amiante, a appris La Presse. 2013.02.04: Right On Canada - Quebec asbestos victims organisation soon to be formed A Quebec environmental group, la Société pour vaincre la pollution (SVP), is hoping in the coming weeks to finalize the constitution of a Quebec asbestos victims organisation, which will assist victims obtain compensation. 2013.01.01: Caritaps - Canary in the Mine The documentary highlights the devastating health effects chrysotile asbestos has on unsuspecting victims and on those who loved and cared for them. It also illustrates the unwillingness of asbestos producers and our government to acknowledge scientific facts which clearly point to the deadly carcinogenic character of chrysotile asbestos. 2012.12.18: Canadian Underwriter - A.M. Best revises estimate for U.S. asbestos insurance losses to $85 billion A.M. Best Company Inc. recently released a revised estimate of $85 billion, net of reinsurance, in losses due to asbestos claims to the United States property and casualty insurance industry. 2012.11.13: CBC News - Saskatchewan government unveils asbestos list Despite some earlier misgivings, the Saskatchewan government has decided to publish a list of buildings containing asbestos. It's something the New Democrat Opposition was pushing for, as was Saskatoon's Howard Willems, who died last week of lung cancer. 2012.11.08: Leader Post - Man who pushed for asbestos registry for Sask. public buildings dies A Saskatchewan man who urged the province to make lists available to everyone of public buildings that contain asbestos is dead. The family of Howard Willems says he died peacefully Thursday after a long battle with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that comes from inhaling asbestos fibres. 2012.11.08: CBC Radio - Asbestos All about asbestos, the substance that was once one of Canada's major resources until it was found to be dangerous to the people who pulled it out of the earth and processed it. 2012.11.07: Right ON - Socialist leader on manslaughter charge over asbestos deaths Martine Aubry, the former leader of France’s governing Socialist Party, has been charged with manslaughter in a probe into whether state negligence contributed to thousands of deaths caused by asbestos exposure. 2012.11.05: :Leader Post - New Sask. labour legislation is not “an attack on unions” Speaking at the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour’s annual convention on Saturday, Labour Minister Don Morgan got several rounds of applause — especially when he talked about essential services legislation. 2012.11.03: La Press - France: après le sang contaminé, l'amiante? Le dossier de l'amiante débouchera-t-il en France sur l'inculpation de plusieurs hauts responsables de l'État comme l'a fait le scandale du sang contaminé? 2012.11.02: CBC - Lobby groups call for registry of buildings containing asbestos Two health lobby groups are calling for a national public registry of buildings containing asbestos. 2012.10.25: Asian Journal - McGill University's Asbestos Report is a Whitewash Prof. McDonald used his research to argue at a World Trade Organization tribunal that countries should not have the right to ban chrysotile asbestos (which represented 100% of the global asbestos trade), as it was virtually harmless. 2012.10.23: Montreal Gazette - Activist blasts McGill’s absolution of asbestos researcher McGill Research Integrity Officer Abraham Fuks said McDonald acknowledged he received financial support from the asbestos industry. In his report, Fuks said McDonald’s research was replicated by other groups and that its “robustness has endured many critical analyses and legal inquiries.” 2012.10.17: Right On Canada - Last Quebec asbestos mine abandons its plan to re-open For the past year, no asbestos mining has taken place in Quebec, but asbestos industrialists were pursuing plans to re-open both the Jeffrey mine and the LAC mine. The industrialists have now admitted defeat and at both mines, plans to re-open have now been abandoned. 2012.10.17: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos: retired McGill professor cleared of misconduct in industry-sponsored research A Radio-Canada documentary aired this year detailed how an institute set up by the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association paid professor McDonald and other McGill researchers at least $1 million between 1966 and 1972 for research on the health impacts of chrysotile asbestos. 2012.10.16: Thetfordactu - Relance de la mine Lac d’Amiante : Simon Dupéré jette l’éponge Les décisions des gouvernements fédéral et provincial en matière de chrysotile auront finalement enterré la relance de la mine LAC à Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine, Simon Dupéré ayant annoncé aujourd’hui qu’il suspendait le projet « indéfiniment ». 2012.09.29: The Observer - Asbestos victims remembered Others in the crowd of 525 or more at the second annual walk in Sarnia carried photos of loved ones lost to asbestos-caused illness, wore T-shirts honouring victims and carried signs calling for the mineral fibre to be banned in Canada. 2012.09.27: Occupational Cancer Research Centre - Asbestos Disease Symposium Presentations from the September 27, 2012 Asbestos Disease Symposium held in Toronto. Asbestos Exposure and the Burden of Asbestos-related Disease in Canada Dr. Paul Demers –Director, Occupational Cancer Research Centre 2012.09.26: WSO - WSO Calls for Canadian Asbestos Ban The World Sikh Organization of Canada has written to Industry Ministry Christian Paradis, calling on the Government of Canada to impose an immediate ban on the mining and export of asbestos and to offer assistance to the victims of asbestos-related cancer. 2012.09.25: Simcoe - Reluctantly doing the right thing Canada's government is backing down from its stubborn and bewildering support of the asbestos export industry. It's about time. http://www.simcoe.com/opinion/editorial/article/1508293--editorial-reluctantly-doing-the-right-thing 2012.09.23: The Star - Asbestos products still being imported to Ontario Despite recent announcements in Ottawa and Quebec that suggest asbestos will soon be a thing of the past, products made of the cancer-causing mineral are still being imported and used in Ontario today. 2012.09.20: Globe and Mail - As asbestos industry collapses, a town's fibre is torn Asbestos has become a mineral with a dubious reputation and a doubtful future, and its namesake town faces a similar fate. 2012.09.22: The Star - The belated demise of Canada’s asbestos industry It could hardly have been more politically dramatic or more financially devastating for the tottering, bankrupt Quebec asbestos industry. After 130 years in operation, the last two asbestos mines in Quebec — the Jeffrey mine in the town of Asbestos and the mine run by LAB Chrysotile at Thetford Mines — shut down more than a year ago in the face of catastrophic financial and environmental problems. 2012.09.21: Asian Journal - Baljit Chadha: Why does this man want to kill poor Indians with cancer-causing asbestos? AS reported in this newspaper last week, the federal government was forced to reverse its position on supporting export of the cancer-causing asbestos. Federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis said the government will no longer oppose the listing of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam Convention and that Ottawa would fork out $50 million to enable asbestos mine workers to retrain in other fields of work. 2012.09.17: CBC Radio, As It Happens - Asbestos In India Asbestos In India. Now that Canada is getting out of asbestos business, we hear from an outspoken advocate for banning asbestos in India. 2012.09.17: The National Post - It takes a Quebec separatist to close an asbestos mine It hurts, but it has to be said: Pauline Marois hasn’t even been sworn in as premier yet and she’s already shown more leadership and judgement on Quebec’s asbestos industry than any of her predecessors, or anyone in Ottawa. 2012.09.17: The Star - Right thing to do is ban extraction of asbestos: Olive The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) was too generous last Friday in lauding Ottawa’s announcement that day that Canada will stop objecting to the listing of asbestos as a dangerous material under the U.N.’s Rotterdam Convention on exports of hazardous materials. 2012.09.14: The Star - Conservative government ends opposition to listing asbestos as hazardous substance The first potential clash between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and newly elected Quebec Premier Pauline Marois has come to a swift end as the Conservatives revealed they would stop defending the controversial asbestos industry. 2012.09.14: CBC News - Asbestos: 'Magic' mineral was once Canada's gold The needle-like fibre had many uses and inventors were tripping over each other to find more: it was woven into clothes, building insulation and coffee pots. It was even mixed with children's play dough and, at one point, had roughly 4,000 other applications. 2012.09.14: Globe and Mail - Ottawa does U-turn on asbestos mining Canada is ending its much-maligned practice of defending asbestos mining on the world stage, a reversal of a stand that made it a pariah in some international circles. 2012.09.14: Edmonton Journal - Federal government won’t block efforts to limit asbestos exports The Conservative government announced Friday it will no longer be a champion of asbestos on the world stage, effectively conceding the end of the asbestos industry in Quebec with a promise of up to $50 million to diversify the economy of the mining communities. 2012.09.14: CBC News - Canada to back listing asbestos as hazardous Canada's asbestos industry is effectively and finally shut down, with Industry Minister Christian Paradis's announcement Friday that the Canadian government will no long oppose the listing of asbestos as a hazardous substance in the international Rotterdam Convention. 2012.09.14: Globe and Mail - Canada to cease defending asbestos mining The Harper government is throwing in the towel on Quebec’s internationally-maligned asbestos industry now that the Parti Québécois is poised to take power and prohibit extraction of the cancer-causing mineral. 2012-09-10: National Post - Shattering the conventional wisdom on asbestos If political strategists have any capacity for introspection, they should be asking themselves some serious questions about the Parti Québécois’ late-innings promise to cancel a $58-million government loan to the Jeffrey Mine in the Estrie, and to end all exports of chrysotile asbestos from Quebec. 2012.09.08: Vancouver Sun - Asbestos workers to receive free CT scans Workers suffering from illnesses caused by on-the-job asbestos exposure will soon be eligible to receive diagnostic CT scans funded by WorkSafeBC in an effort to diagnose lung cancer sooner and reduce mortality from the disease. 2012.09.05: Montreal Gazette - PQ expected to live up to promise to end asbestos production Anti-asbestos advocates plan to hold the newly-elected Parti Québécois government to its promise to cancel the $58-million government loan to the Jeffrey Mine and put an end to this province’s long history of production and export of the deadly fibre. 2012.09.04: CBC News - Asbestos's legacy Hundreds of former residents of a B.C. asbestos-mining town may have a time bomb ticking in their lungs – and because no one is tracking their health as a group, many of them might not be aware of the potential danger they face, CBC News has learned. 2012.08.30: Huffington Post - The PQ is Right About One Thing -- Asbestos Needs to Go I have not exactly kept it a secret that I disagree with many aspects of the Parti Québécois' current platform. However, when it comes to the PQ's policy on asbestos, I couldn't agree more. If elected, the PQ has stated that it would essentially abolish the asbestos industry in Quebec. 2012.08.29: CBC - Quebec parties hailed for plans to end asbestos mining The Canadian Cancer Society has weighed in on the Quebec election campaign, hailing proposals by three of the four major parties that would effectively shut down the country's last remaining asbestos operations for good. 2012.08.29: Global News - Canada's asbestos industry could end under PQ The party considered the front-runner in the Quebec election is poised to shut down what's left of Canada's 2102.08.29: Globe and Mail - Marois pledges to cancel $58-million loan to Quebec asbestos mine A Parti Québécois government would essentially end the controversial asbestos industry in the province by cancelling a $58-million loan to Canada’s last asbestos mine and using the funds to diversify the local economy, said party leader Pauline Marois. 2012.08.22: University Affairs - “No way” to use asbestos safely, say epidemiologists The position statement was issued in late July by the Joint Policy Committee of the Societies of Epidemiology, a consortium of international epidemiology organizations including the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the American College of Epidemiology. More than 180 individuals and public health groups from 21 countries have endorsed the statement. 2012.08.18: Right On Canada - Jeffrey mine encounters severe financial crisis Less than two months after the Quebec government gave Jeffrey mine a $58 million loan, the mine has encountered a severe financial crisis and has laid off about 80 if its one hundred workers. 2012.08.13: The Gazette - Quebec ‘not banana republic’ – Legault “We can’t sign an agreement with a company and because there is a change of government just put that agreement in the trash,” he said. “I would not have granted that loan,” Legault added. “I find it abnormal.” 2012.08.12: The Star - Sordid asbestos tale could be nearing its end However, in April 2011 the government of Thailand approved a resolution called “Measures to Make Thai Society Free from Asbestos.” A schedule to end the import of asbestos and protect the population from asbestos harm is being developed. 2012.08.12: CBC News - Asbestos's future in Quebec election crosshairsQuebec's party leaders tossed around the delicate subject of the province's still operating asbestos industry on Saturday as they outlined platforms on health and the environment. 2012.08.11: Gazette - Coalition Avenir Québec wants environmental powers, a ban on asbestos A Coalition Avenir Québec government would try to obtain all the environmental powers and functions that the federal government now has in Quebec, party leader François Legault says. 2012.08-11: Sun News - Quebec opposition leaders take aim at Liberals over asbestos mine decision Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois also criticized the Liberal Party on Saturday for its decision to loan investors tens of millions to re-open the mine in Asbestos, QC, about 160 km east of Montreal. 2012.08.10: The Star - Sordid asbestos tale could be nearing its end Even if Harper and Charest are indifferent to protection of health overseas, one would think they would recognize the unsound financial basis of Quebec taxpayers carrying 70 per cent of the risk of a project, shunned by private investors, except one discredited company in a country about to ban asbestos. 2012.08.05: France 24 - Top researcher snubs French honour over 'industrial crimes' AFP - A top researcher and campaigner on industrial health issues has refused France's highest honour in protest at official inaction over what she described as "industrial crimes" in this sector. 2012.07.30: Radio Canada International - Canada's asbestos policy shameful, say epidemiologists A joint committee of epidemiologist societies around the world is calling for a global ban on the mining, use and export of all forms of asbestos. Its statement has been endorsed by more than 150 Canadian and international public health, civil society organizations and individual scientists from twenty countries. 2012.07.30: Gazette - Charest government may have miscalculated announcement to reopen Jeffrey Asbestos Mine with a $58-million loan If the Charest government was hoping to avoid criticism by quietly announcing the relaunch of Quebec’s controversial asbestos industry on the Friday before a holiday weekend, it might have miscalculated. 12.07.26: National Post - Thailand’s move to ban asbestos leaves Quebec looking foolish Ever wonder what it feels like to loan $58-million to an industry whose biggest clients don’t even want your product and are actively working to ban it? If so, then look no further than Jean Charest for a prime example of an ill-advised investment. Last June, the Quebec Liberals announced a $58-million loan to Mineral Fiber, the company that owns Jeffrey Mine, in order to resuscitate the (rightfully) dead asbestos industry. 2012.07.24: CBC News - Scientists press for global asbestos ban The statement, released Tuesday, calling for the ban on the mining, use and export of all form of asbestos has already been approved by over 150 public health organizations and scientists from at least 20 countries. 2012.07.24: The Gazette - Epidemiologists oppose reopening asbestos mine Epidemiologists are usually a quiet, careful bunch. But three weeks after the Quebec government approved a $58-million loan to reopen and expand the only remaining asbestos mine in Canada, these public health experts and scientists have decided to speak out against a decision they say will create jobs in Quebec at the expense of lives in other countries. 2012.07.24: Global - International and Canadian organizations calling for global asbestos ban MONTREAL - More than 150 international and Canadian public health organizations and individual scientists are demanding a worldwide ban on the mining, export and use of asbestos. 2012.07.23: La Presse - Mine Jeffrey: l'amiante destiné à un pays qui veut l'interdire La mine Jeffrey, relancée à coups de millions de dollars grâce au gouvernement du Québec, servira notamment à approvisionner les usines de Thaïlande du principal partenaire du projet. Or, la Thaïlande veut interdire totalement l'amiante au cours des prochains mois. 2012.07.23: La Presse - Québec a financé la mine Jeffrey bien avant de l'annoncer Le gouvernement du Québec a avancé des millions de dollars l'an dernier pour la relance de la mine Jeffrey, plusieurs mois avant d'en faire l'annonce officielle à la fin juin, a appris La Presse. 2012.07.23: CBC News - Asbestos opposition growing in Thailand, warns advocate An anti-asbestos advocate warns that one of the countries that consumes the most asbestos in the world is seeing a growing resistance to the use of the mineral and that it could mean big problems for the Jeffrey Mine. 2012.07.22: La Presse - L'héritage empoisonné de l'amiante à Hochelaga Au moment où le gouvernement du Québec appuie financièrement la relance de la mine Jeffrey, à Asbestos, l'annonce de la renaissance de l'industrie de l'amiante remue de douloureux souvenirs dans un quartier montréalais. 2012.07.20: Observer - Canadian asbestos a far-reaching killer She said Jonckheere hopes to visit Quebec while in Canada to speak out against Quebec’s decision to provide a $58-million loan allowing the Jeffrey asbestos mine in that province’s Eastern Townships to reopen. 2012.07.13: StockWatch - Fraser Institute argues against asbestos mine bailout Canada's mining industry is globally competitive, and has long succeeded without much in the way of government subsidies. It even thrived in the last recession by responding to market demand. Yet instead of letting markets drive mining investment in Quebec, the provincial government is bailing out the asbestos industry using taxpayer money -- and this for a product that is harmful to human health. 2012.07.13: Gazette - Quebec health minister wrote of asbestos-cancer link A few months before Premier Jean Charest’s cabinet approved a $58-million loan to restart the asbestos industry, Quebec’s health minister wrote that asbestos, tanning salons and cigarettes are all considered in the same category of “highest cancer risk to humans.” 12.07.11: Global News - Timeline: The history of asbestos use in Canada The industry clings to its last life: the last remnants of the asbestos industry are in Quebec. 2012.07.10: The Observer - Shame on politicians for asbestos mining support Quebec’s Liberal Premier Jean Charest chose the day before Canada Day to announce his province will lend investors $58 million so they can reopen the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine in the Eastern Townships. 2010.07.11: The Star Phoenix - Asbestos jobs come at price However, not so safe that asbestos will be used in Quebec, or the rest of Canada. Governments and organizations have been spending millions and sending out armies of workers clad in haz-mat gear to remove asbestos from anywhere it might come into contact with Canadians. 2012.07.09: National Post - Jean Charest’s asbestos loan is electioneering at its best So, if someone told you that the Quebec government decided to loan $58-million dollars to the company that exploits Jeffrey Mine, Canada’s largest asbestos mine, in order to resuscitate the previously defunct asbestos industry, not because it was electioneering, but because Quebec believes in the potential to exploit and utilize chrysotile asbestos safely, would you believe it? 2012.07.09: The Observer - Daughter seeking asbestos justice in dad's name "My parents spent my entire life teaching me that when something wrong happens, you have to use your head to work past the emotions and put your energy into a positive solution,” Guill said. 2012.07.09: Glove and Mail - Kicking up some dust over Quebec’s Asbestos loan On the line are 400 full-time jobs in a region dependent on the industry for more than a century, despite clear warnings about the persistent health and environmental danger of asbestos, a fibre that provides superior insulation but that in some forms has been linked to cancer. 2012.07: Straight - David Suzuki: How Canada is keeping the deadly asbestos industry alive It also says a lot about the absurdity of an economic system in which creating a few jobs and boosting wealth is a higher priority than preventing cancer, protecting health, and having a clean environment. The Jeffery mine re-opening is expected to create just over 400 direct jobs, each paying about $16 an hour. 2012.07.06: National Post - Mayor of Asbestos says misunderstood town’s history is ‘a source of pride’ When a government preparing for an election has a job-creating investment to announce, it does not usually schedule it for a Friday afternoon before a long weekend. But when the announcement is in Asbestos, Que., and the funding will revive a dormant mine producing the carcinogenic fiber that gives the town its name, officials prefer not to make too big a splash. 2012.07.06: The Gazette - Asbestos gets a new lease on death If students want to fight injustice why haven’t they taken to the streets over the government’s latest decision? 2012.07.06: Globe and Mail - Is Canada ready to take the asbestos test? Who knows what finally convinced the Premier to go ahead? Over the years, despite all the evidence, a tiny band of Canadians has spoken up for Quebec’s moribund asbestos industry. 2012.07.04: Globe and Mail - Quebec should let the asbestos industry die Instead of letting the industry wither away, Quebec’s government is propping it up, helping out private investors who have signed on to relaunch the Jeffrey Mine. 3012.07.04: Sun News - 'Asbestos orphan' vows to fight moves to revive Canadian industry Palleske a self-described "asbestos orphan" and the co-founder of Canadian Voices of Asbestos Victims, says she watched both her mother and father die from ghastly illnesses related to chrysotile asbestos exposure. 2012.07.03: Yahoo.ca - Critics slam Jean Charest for jump-starting asbestos industry It seems Quebec 's government sheepishly chose the latter when announcing a massive initiative to jump-start the controversial asbestos industry. 2012.07.03: The Star - Quebec shouldn’t depend on asbestos exports for jobs Could Quebec Premier Jean Charest have come up with a more obtuse way to mark the Canada Day long weekend? As people from coast to coast were breaking out Maple Leaf flags and fireworks to celebrate the nation’s many proud achievements, his government seized the occasion to throw a $58 million lifeline to the struggling asbestos industry, one of our most notorious exports. 2012.07.03: Gazette - Quebec’s moral obligation: toughen asbestos controls Given the carcinogenic nature of asbestos, last Friday’s decision by the government of Quebec to issue a loan to enable the reopening of an asbestos mine in the Eastern Townships is troubling. 2012.07.03: Rabble .ca - Quebec government to finance reopening of killer asbestos mining ast week, in an elaborate public relations ceremony in the town of Asbestos attended by hundreds of residents, the Quebec government of Premier Jean Charest announced it was providing $58 million in loans to enable the re-opening of the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine. 2012.06.30: Montreal Gazzette - Doctors condemn move, but miners and residents applaud it Quebec’s decision to reopen an asbestos mine will kill thousands of people in Third World countries where the product is sold, according to the Canadian and Quebec Medical associations. http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Doctors+condemn+move+miners+residents+applaud/6864867/story.html 2012.07.23: La Presse - Mine Jeffrey: le Québec va «financer le cancer» Le Québec va «financer le cancer» et il prépare un «scénario à la Gaspésia» avec son prêt de 58 millions à la société Balcorp en vue de la réouverture de la mine d'amiante Jeffrey, a affirmé la Société pour vaincre la pollution (SVP) suite à l'annonce de Québec vendredi. 2012.06.29: Metro News - $58 million to revive asbestos mining in Canada Canada’s beleaguered asbestos industry, which has been a target of activists who link its product to cancer, has been given a $58 million lease on life by the Quebec government. 2012.06.29: Reuters - Quebec government lends C$58 million to asbestos mine The Canadian province of Quebec said on Friday it will lend investors C$58 million ($56.89 million) to extend the life of one of Canada's last remaining asbestos mines, boosting production in an industry that has drawn heavy criticism. 2012.06.29: CBC News - Quebec loans $58M to asbestos industry The Jeffrey Mine in Quebec's Eastern Townships has received a $58-million boost from the province to help revive the asbestos industry, a move the Canadian Cancer Society is urging the government to reconsider 2012.06.29: Montreal Gazette - Quebec’s Jeffrey asbestos mine to get $58-million loan guarantee ASBESTOS – Canada’s beleaguered asbestos industry, which has been a target of activists who link its product to cancer, has been given a $58-million lease on life by the Quebec government. 2012.06.29: Winnipeg Free Press - Canada's troubled asbestos industry gets a $58 million lifeline Canada's beleaguered asbestos industry, which has been a target of activists who link its product to cancer, has been given a $58 million lease on life by the Quebec government. 2012.06.26: Yahoo.ca - Tories knew of asbestos dangers: records The federal government acknowledged years ago that the dangers of chrysotile asbestos warranted limits on its export - but still fought against international restrictions over the past decade - internal records show. 2012.06.26: National Post - Asbestos isn’t the lightning rod the Tories seem to think it is Documents obtained by Postmedia News through the Access to Information Act suggest the federal government knows full well that chrysotile asbestos belongs on a list of substances that face import and export restrictions — but nevertheless opposes adding it to the list. 2012.06.26: Calgary Herald - Ottawa ignored known asbestos risks The revelation of Canada's sustained effort to block the listing of chrysotile asbestos despite its acceptance of the evidence behind the proposal comes as the struggling Quebec industry tries to revive itself with government support. 2012.06.20: The Star - Challenge for Canada at Rio 20 conference Key commitments on right-to-know and prior-informed-consent regimes have also been weakened. Canada has blocked the listing of chrysotile asbestos to the Rotterdam Convention since 2006, most recently in 2011. The listing of chrysotile asbestos is widely considered important to protect human health. 2012.06.07: EMC - International coverage for asbestos protest May 30, saw an international aspect develop as a reporter and photographer from Der Spiegel, a German weekly news magazine which has a circulation of over one million, visited the group, interviewing Rev. Dubord as the magazine is working on a story about Canada's export of asbestos. 2012.06.06: Lung.ca - New Public Service Announcement from Canadian Lung Asssocitaion Don't mess with Asbestos Public Service Announcement hosted by Canada most trusted contractor - Mike Holmes! Get the facts about asbestos before you start your next home renovation project. You could save your lungs. 2012.05.30: Leader Post - MANDRYK: What we can't see might be a big worry What if it was something as disturbing as asbestos cement particles in our drinking water resulting from aging and crumbling water pipes buried under half of Regina? 2012.05.23: RightOn Canada - Plans to re-open 2nd Quebec asbestos mine Mr Dupéré has now put forward a plan to re-start asbestos mining. Laurent Lessard, the deputy who represents the region in the Quebec National Assembly and who is Minister of Municipal Affairs, states that he believes the plan has credibility. 2O12.05.21: CBC News - Overdue Baie Verte asbestos miner registry coming soon A project to set up a registry of workers exposed to asbestos at a Baie Verte Peninsula mine — which some miners and their union hope will ultimately lead to more former workers receiving compensation — is long overdue. 2012.05.21: Canada.com - Government not tracking removal of cancer-causing asbestos from federal buildings The federal government says it doesn't actively keep track of projects to remove asbestos from infrastructure, despite owning 318 buildings that contain the cancer-causing substance, according to a recently compiled list from Public Works and Government Services Canada. 2012.05.11: Tandem News - A public inquiry on asbestos is needed The two sisters are asking for a ban on the extraction and utilization of asbestos and chrysotile (white asbestos) in Canada. And they’re not seeking justice for their families and Canadian victims only. 2012.05.03: EMC - Protest vigils at Village Square Park Rev. Michel Dubord of Richmond, who has just completed a series of protest vigils at Memorial Park in Richmond, has now brought the campaign to Stittsville. Every Wednesday in May between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., Rev. Dubord will be at the park with his giant sign urging the end of the export by Canada of cancer-causing asbestos. 2012.05.02: Canadian Labour Congress - CLC pleased that pro-asbestos lobby group will fold The Canadian Labour Congress welcomes news that the Chrysotile Institute, a pro-asbestos lobby group, that has received funding from the federal and Quebec governments, will dissolve and cease operation. The Institute, which was created in 1984, insisted on behalf of the industry that the use of chrysotile asbestos poses little risk to workers if handled safely. 2012.05.01: Global Maritimes - Ill, ex-shipyard workers taking on Newfoundland gov't over asbestos A group of ailing, former shipyard workers in Marystown, Newfoundland and Labrador is taking on the provincial government over asbestos. The town has a proud history of fishing and shipbuilding, but nearly 60 people there have already died or are dying from asbestos-related cancer. 2012.04.30: Ottawa Citizen - Pro-asbestos advocacy group shuts its doors A decades-old pro-asbestos lobby group, currently funded by the Quebec government, will be shutting its doors after notifying the federal government of its plan to dissolve. The Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute issued the notice in the Canada Gazette — the government's official publication for announcing new laws and other public information. The institute, first formed in 1984, promotes the safe use of chrysotile asbestos on behalf of Canada's asbestos mining industry. 2012.04.29: The Gazette - Pro-asbestos advocacy group shuts its doors The Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute issued the notice in the Canada Gazette — the government’s official publication for announcing new laws and other public information. The institute, first formed in 1984, promotes the safe use of chrysotile asbestos on behalf of Canada’s asbestos mining industry. NDP MP Pat Martin — a longtime critic of the asbestos industry and former miner himself — said the closing of the institute signals the “death knell” of asbestos mining in Canada. 2012.04.25: The Observer - Asbestos Walk to return this fall Stacy Cattran and Leah Nielsen are organizing a second annual Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos in Sarnia, and calling for a public inquiry into asbestos-related deaths in Canada. 2012.04.23: Occupational Safety - WorkSafeBC exec says asbestos disease still top concern for B.C. workers The effects of long years of exposure to asbestos is still one of the biggest challenges faced by British Columbia’s workers today, and it is expected to continue to be a problem in this decade. 2012.04.05: The Gazette - Preliminary review of retired prof McDonald's ties to asbestos industry inconclusive McGill University’s preliminary review of the work of retired professor John Corbett McDonald has not found evidence of research misconduct - but enough information is missing that the university is going to continue to study the case with additional guidance from the Research Integrity Officer. 2012.04.06: The Gazette - Critic fears McGill University's review of asbestos industry ties will be 'whitewash' McGill University has completed its preliminary review of whether the work of retired professor John Corbett McDonald was improperly influenced by his ties to the asbestos industry, and the administration will soon announce whether a formal investigation will be launched. 2012.04.04: McGill Daily - Asbestos review lacks “required records” McGill announced the conclusion of its review into alleged asbestos research misconduct Wednesday morning, and will seek further guidance as to whether an official investigation should be launched. 2012.04.04: The Record - Jeffrey mine lays off 50 workers temporarily The head of Jeffrey mine is denying rumours that the layoff of 50 workers for the month of April is being caused by potential investors backing out. “We have not lost any of our financial partners,” Bernard Coulombe told the Record Wednesday morning. 2012.03.22: EMC - Vigils to protest export of asbestos Rev. Michel Dubord, rector at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Richmond, has undertaken on his own to hold a series of silent vigils protesting Canada's policy to export asbestos. 2012.03.21: Wheels - Asbestos brake pad ban to be tabled by Ontario MPP A ban on imported asbestos brake pads would make Ontario the first province in Canada to protect auto mechanics from the deadly fibre. 2012.03.20: CBC New - Asbestos brake pad ban proposed Asbestos brake pads that can release deadly fibres during repairs will soon be banned in Ontario, if one member of the provincial parliament has her way. 2012.03.20: CBC News - Asbestos in brakes: One community's struggle Rick Garant can vividly recall the asbestos-filled dust that swirled around the old brake factory where he worked in Tilbury, Ont., near Windsor, in the 1980s. 2012.03.16: The McGill Daily - Case vows “consequences” for CBC McGill professor Bruce Case has vowed that the CBC will face “consequences” for how he was depicted in a documentary on the University’s ties to the asbestos industry broadcast last month. 2012.03.15: Calgary Herald - Asbestos issue sparks fear from U of C students Students at the University of Calgary expressed fears about the state of their classrooms after the school said it received complaints related to asbestos removal. 2012.03.15: Fair Warning - While Protecting Its Own Citizens from Asbestos, Canada Aims to Keep Selling to Other Countries Stacy Cattran is the first to admit why she is furious that Canadian officials continue their long, shameful tradition of propping up the nation’s asbestos industry. Her father, after years of unknowingly inhaling microscopic asbestos fibers while working as an electrician, died in 2008 from mesothelioma, a particularly lethal cancer caused by the toxic mineral. 2012.03.11: Vancouber Sun - Quebec: Heart of asbestos country reinvents itself It’s an unlikely match, but a green chemistry institute is thriving in the old headquarters of a Canadian mine in a sign that the former world capital of asbestos is diversifying. 2012.03.11: Tandem Home - More than 107,000 people die each year from illnesses related to the highly carcinogenic fibrous substance According to one study, taken into consideration by the Canadian Cancer Society, about 152,000 Canadians are exposed to asbestos through work. The data was collected by Carex Canada, a team of researchers from the School of Environmental Health, at University of British Columbia. 2012.03.09: Globe and Mail - Seems even Harper and Charest can't save Canada’s deadly asbestos exports Despite Stephen Harper and Jean Charest, it appears increasingly likely Canada will export no more Quebec-mined asbestos to countries like India and Indonesia, where it could bring misery and death to those who come in contact with it. Almost all those affected would be very poor workers and their families. But to the bitter end, the two leaders have been determined to preserve Canada’s shameful record of knowingly exporting a carcinogen. 2012.03.05: La Press - Les écologistes veulent en finir avec l'amiante au Québec Ils promettent de faire pression sur le gouvernement pour qu'il annule tout appui financier à la mine Jeffrey et investisse dans la diversification économique des régions affectées. Québec devrait aussi mettre sur pied un registre officiel des bâtiments «contaminés» par le minéral fibreux. 2012.03.05: CTV News - Asbestos mine's revival doomed: Quebec politician The quest to revive one of Canada's last asbestos mines -- and possibly save the embattled industry -- is destined for failure, says a Quebec politician who hopes the sector will be shuttered for good. 2012.03.03: La Press - Amiante dans les écoles: la fille d'une victime réclame un meilleur dépistage Le mésothéliome est un cancer incurable qui attaque la plèvre, l'enveloppe des poumons, et parfois le péritoine, qui enveloppe des viscères. On ne lui connaît qu'une seule cause prouvée: l'exposition à l'amiante. 2012.03.02: La Tribune - Le projet de relance de la mine Jeffrey est condamné, selon Khadir Le projet controversé de relance de cette mine d'amiante à Asbestos n'a pu obtenir de financement des banques, a affirmé, vendredi, M. Khadir. 2012.03.02: Canadian Press - Asbestos mine's revival doomed as investors stay away: Quebec politician MONTREAL _ The quest to revive one of Canada's last asbestos mines _ and possibly save the embattled industry _ is destined for failure, says a Quebec politician who hopes the sector will be shuttered for good. 2012.03.02: Gazette - Balcorp. has failed to convince institutions in bid to get financing for Jeffrey mine project Balcorp., a group of investors trying to drum up private-sector financial backing for reopening the Jeffrey asbestos mine in Asbestos, Que., has failed to convince institutions, including the Desjardins Group, that the project is viable, said Québec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir Friday. 2012.03.02: CBC News - Canadian asbestos poses a health risk in Vietnam WikiLeaks cable says health and safety standards inadequate to protect Vietnamese workers 2012.02.01: La Press - Amiante dans les immeubles publics: la liste sera dévoilée (Québec) Après près de neuf ans d'attente, le gouvernement Charest a soudainement annoncé hier qu'il rendra publique d'ici à la fin de 2012 une liste des immeubles publics et parapublics qui contiennent de l'amiante. «Le travail est en cours, les études sont en cours, et ça serait prêt éventuellement, d'ici quelques mois», a affirmé en Chambre la présidente du Conseil du Trésor, Michelle Courchesne. 2012.02.29: Globe and Mail - Asbestos sector calls on Ottawa to help refute WHO death-toll estimate The Canadian asbestos sector wants Ottawa's help to challenge a death-toll estimate from the World Health Organization that says asbestos-related diseases kill more than 100,000 people every year. 2012.02.29: CTV News - Asbestos sector challenges WHO death-toll estimate The Canadian asbestos sector wants Ottawa's help to challenge a death-toll estimate from the World Health Organization that says asbestos-related diseases kill more than 100,000 people every year. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20120229/Asbestos-sector-challenges-WHO-death-toll-estimate-120229/ 2012.02.28: CBC The National - Asbestos registry needed, says cancer patient Willems began lobbying for a registry in his home province, which he hopes will eventually spread across the country, shortly after being diagnosed. 2012.02.23: The Manitoban - McGill under fire for corporate-funded asbestos research McDonald retired from McGill in September 1988, after more than two decades as a McGill epidemiology professor. According to a recent episode of CBC’s The National, McDonald received at least $1 million between 1966 and 1972 for research into the health effects of chrysotile asbestos from the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, which received a large portion of its funding from the asbestos mining giant Johns-Manville. 2012.02.23: The Gazette - Anti-asbestos motion blocked in Quebec National Assembly “What disappoints us very much, to see that here the Liberal Party, the Parti québécois, they don’t say a word today,” Lapointe, accompanied by the fellow Collectif members, said. “They refused to support our motion.” 2012.02.22: Canada.com - Internal dispatches from UN meeting show how Canada derailed asbestos listing Even wonder how Canada goes from a silent observer at a United Nations meeting to lone opponent to label chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous material under the UN’s Rotterdam Convention? Well, look no further. 2012.02.18: McGill Daily - McGill asbestos review criticized The research work of Professor John Corbett McDonald, an emeritus professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill, is now under review after allegations of research misconduct. 2012.02.17: Global News - New calls for feds to stop supporting asbestos industry There are new calls for Ottawa to stop supporting the asbestos industry. Mike Le Couteur reports. 2012.02.16: Toronto Sun - Widow urges Que. to keep asbestos mines closed 2 Canada's last asbestos mine closed recently in Quebec due to financial and environmental issues - marking the end of a 130-year-old industry - but a Montreal asbestos trader is trying to reopen a mine in Asbestos, Que. 2012.02.15: The Charlatan - McGill asbestos researchers accepted industry money, docs allege The CBC released industry documents Feb. 2 that suggest the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association (QAMA) paid John Corbett McDonald and other researchers at McGill University’s School of Occupational Health nearly $1 million between 1966 and 1972. 2012.02.15: McGill Reporter - Debate on asbestos marks Senate session The Senate’s Feb. 15 meeting was marked by a vigorous debate over a motion urging University officials to issue a public statement clarifying McGill’s position on asbestos research. 2012.02.14: CBC Radio - McGill asbestos controversy Opponents to asbestos say McGill research is being used to dispel legitimate concerns about asbestos around the world. Last week the university announced it would be reviewing that research/ But some think that review will not go far enough. We spoke to Dr. Fernand Turcotte, Professor Emeritus of Public Health and Preventative Medicine with the Universite de Laval's faculty of medicine. 2012.02.14: CBC New - Pat Martin condemns asbestos backers to face justice in hell House of Commons statement denounces Harper government-backed 'Asbestos Institute' 2012.02.13: McGill Tribune - McGill announces internal investigation on asbestos In a letter sent to McGill University on Feb. 10, a group of 32 individuals called on McGill University to perform an independent and transparent investigation into the influence of the Quebec asbestos industry over Professor J. Corbett McDonald's epidemiological research on the health effects of chrysotile asbestos. 2012.02.13: Winnipeg Free Press - Canadian asbestos industry reacts to criminal conviction of two European execs Canada's asbestos industry said it had nothing to fear Monday after two men were criminally convicted in more than 2,000 asbestos-related deaths in Italy. 2012.02.11: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos industry under microscope, Call for government to stop financial aid Quebec's asbestos industry has been taking a heavy pounding of late, with two damning documentaries airing on CBC and Radio-Canada, renewed calls from politicians in Quebec City and Ottawa to outlaw the cancer-causing mineral, and a review launched into some industry-funded research at McGill this week. 2012.02.10: CBC News - McGill asbestos study review criticized In their letter to Eidelman, the activists and scientists said that Prof. Rebecca Fuhrer, the school's chair of the department of epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health, and the person chosen to do the internal review, is in a conflict of interest because McDonald is still a professor emeritus of the department of epidemiology. 2012.02.10: Montreal Gazette - McGill to conduct preliminary review of asbestos studies A week after a group of scientists and researchers from across Canada and abroad publicly questioned the relationship between McGill University researchers and the asbestos industry, McGill has announced it will launch a preliminary review into the work of one of its retired professors. 2012.02.10: CBC News - McGill révisera une étude sur l'amiante après les révélations de Radio-Canada David Eidelman, le doyen de la faculté de médecine de l'Université, a mentionné que les allégations mises de l'avant dans un documentaire diffusé dans l'émission Enquête, à Radio-Canada, et au National, à CBC, indiquant que « les quelques décennies de travaux de recherche menés par le Pr J. Corbett McDonald aient pu être influencées par l'industrie de l'amiante sont très sérieuses et doivent être abordées ». 12.02.09: Radio Canada - Les Combines de l'industrie de l'amiante pour cacher les risques 12.02.06: CBC News - Asbestos Reaction Asbestos opponents are disappointed to learn McGill University was being paid to manipulate critical statistics about the dangers of asbestos. 2012.02.04: Montreal Gazette - McGill response to asbestos charges 'cowardly': doctor, University issues statement after CBC doc reveals school given $1M by mining group McGill University issued a terse response Friday to allegations some of its researchers have, over several decades, colluded with the asbestos industry to play down or cloud the fibrous mineral's devastating health impacts. 2012.02.04: McGill Daily - McGill Board member takes leave of absence Roshi Chadha, member-at-large on McGill’s Board of Governors (BoG), took a leave of absence last Thursday as media scrutiny mounts over her and McGill’s role in the Quebec asbestos industry. 2012.02.03: Montreal Gazette - Scientists censure McGill University over ties to asbestos industry Dozens of prominent medical researchers and scientists from across Canada and around the world have signed a letter demanding that McGill University sever its ties with the asbestos industry. 2010.02.03: LeDevoir - L'Université McGill doit cesser d'utiliser et de promouvoir l'utilisation de l'amiante En 1965, l’Association des mines d'amiante du Québec (AMAQ) a commencé à «rechercher une alliance avec une université, telle que McGill [...] pour donner une apparence d’autorité à sa publicité». http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/actualites-en-societe/341792/libre-opinion-l-universite-mcgill-doit-cesser-d-utiliser-et-de-promouvoir-l-utilisation-de-l-amiante English Version 2012.02.02: Right On - Medical doctors and health researchers ask McGill University to stop supporting the export and use of asbestos In light of this questionable background, we believe that McGill has a particular obligation to show intellectual and ethical integrity and to sever all ties with the asbestos industry. In particular, we request that McGill carry out the following: 2012.02.02: CBC News - McGill asbestos study flawed, epidemiologist says A major 40-year study on asbestos safety completed by a group of scientists at McGill University is flawed, lacks transparency and contains manipulated data says Dr. David Egilman, a professor at Brown University, health activist and longtime industry critic. 2012.02.02: CBC The National - Fatal Deception Is the federal government relying on junk science to justify its support for re-opening asbestos mines in Quebec? 2012.02.02: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos exporter Roshi Chadha takes leave from McGill, St. Mary’s Hospital The move follows Chadha’s resignation from the governing body of the Canadian Red Cross just over two weeks ago. 2012.01.29: Guelph Mercury - Canada’s asbestos stance demands criticism We wish Stacy Cattran well in her advocacy. The Guelph woman is part of a noteworthy and determined battle to oppose Canada’s production and export of asbestos. 2012.01.28: Peterborough Examiner - Teachers union wants school board to cleanup of vermiculite containing asbestos in area schools! When a plow truck struck a water tap on an outside wall of Keith Wightman Public School last winter, it opened a floodgate of health, safety and labour issues with the discovery of insulation material containing asbestos. 2012.01.23: Montreal Gazette - Quebec's anti asbestos movement continues to grow A descendant of one of the earliest pioneers of Quebec’s storied asbestos industry has publicly joined the movement to stop Canadian production and export of the deadly mineral. 2012.01.21: CBC News - Asbestos opponent targets Montreal merchant, volunteer Until last week Chadha served on the governing body of the Canadian Red Cross — but resigned after Cattran's letter-writing campaign lobbied the humanitarian organization. 12.01.16: Ottawa Citizen - Asbestos-linked board member resigns from Red Cross A Montrealer with ties to the asbestos industry has resigned abruptly from the governing body of the Canadian Red Cross after the humanitarian group rallied behind her as a "valued member" of its team. 12.01.13: CTV News - Call for Red Cross President to Resign over Asbestos Ties Interview with Stacy Cattran about Roshi Chadha, Canadian Red Cross Board member, Asbestos Exporter 12.01.13: Canada.com - Red Cross sticking by board member with ties to asbestos industry Anti-asbestos campaigners reacted by calling for the resignation of board president Ted Tanaka "for betraying asbestos victims and the very mission of the Red Cross." 12.01.12: Infos Réseau des Appalaches - Mine Jeffrey : la relance serait imminente (Jeffrey mine: the recovery is imminent) Tout indique que la relance de Mine Jeffrey d’Asbestos sera confirmée d’ici les prochaines semaines. L’entrepreneur CMAC-Tyssen serait à la recherche de personnel pour les travaux préparatoires, en vue d’une relance de la compagnie. Le mandat de la firme serait en vigueur dès le mois de février. 12.01.07: The Gazette - The use of asbestos Public-health authorities and trade unions in Quebec have criticized the failure of the Quebec government to set up a registry of the location of asbestos in buildings and infrastructure, making it impossible to protect construction workers from asbestos harm. 12.01.07: Winnipeg Free Press - Let asbestos industry die, MP Martin demands Financial woes have left the industry on life-support and neither of the last two operations is mining any of the fibre at the moment. It is the first time in 130 years no asbestos is being produced in Canada, and Martin wants to keep it that way.12.01.05: Montreal Gazette - LAB Chrysotile seeks bankruptcy protection LAB Chrysotile Inc., one of the Quebec asbestos mining industry’s two potential survivors, said Wednesday it has filed for bankruptcy because of high fixed costs and sharply declining revenues. 11.01.05: Vancouver Sun - Quebec asbestos miner files for bankruptcy LAB Chrysotile aims to restart; Company admits big changes ahead at Lac d'Amiante operation "This is a straight bankruptcy and the company is no longer financially viable in its present form," CEO Simon Dupéré said. "I can't discuss the financial details, but our ultimate goal is to restart operations under a new structure at the former production rate of 125,000 tonnes a year." 12.01.05: CTV News - Cash-strapped asbestos mine declares bankruptcy Simon Dupere, president and CEO of Quebec-based LAB Chrysotile, said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press that he's confident many of the 350 jobs at the mine will be saved. 12.01.05: Yahoo News - Asbestos industry can’t survive without government props, critics argue Critics are saying the federal and Quebec governments should finally pull the plug on the province's asbestos industry, which possibly rivals the seal hunt as an international black mark against Canada. 12.01.04: Canadian Occupational Safety - OHS practitioners urged to take greater role in anti-asbestos lobby So what can you do? Wilson and others say it’s time to write letters to members of Parliament, and it’s time to publicize the fact that, for many, Canada’s position on asbestos isn’t supportable. 12.01.04: Globe and Mail - Canada’s asbestos industry on its last legs The mineral’s growing pariah status – it’s been singled out by medical and health authorities around the world as a major carcinogen and contributor to lung disease, and has been banned in dozens of countries – doesn’t phase Mr. Dupéré. 12.01.04: Globe and Mail - Assurances regarding Canada's asbestos cannot be trusted According to the asbestos industry, asbestos exported from Quebec has been handled under rigorous safety conditions overseas since 1997, when the Canadian government and Quebec's last two asbestos mines signed a memorandum of understanding promising this. The evidence shows that these assurances have no credibility. 11.12.30: Macleans - This year’s most outrageous attacks on science It would be really great to find Dimitri Soudas, the former PMO communications director, and ask him why he said: “All scientific reviews clearly confirm that chrysotile [white asbestos] can be used safely under controlled conditions” when all those who care about evidence—from the World Health Organization to the Quebec-based Robert-Sauvé Occupational Health and Safety Research Institute—agree that all types of asbestos are carcinogenic for people and the “so-called controlled use of asbestos is a fallacy.” 11-12.30: Montreal Gazette - MUHC superhospital risks green status over asbestos “There will be fibre cement in a very precise use: disposal of stormwater. The fibre cement is a material that is very rigid. It contains only 13 per cent of fibres that are sealed and encapsulated in a cement matrix. The fibres are not brittle and therefore pose no risk of emission of particles in the air.” 11.12.28: Edmonton Journal - Critics brand asbestos as Canada's latest global sin Canada's reputation took a hit earlier this year, when the government blocked international efforts to label the chrysotile asbestos — the kind mined in Canada — as a hazardous material under the UN Rotterdam Convention. 11.12.25: AsiaPacific.ca - Asbestos regulations: Who is responsible? India alone has purchased more than half of Canada’s output in recent years. Although chrysotile’s disease-causing properties are well-known, Canada, which strictly regulates asbestos use at home, has repeatedly blocked its listing as a hazardous substance under the UN’s Rotterdam Convention. 11.12.18: The Star - Tim Harper: Three women who fought back against the Conservatives She is third person to pass through this column in recent months who feels she has been spied on, smacked down or targeted by a mean-spirited, micromanaging government or Conservative party always on the lookout for enemies of the state. 11.12.15: The Star - Last stand for asbestos? The Harper government is negotiating a free-trade agreement (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) with India, which would advantage our asbestos industry by removing the 10 per cent tariff on exports to its biggest customer, India. 11.12.14: CBC - Asbestos and the Red Cross Families of people who have died from mesothelioma are calling for the wife of a man who works in asbestos exports to step down from the board of the Red Cross. Board member Roshi Chadha is married to Baljit Chadha, president of Balcorp, the company at the centre of a deal to re-launch the Jeffrey asbestos mine. 11.12.13: Asbestos.com - Canadian Red Cross May Remove Board Member Roshi Chadha Because Of Asbestos Ties Amid mounting pressure, the Canadian Red Cross likely will ask for the resignation of executive board member Roshi Chadha next month because of her strong link to the asbestos industry. 11.12.13: The National Post - Red Cross to review status of board member tied to asbestos industry The Canadian Red Cross will review the status of one of its board members after critics called for the Montrealer to be dumped from the humanitarian organization because of her connection to the asbestos industry. 11.12.08: The Hook - National law organization joins call to ban asbestos The Canadian Environmental Law Association is calling for broad support for banning asbestos across the US and Canada. The CELA endorsed a statement, The North American Declaration -- issued in Washington DC by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and the Canadian Voices of Asbestos Victims -- which calls on Canadian Prime Minister Harper and US President Obama to take immediate steps to prevent further production or export of asbestos. 11.12.07: The Goderich Signal Star - Feds should pay for asbestos cleanup I know your commitment to human health extends to the residents of Goderich. I would ask you to please let the residents of the town know when the Federal Government will be announcing funding for the cleanup of the asbestos. 11.12.06: Le Devoir - Amiante: le Canada et l'Inde feront tomber les barrières tarifaires Les négociations en cours entre le Canada et l'Inde pour parvenir à un accord de libre-échange entre les deux pays d'ici 2013 auront peut-être un effet insoupçonné: celui d'augmenter les ventes d'amiante. 11.12.05: Vancouver Sun - Asbestos contractor faces jail An asbestos-removal contractor who ignored orders from both WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Supreme Court to stop exposing "vulnerable" workers to asbestos will be sentenced Jan. 23 for contempt of court. 11.12.05: The Hill Times - Quebec’s asbestos industry seeks government assistance to continue operations Most of the asbestos that would be produced by the reopened Jeffrey Mine would be going to India and at any given time only two dozen companies will buy it, said Mr. Versailles. 11.12.02: Prevent Cancer Now - Staggering Duplicity: PCN responds to asbestos exporter On the contrary, reputable medical and public health authorities in Quebec and across Canada have condemned Mr Chadha’s claims as misinformation that will lead to loss of life. 11.12.02: EMC Ottawa - Anglican Diocese of Ottawa passed a motion to advocate against our government's current policy of exporting asbestos. Given the information we have at our disposal regarding the potential dangers of asbestos if not handled properly, the decision to send it to countries that don't have the means or the resources to do so is unconscionable. Citizens in those countries are at risk, children's lives are at stake. The irony is that as a country we are spending millions and millions of dollars having asbestos removed from Parliament Buildings, the Prime Minister's residence, hospitals and schools. 11.12.01: The Tyee - Asia Pacific Fdn Pressured to Disavow Former Fellow's Pro-Asbestos Stance A group of scientists and anti-asbestos campaigners are demanding the prestigious Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada disavow pro-asbestos statements made by a former foundation fellow, Baljit Chadha. 11.11.28: The Mark - 1,000 Tonnes of Asbestos Removed from Parliament erhaps the latest renovations of Parliament Hill will get the government to reconsider its support for Quebec's asbestos industry – about 1,000 metric tonnes of the harmful mineral have been removed from the West Block and Wellington Building since August. 11.11.27: The Canadian Charger - Health Canada unhealthy for Canadians Despite years of warnings from doctors, environmentalists, unions, even Health Canada, about the deadly impact of asbestos, Ottawa recently opposed listing chrysotile asbestos on the United Nations’ list of dangerous materials. 11.11.25: Edmonton Journal - Child pleads with Harper to drop support for asbestos industry Little Cavanagh Matmor has a message for Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The sixth-grader didn't appreciate Harper's "cut-and-paste re-ply" to her emotional letter pleading with him to end the government's support for the asbestos industry. 11.11.25: The Globe and Mail - Where asbestos is just a fact of life Photographer Louie Palu chronicles Canada's trade in a notorious mineral 11.11.25: The Province - Campaigning family blast Harper over gov't support for asbestos Cavanagh Matmor has a message for Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The sixth-grader didn't appreciate Harper's "cut-and-paste reply" to her emotion-al letter pleading with him to end the government's support for the asbestos industry. 11.11.24: Vancouver Sun - Anti-asbestos campaign aims to end government support for controversial industry Little Cavanagh Matmor has a message for Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The sixth-grader didn't appreciate Harper's "cut-and-paste reply" to her emotional letter pleading with him to end the government's support for the asbestos industry. 11.11.24: CBC - Asbestos mining stops for first time in 130 years A shutdown at Quebec's Lac d'amiante du Canada operation earlier this month marked a historic moment for Canada's once-mighty asbestos sector, which has come under increasing scrutiny as science has linked the mineral to serious health issues such as lung disease and cancer. 11.11.24: The Star - Canada’s asbestos industry suspends work for first time in 130 years Canada’s once-mighty asbestos sector has ground to a halt for the first time in 130 years, as production of the controversial fibre has stalled in both of the country’s mines. 11.11.24: BC News - Canada exporting death to millions of unsuspecting victims We have been repeatedly condemned by the EU, Australia and many other First World countries for our exportation of chrysotile asbestos to developing nations. 11.11.24: The Globe and Mail - Growing number of Tories question Harper’s position on asbestos A growing number of Conservative MPs are questioning their government's position on the export of asbestos, with a group of them independently summoning industry experts to a meeting on Parliament Hill last week. 11.11.24: News Canada - 'Asbestos orphan' calls for outright ban A woman who lost her parents to painful asbestos-related illnesses took her mother's dying wish to Parliament Hill on Thursday. 11.11.23: The Huffington Post - Bloc Quebecois Leadership: Candidates Battle Over Support For Asbestos Industry During Debate They agree on the need for Quebec’s independence and they are convinced of the staying power of their own party, but Bloc Quebecois leadership candidates are at odds about the party’s long-standing support for the asbestos industry. 11.11.23: Embassy Magazine - India deal won't study asbestos: Analysts Canadian exports of asbestos to India won't be examined as part of an environmental assessment recently launched in connection with the Canada-India free trade talks, say experts—and that has some calling on the government to widen its scope. 11.11.22: Cape Breton Post - More question asbestos industry So it was notable indeed that a group consisting of about a dozen Conservatives independently summoned asbestos industry experts to Parliament Hill last week for a meeting, reportedly to discuss how Canadian asbestos is handled by workers in the poorer countries that import it. 11.11.21: Globe and Mail - Canada's chronic asbestos problem Most of the world, including the medical community, agrees that asbestos is desperately dangerous. The World Health Organization reports that more than 100,000 people die every year from lung cancer and other respiratory diseases due to asbestos exposure. 11.11.21: CBC News - Asbestos debate creates rare divide among Tories That was followed last Monday with a private Parliament Hill meeting that saw about a dozen Conservative parliamentarians ask some pointed questions of the Chrysotile Institute and industry scientists over several hours. 11.11.20: Global News - Growing number of Tories uneasy with federal position on asbestos A growing number of Conservative MPs are questioning their government's position on the export of asbestos, with a group of them independently summoning industry experts to a meeting on Parliament Hill last week. 2011.11.12: LeSoleil - Amiante: fermeture indéterminée de la mine LAC Alors que la relance de la mine Jeffrey d'Asbestos n'est pas encore confirmée, la fermeture samedi de la mine Lac d'amiante du Canada (LAC) de Thetford Mines pour une période indéterminée marque la première fois depuis plus de 130 ans où le Canada ne fait plus partie des pays producteurs d'amiante chrysotile. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/les-regions/201111/11/01-4467083-amiante-fermeture-indeterminee-de-la-mine-lac.php English Version 2011.11.10: Lambton Shield - Why does Canada insist on exporting death? In a vote of 152-123, the Conservative government defeated an NDP private members bill to ban the use and export of asbestos. The NDP and Liberals voted to end the exportation, the Conservative and Bloq voted to keep exporting. 2011.11.08: The Concordian - Chadha gambling with Concordia’s reputation Baljit Singh Chadha sits on Concordia’s Board of Governors, but he is also the president of a company called Balcorp Limited, which has been the exclusive agent of Jeffrey Mines – which owned the asbestos mine until it went bankrupt in 2010 – for 15 years and raked in enormous profits ($100 million) from the sale of asbestos primarily to India. 2011.11.04: Global News - Workers' families call for government to stop supporting asbestos industry Read it on Global News: Global News | Workers' families call for government to stop supporting asbestos industry Families of Ontario workers who died of asbestos-related diseases are making a last-ditch plea to stop a project that would revive one of Canada's only remaining asbestos mines. 2011.11.01: Link Newspaper - Contaminating the Board Reducing the number of undergraduate students on the Board of Governors from four to one is a slap in the face to the student body. What makes this decision worse is to keep Baljit Chadha on the board. Not because he sells asbestos—which is responsible for more than 100,000 deaths worldwide each year—but because of the tactics he uses to sell this deadly product. 2011.11.04 - The Windsor Star - Asbestos a national shame It went almost unnoticed this week. But I'm not letting it slip by. It's reprehensible, unconscionable, immoral and indefensible. It's a national disgrace. If you think the riots in Vancouver made Canada look bad, well, this is immeasurably worse. 2011.11.04: CBC.ca - Asbestos victims object to Quebec mine plans The families invited the lead investor, Baljit Chadha, to visit Sarnia, Ont. to meet with asbestos disease victims and their relatives. Families of asbestos victims spoke out against an investor's imminent plan to re-open a Quebec asbestos mine. 2011.11.03: The Observer - Families of asbestos victims speak out Families of asbestos victims are holding a press conference in Toronto Friday to invite the lead investor behind a plan to reopen a Quebec asbestos mine to visit Sarnia. 2011.11.03: CyberPresse - Relance de la mine Jeffrey: Hamad veut régler le dossier avant les Fêtes Le consortium d'investisseurs représenté par la société montréalaise Balcorp a rencontré vendredi les fonctionnaires du ministère du Développement économique une journée avant la date butoir qui avait été fixée pour dénicher 25 millions $ de financement privé. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/politique/201110/02/01-4453567-relance-de-la-mine-jeffrey-hamad-veut-regler-le-dossier-avant-les-fetes.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=envoyer_cbp English Version 2011.10.28: CBC.ca - The return of the asbestos debate The NDP are using next week's opposition day to bring back the debate over asbestos. It's an issue the Conservatives faced last June, when the Canadian delegation at a UN meeting helped block the addition of chrysotile asbestos to a list of hazardous products. 2011.10.22: The Observer - ‘Trivial’ cosmetic contact lenses vs deadly asbestos Sir: I am absolutely in shock that Sarnia-Lambton MP Pat Davidson's private member bill was something as trivial as cosmetic contact lens protection, considering the fact that her constituents are living in the county with the highest rate of mesothelioma cases in the province, and quite possibly the continent. 2011.10.20: Prevent Cancer Now - Canada at heart of global asbestos lobby Canada was in the world spotlight earlier this year, when our government refused to allow chrysotile asbestos to be put on a UN list of hazardous substances. Both in the House of Commons and at the UN, Prime Minister Harper and his ministers refused to answer increasingly exasperated questions as to its reason for blocking the listing. Instead, over and over, the government repeated the following words: “For thirty years, Canada has promoted the safe, controlled use of asbestos at home and overseas.” 11.10.19: Canada.com - NDP refocuses asbestos spotlight on Canada Martin, who held a news conference with representatives from the England-based International Ban Asbestos Secretariat and a Canadian asbestos victims' group, said it's baffling to understand how Canada continues to ship asbestos out of the country, despite the health risks linked to the substance. 11.10.18: Globe and Mail - Documents detail Mulroney-era efforts to block U.S. asbestos ban Anti-asbestos lobbyists say former Canadian politicians, ambassadors and bureaucrats abandoned their morals when they successfully lobbied two decades ago to prevent the carcinogenic material from being banned in the United States. 2011.10.17 - Globe and Mail - WHO rebukes would-be asbestos magnate Baljit Chadha, the entrepreneur behind Quebec’s controversial asbestos exports, has earned a rare public rebuke from an official with the World Health Organization for distorting its position on the safety of the carcinogenic product. 2011.10.13: RightOn - We feel abandoned and betrayed by our government, say asbestos victims “In the past 15 years, the number of new cases of mesothelioma – a deadly disease known only to be caused by asbestos – has almost doubled from 276 cases in 1992 to 512 cases in 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available. For each case of mesothelioma, it is conservatively estimated that there are two or more cases of lung cancer caused by asbestos. This means that, in 2007, over 1,536 Canadians became victims of deadly asbestos-related disease. This is a tragedy of colossal proportions. It is a tragedy that the Minister of Health must address,” 2011.10.06: The Chronicle Herald - Anti-asbestos on lineup at meeting "Asbestos might not be mined in Nova Scotia, but people die here regularly from direct and indirect contact," said Cathy Conrad, a professor at Saint Mary’s University who said she wants to bring the issue to the attention of participants at a symposium on campus, sponsored by the university and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. 2011.11.04: Montreal Gazette - Why I want to be in the asbestos business I also see benefits to the end users of the finished product, primarily corrugated cement roofing sheets manufactured using five- to seven-per-cent chrysotile asbestos. For the poorest of the poor in the developing world this low-cost, strong, stable product provides a basic roof over a family’s head. Despite statements to the contrary, no substitute product or material can provide the same benefits at the same price. 2011.10.04: The Observer - Sarnia at centre of growing anti-asbestos campaign The member of Victims of Chemical Valley group said she was inspired by the turnout and the spirit at the candlelight vigil and walk in memory of the victims of asbestos that attracted hundreds to Centennial Park on the weekend. 2011.10.03: Cyberpresse - Relance de la mine Jeffrey: Hamad veut régler le dossier avant les Fêtes Le nouveau ministre du Développement économique, Sam Hamad, a déclaré dimanche qu'il souhaitait régler le dossier de la relance de la mine d'amiante chrysotile Jeffrey d'Asbestos, en veilleuse depuis quelques années, avant les Fêtes. 2011.10.03: iPolitics - Uncertainty continues in fate of Quebec asbestos mine The Quebec government had been set to decide last weekend whether to approve a $58-million loan guarantee for the Jeffrey Mine. The deadline has already been pushed back several times and now the government says it hopes to have the matter resolved before the Christmas holidays. 2011.10.03: The Observer - Hundreds rally against asbestos exports Just before she died, Doreen von Palleske made a tape-recording for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, begging him to stop Canadian asbestos exports. On Saturday, her daughters and granddaughter joined 400 others at a rally in Sarnia's Centennial Park demanding that the government heed von Palleske's dying wish. 2011.10.02: The Observer - Asbestos victims remembered this weekend Ada Lockridge of the Victims of Chemical Valley group, says her committee is pushing for widespread community support this weekend as A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos takes place in Centennial Park. 2011.10.01: Lambton Shield - Asbestos protestors send clear message: fight is far from over Several hundred protestors of the federal government's refusal to close the door on the production and export of asbestos were clear in the message they are sending those who insist on trying to restart a closed mine in Quebec: the fight is one they aren't willing to give up on. 2011.09.30: The Gazette - PR agency used by tobacco firm hired by asbestos group Anti-asbestos activists in Malaysia and Canada say a global asbestos lobby group has hired the Washingtonbased APCO Worldwide public relations company to persuade the Malaysian government not to ban chrysotile asbestos. 2011.09.30: The Gazette - Asbestos promoter Baljit Chadha polishes image As the lead developer of the proposed Jeffrey Mine expansion in Asbestos launches a campaign to polish his industry's tarnished image, opponents charge the asbestos lobby with using tactics similar to those of the tobacco industry in its efforts to block public health initiatives to ban the cancer-causing fibre in developing countries. 2011.09.30: The Star - Sarnia rallies against asbestos In the last decade, an alarming number of men and women in the area have died of asbestos-related cancers, which have latency periods of 20 to 40 years. Since 1999, 105 people with mesothelioma have come through the local Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers. Only two are still alive. 2011.09.28: Finacial Post - Chadha’s asbestos gamble He has been portrayed as a monster, a businessman with impeccable political connections who sells a product so dangerous it has been banned in Europe and largely shunned on this continent. 2011.09.26: The Canadian Press - Asbestos critics refuse to be converted after meeting with industry powerhouse Chadha’s public-relations initiative comes as he seeks a $58-million government loan guarantee from Quebec that would help him reopen one of this country’s last two asbestos mines. The province has set Saturday as the deadline to finalize the deal that would extend the life of the Jeffrey Mine for another 20 years. 2011.09.26: The Globe and Mail - ‘Yes, we have the $25-million,’ Quebec firm says of asbestos plan Days before a provincial government deadline this Saturday to find private funding for the Mine Jeffrey in Asbestos, Que., the wealthy and well-connected Montreal businessman says he has “letters of intent” from unnamed investors in three different countries – enough to breathe new life into an export trade critics decry for causing death. 2011.09.26: The Niagra Falls Review - It was a death sentence She is angry that Canada continues to sell asbestos to other countries and she says the government should be finding new work for people working in asbestos mines in Quebec. 2011.09.26: CTV News - Asbestos industry launches campaign to clean image Baljit Chadha is fighting back this week after Canada's asbestos sector has absorbed a public-relations pummelling, both here and abroad, in recent months. 2011.09.25: Global News - Asbestos industry strikes back at critics in high-stakes PR battle MONTREAL - A prominent asbestos merchant is headed to Parliament Hill as part of a broader counter-offensive to salvage the reputation of his beleaguered industry. 2011.09.22: The Observer - Scope of Asbestos Walk continues to grow A Halifax woman who lost her father to mesothelioma this year has bought a plane ticket to Sarnia so she can walk with others Oct. 1 in memory of asbestos victims. Cathy Conrad, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Saint Mary's University, is one of several people travelling from afar to be part of A Walk to Remember Victims of Asbestos in Centennial Park. 2011.09.22: Waterloo Cup - Why the Conservatives are bullying a widow This rallying cry comes from Michaela Keyserlingk, the widow of an asbestos-related cancer victim. Keyserlingk has recently been caught in a Conservative government firestorm regarding her anti-asbestos campaign. So what's the official reason the Conservatives are giving to justify their attempt to end Ms. Keyserlingk’s campaign? A claim of trademark infringement. 2011.09.21: Simcoe - Leitch picked the wrong master Canadian government support for the asbestos export industry needs to end. And the beginning of that end needs to start with Simcoe-Grey MP Dr. Kellie Leitch. She's already stated that she supports the party line - that the Canadian government supports safe and controlled use of chrysotile asbestos. 2011.09.20: Rick Mercer Report - Rick's Rant - Asbestos 2011.09.20: Simcoe - Leitch mum on asbestos Simcoe-Grey MP Dr. Kellie Leitch continues to face mounting criticism from victims of asbestos-related illness and the medical profession for her stand supporting Canada's export of chrysotile. Leitch's continued silence on the issue has angered people like Heidi von Palleske, a Coburg resident, who lost both her parents to asbestos-exposure-related cancer. 2011.09.19: The Observer - Fighting on: Asbestos battle gains momentum There may have been a time when widows like Sarnia's Sandy Kinart felt helpless as they watched their men die from asbestos exposure. 2011.09.16: The National Post - Today’s letters: Asbestos is still deadly and should be banned In a pitiful attempt to neutralize the highly effective way in which Lorne Gunter informed the readers of the horrors he experienced due to the presence of asbestos in the structure of his house, the Baljit S. Chadha comes forward with his misinformation. It is not just loose asbestos that poisons Mr. Gunter’s residence, it is also the asbestos built into the masonry of the building. 2011.09.16: Envirogy - Canadian Medical Association Condemns Asbestos Exports The Canadian Medical Association has condemned the Conservative government for continuing to support Asbestos exports. This was prompted by the government’s behavior at the recent Rotterdam Convention where Canada blocked a move to list chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance. 2011.09.16: Globe and Mail - Inscrutable Stephen Harper baffles the pundits Then there’s the never-ending scandal of exporting Canadian asbestos to poor countries where it will certainly kill poor labourers. It’s an issue in which the Harper government stands virtually alone in the western world, and no one can fathom why. 2011.09.14: National Post - Two faced on asbestos Unfortunately, the ceiling from our reno a decade ago had just been nailed up onto the old ceiling. The old stippled ceiling. The one with stipple laced with asbestos. 2011.09.13: Canadian Press - Open letter demands Conservative MP condemn asbestos Asbestos victims' relatives are asking a doctor-turned-Tory MP to hand in her medical licence if she won't take a stand against her party's support for the controversial industry. 2011.08.09: Senior Living Magazine - Authorities Add Insult to Injury for Asbestos Victims Asbestos is no longer used as a building material in Canada - at least intentionally - once widely used throughout the industrial world, and Canada, until the 1970's. By that time, other industrialized countries had banned the substance and developed policy around issues of compensation. In the UK, injured persons go to the courts to sue the employers. 11.09.06: CTV News - Former MP Andre Bachand to become Harper's new Quebec adviser A former Progressive Conservative MP who opposed the Clarity Act and once described Stephen Harper as having "the charisma of a picnic table" will become the prime minister's new adviser on Quebec politics. Bachand is also a supporter of Canada's asbestos industry, which is routinely blasted by health professionals and international activists for shipping the material to developing countries. 11.09.03: The Choronicleherald - Brave asbestos battle I have been following the articles in your paper about Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s unwillingness to sign an agreement to label asbestos as a hazardous export. I am ashamed of my government that we would export this plague to countries around the world. 2011.09.04: The Cord - Where’s the empathy? There are numerous pitfalls within the Conservatives’ decision to attack Michaela Keyserlingk. Attacking Ms. Keyserlingk’s campaign lacks empathy and compassion for this hardworking Canadian. Rather than launching a campaign against Ms. Keyserlingk, the Conservatives should work together on promoting awareness of the dangers of asbestos. 2011.09.01: Simcoe Observer - Leitch toes the line on asbestos Despite repeated petitions by her peers, Simcoe-Grey MP Dr. Kellie Leitch maintains a buyer beware approach when it comes to Canada exporting asbestos. "The Canadian government has stated that it supports the safe controlled use of Chrysotile," said Leitch. "It will continue to do so, anything to do with the decision that [buyers] make - that's their choice." More than 300 Canadian and American medical experts signed a letter sent to MP Dr. Kellie Leitch calling on her to oppose any export of asbestos from Canada. 2011.09.01: Observer - Asbestos’ human cost ‘astronomical’ Most stories of death from asbestos exposure are the same, says Sandra Kinart. "(People) go to work, they're strong, they're healthy. And then one day they can't breath." 2011.08.31: The Chronicle Herald - Woman seeks ban on asbestos exports But for Conrad, the government’s actions on the issue don’t match that message. Three times the government has put a stop to adding asbestos to a United Nations list of hazardous exports, a move that would require warning labels on the material when it is shipped. 2011.08.29: The Star - Sommerfeld: A father who sacrificed his life to provide for his family When the Canadian Medical Association came out raging recently against the Federal government’s export of chrysotile asbestos to countries like India and China, I felt my heart squeeze. 2011.08.25: Montreal Gazette - Stop exporting asbestos, doctors tell government Delegates to the Canadian Medical Association's general assembly voted nearly unanimously - 99 per cent - in support of a motion Wednesday opposing the federal government for contesting the international designation of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance. 2011.08.25: Vancouver Sun - Canada's doctors blast Harper government's asbestos policy Canada's doctors are condemning the Harper government for its "shameful" decision to block listing asbestos as a hazardous product. Delegates to the Canadian Medical Association's general assembly voted nearly unanimously - 99 per cent - in support of a motion Wednesday opposing the federal government for contesting the international designation of chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance. "Canada should not be in the business of exporting such a dangerous product." 2011.08.24: Globe and Mail - CMA slams Ottawa’s reluctance to stop asbestos exports to developing countries Delegates to the general council of the Canadian Medical Association, meeting in St. John’s, rebuked the Harper government for blocking the inclusion of chrysolite asbestos in the Rotterdam Convention, which would essentially make it impossible for Canada to export the carcinogenic material to developing countries, as it does now. 2011.08.23: The Barrie Examiner - At the least, Canadians deserve an explanation There's evidently no escaping controversy for the federal riding of Simcoe-Grey. Its newly elected Conservative MP, Dr. Kellie Leitch, has been called out by hundreds of health professionals about her government's position on Canada's asbestos industry. 2011.08.18: The Moderate Voice - He Likes To See Fear In Their Eyes When Wickileaks dumped those American diplomatic cables onto the Internet, we learned that Stephen Harper “likes to see fear in [the] eyes” of his employees. How disconcerting it must be, then, for him to encounter Michaela Keyserlingk, who is neither an employee or — in Harper’s universe — an important person. 2011.08.18: The Gazette - Doctors ask doctor-MP to stop Canadian asbestos exports More than 200 doctors in Canada and worldwide are asking Conservative MP — and orthopedic surgeon — Kellie Leitch to honour her professional and medical duty by helping to stop the use of Canadian asbestos in this country and abroad. 2011.08.18: Globe and Mail - Choose ethics over asbestos exports, MDs tell physician-turned-Tory MP Hundreds of health professionals are urging a doctor-turned-Conservative MP to honour her medical oath and work against Canada's controversial asbestos industry. 2011.08.18: The Gazette - Asbestos jobs are toxic As an organization representing more than 5,000 physicians and concerned citizens, we're extremely displeased with this effort to promote the Jeffrey Mine. 2011.08.18: CBC Radio 1 - Sarnia Asbestos A widow from Quebec is taking on the federal government over the dangers of exporting asbestos. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley is coming to her defence. He also talks about the impact of asbestos on his community. Listen 7:23 2011.08.16: Macleans - Tories stifle widow through IP laws, twirl moustaches, cackle Robert Keyserlingk was a lifelong Tory who died horribly in 2009 from mesothelioma, a cancer typically caused by asbestos exposure. Keyserlingk had regular contact with asbestos in his youth while working summer jobs on Canadian naval ships. 2011.08.16: The Star - Tim Harper: Ottawa widow stands firm against Conservative threats ... the Ottawa woman has outsmarted the propaganda arm of the Harper government after it handed her a gift, allowing her to publicize a cause she has championed in honour of her late husband. 2011.08.15: The Star: Quebec government gives asbestos investors more time to get loan lined up The Quebec government has given some breathing room to investors trying to relaunch one of Canada’s last remaining asbestos mines. Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac says investors have a six-week extension, until Oct. 1, to get financing that will enable them to qualify for a government loan guarantee. 2011.08.15: TheGazette - Conservatives send widow cease-and-desist order However, despite the backing she has received, Keyserlingk doesn't relish her position in the limelight. "I don't like it to be quite honest, I would like to get back to my own life," she said. "But it's worthwhile and I certainly owe that to my husband and I will keep on going." 2011.08.15: Canadian Press - 'Shameful': Ontario mayor sends Conservatives stern note in dispute over asbestos The mayor of Sarnia, Ont., has written a letter to the Conservative Party of Canada, accusing it of "absolutely shameful" behaviour. 2011.08.15: National Post - Conservatives threaten lawsuit against asbestos widow The email concerned an ad banner that Ms. Keyserlingk had been using to promote [external] www.canadianasbestosexports.ca, her anti-asbestos website. “Canada is the only western country that still exports deadly asbestos!” reads the banner’s text, which is nestled in between a “Danger” symbol and the Conservative logo. 2011.08.14: Canadian Press - Tories tussle with asbestos widow over use of party logo in ad campaign The exchange comes as Canada faces intensifying international criticism over its asbestos exports and the Quebec government mulls whether to help revive one of the country's last-remaining mines — a decision that could come as early as Monday. 2011.08.14: CBC - Montreal company hopes to revive Asbestos mineIndustry struggles as anti-asbestos crusader takes on federal Conservatives Just as it seemed time was running out, a consortium of investors led by Montreal company Balcorp Ltd. said it's confident it can raise the money to purchase the mine. 2011.08.13: Global News - Firm trying to raise funds for Quebec asbestos mine seeks deadline extension Quebec politicians have traditionally supported the industry, but Premier Jean Charest faces a difficult decision as the asbestos comes under increased scrutiny. 2011.08.12: Ottawa Citizen - Ashamed of Canada's asbestos stance I have always considered myself to be a proud Canadian, but I hang my head in shame when I read how our government recently blocked placing chrysotile asbestos on an international list of toxic substances. 2011.08.05: Canada.com - Canada's asbestos position endangering foreign workers For years, Canada has been a leading exporter of asbestos to the developing world, where it is still used as building insulation. This is despite the fact that asbestos causes cancer and claims over 100,000 lives worldwide every year. 2011.07.27: Globe and Mail - Asbestos killed my father. Now my mother is sick When I first heard that my mother had mesothelioma, a cancer of which the only known cause is asbestos exposure, I should have been concerned about only one thing: her welfare. I should have gone through the stages of grieving that any child losing their mother experiences. 2011.07.22: Glove and Mail - Canada's last functional asbestos mine about to run dry A confidential federal memo suggests Canada's last fully functional asbestos mine is about to die, raising the prospect the controversial industry might just disappear on its own. 2 011.07.21: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos mine may stop work if talks don't improve Talks between management and union representatives were held Tuesday, and operations recommenced Wednesday morning with the return of five or six workers, Dupéré said. Employees will be gradually called back over the next few days and full operations are expected to be underway by Monday. 2011.07.20: Montreal Gazette, LAB Chrysotile mine sets Nov. 13 deadline http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Chrysotile+mine+sets+deadline/5133616/story.html#ixzz1Slt47Ehk 2011.07.19: CBC New - Quebec asbestos mine could close, Labour woes add to mine's list of challenges The Canadian Press Posted: Jul 19, 2011 8:10 PM ET Last Updated: Jul 19, 2011 8:10 PM ET Read 31 comments31 Canada's last fully operational asbestos mine says it could be on the verge of shutting down, a closure that would deliver a major blow to the country's controversial industry. 2011.08.18: Langly Times - Canada backs a killer Our government is not worse than most others. It’s not too difficult to believe other governments knowingly kill innocent people. We aren’t often willing to face this fact about our own. Or about ourselves. 2011.07.27: Vancouver Sun - Conservative government's ideology trumps science I strongly support the column by Peter McKnight in which he points out that Canada and its Conservative government rightly deserve the world's opprobrium for their continuing sale of asbestos, a deadly carcinogen. 2011.07.16: The Leaderpost - Asbestos war enlightening http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Asbestos+enlightening/5112695/story.html#ixzz1STLd8mwm 2011.07.13: Montreal Gazette - Ashamed of our government http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Ashamed+government/5093237/story.html#ixzz1SCRcyyP2 2011.07.11: Dogwood Initiative - Pushing Death Harper’s policies on cancer-causing asbestos and heavily climate-polluting oilsands are undermining progress on international health and climate agreements, such as the Rotterdam Convention and Kyoto Protocol. Canada’s embarrassing positions could affect the health and survival of millions of people worldwide. 2011.07.11: The Hook - Clock ticking for private investment in Quebec asbestos mine 2011.07.11: The Hill Times - Critics slam feds' defence of Quebec asbestos mine The federal government's defence and support for asbestos is "beyond reason, logic and economics," and stems from a "misguided perception of Quebec politics," says NDP MP Pat Martin, who's been fighting to ban asbestos mining ever since he was elected in 1997. 2011.07.11: Wawa News - Asbestos Shows Canada’s Unfortunate Double Standard Canada missed an opportunity to add chrysotile asbestos to the U.N.’s list of hazardous substances in mid-June adding to our already degraded international reputation which now includes multiple fossil of the year awards and our foot dragging on signing the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 2011.07.09: Vancouver Sun - A deadly disdain for science http://www.vancouversun.com/health/deadly+disdain+science/5077717/story.html#ixzz1Rl43Gbrc 2011.07.08: CBC News - Pro-asbestos lobby decries critics, applauds Canada 2011.07.08: The Barrie Examiner - Shame on Harper government for blocking Rotterdam Convention Shame on the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper for blocking the Rotterdam Convention from listing chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance. 2011.07.08: The Windsor Star - Don't put mining ahead of safety The federal government's decision to block asbestos from this treaty effectively eliminates the requirement for a minimal level of warning to countries that might choose to import and use this dangerous substance. 2011.07.07: Edmonton Journal - Double standard on export ethics 2011.07.06: Hill Times - Asbestos industry giving Canada ‘black eye’ on world stage, say Martin and McGuinty The asbestos industry is using Canada’s “Boy Scout image” to promote its product, but is turning the country into an “international pariah” and giving it a “black eye” on the world stage, says NDP MP Pat Martin, who has been fighting to ban asbestos globally ever since he was elected in 1997. NDP MP Pat Martin, who has been fighting to ban asbestos mining in Canada ever since he was elected to the House in 1997, and who has been waging a vocal battle in the Commons against the federal government’s controversial support for it, has his own asbestos story. 2011.07.05: BC Local News - On Friday, June 24, the Conservative government once again embarrassed our country on the international stage. Mr. Nicholls, one of his patients, walks slowly around his home, catching his breath as his lungs slowly harden from a disease that will eventually suffocate him. But he too feels the industry is “not as dangerous as it once was” – though he is genuinely worried about the health of less-protected workers abroad. 2011.07.04: The Sudbury Star - Canada's stance on asbestos disgraceful - Column by Ruth Farquhar Our government has once again given Canada a black eye internationally, refusing to put chrysotile asbestos on the hazardous list at the Rotterdam Convention two weeks ago. Much has been written in the past few weeks about the Government of Canada’s move at last month’s Rotterdam Conference to keep asbestos off the United Nations’ Annex III list of dangerous substances. Had it been added, exporting nations would henceforth be required to inform importers of its risks and provide precautionary measures for safe handling 2011.07.02: Vancouver Sun - Conservatives' asbestos stand shames Canadians We all feel the shame for our government's refusal to sign the Rotterdam Convention, which would have warned unprotected workers and the general populations in developing countries that Canadian chrysotile asbestos is a highly dangerous carcinogen. 2011.07.02: CTV News - Canada mocked in U.S. for asbestos 'hypocrisy' Just in time for the Canada Day weekend, a major U.S. online magazine is calling out Canada for its "breathtaking hypocrisy" for exporting asbestos while seeking to rid the product at home. 2011.07.01: Globe and Mail - To Canada, some ways to keep your reputation at its asBESTos Dear government of Canada: Congratulations on your refusal to stigmatize asbestos by allowing it to be added to a list of hazardous chemicals on the United Nations treaty, the Rotterdam Convention. In doing so, you have helped to ensure that countries exporting a known carcinogen (mostly to developing nations) need not add a warning that it be used correctly. May it be so for many years to come!2011.06.30: Montreal Gazette - The Gazette’s View: Human cost of asbestos is not worth the jobs For the sake of hundreds of jobs, $90 million a year in sales and our prime minister’s refusal to be wrong about anything, Canada is now the world’s only developed nation to not formally acknowledge chrysotile asbestos as a carcinogen. 2011.06.28: The Star - Asbestos hypocrisy sticking to PM It was the third time Canada has stepped in to prevent placing asbestos on a list of exports that would have to include warnings of health hazards to recipient countries. 2011.06.28: Ottawa Citizen - Asbestos kills? Science be damned Almost every other nation in attendance took the opposite position and as talks continued it appeared that there would be the unanimous agreement needed to add asbestos to the list. But Canada wouldn’t budge. The change was defeated. And asbestos continues to be, in an official sense, not a hazardous substance, no matter what the scientists say. 2011.06.27: CBC Radio - Asbestos in the Family The federal government's on-going refusal to allow asbestos to be added to a United Nations treaty which lists hazardous materials has sparked criticism abroad and at home. We have a documentary about a family which has been devastated by the effects of asbestos. And we talk to a doctor who treats people with a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. 2011.06.24: Ottawa Citizen - Canada admits asbestos opponents are right http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Canada+admits+asbestos+opponents+right/4997758/story.html#ixzz1RAhlwinl 2011.06.24 - The Globe and Mail - Harper parties in mining town as Canada keeps asbestos off hazardous list 2011.06.25: The Province - Harper's 'historic' visit Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in asbestos country Friday -just one day after his representatives blocked a bid to limit exports of the carcinogenic mineral. 2011.06.24: The Star - Canada’s toxic asbestos trade For years the federal government has been warned by doctors, environmentalists, unions, even Health Canada, about the deadly impact of asbestos. But Ottawa remains intransigent about curbing exports of this harmful mineral. Once again this week it opposed listing chrysotile asbestos on the United Nations’ list of dangerous materials. Once again it acted irresponsibly. 2011.06.25: Globe and Mail - With asbestos, we are the Ugly Canadians 2011.06.24: Ottawa Citizen - Asbestos's last, lonely championThe Canadian delegation was undoubtedly acting on instructions from the prime minister - and over growing objections both inside and outside government. With India (which imports a lot of Quebec asbestos) and Ukraine withdrawing objections, Canada is left in the embarrassing company of Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in defending a product so dangerous it is being carefully removed from 24 Sussex and the Parliament buildings. 2011.06.23: Winnipeg Free Press - Hiding the risk of asbestos It is bewildering that successive Canadian governments would risk an international black eye to protect the market of a relatively small industry that exports a known carcinogen. Chrysotile asbestos has fallen out of favour for use as an insulator and fire-retardant in Canada, but it is the economic mainstay of Thetford Mines, Que., the hometown of federal Industry Minister Christian Paradis. 2011.06.23: Winnipeg Free Press - Hiding the risk of asbestos 2011.06.23: Coquitlam Now - Health critic calls for asbestos ban A local MLA is calling on Premier Christy Clark to use her trip to Ottawa to insist Canada declare asbestos a hazardous substance. 2011.06.23: Toronto Sun - Canada OK with killer asbestos "The government says that the product is safe if used in a certain fashion but they're refusing to ensure that the buyer is told to beware," said NDP Leader Jack Layton on Thursday. 2011.06.22: The Star - Canada blocks asbestos from hazardous chemicals list at UN summit OTTAWA—Canada has opposed listing chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous chemical, the United Nations confirmed Wednesday, even as the Conservative government maintained its silence back home. 2011.06.22: Globe and Mail - Ottawa still shelters asbestos industry. Cigarette, anyone? Ottawa should abandon asbestos industry - No one disputes any longer that cigarettes causes cancer. There's a warning on cigarette packages direct from the federal government. Yet Ottawa persists in sheltering the asbestos industry, despite warnings from health officials that it, too, causes cancer. 2011.06.22: The Star - Canada blocks asbestos from hazardous chemicals list at UN summit Listing asbestos on Annex III of the convention would force exporters such as Canada to warn recipient countries of any health hazards. Those countries could also then refuse asbestos imports if they didn’t think they could handle the product safely. Canada has twice before played a lead role in blocking the inclusion of asbestos under the Rotterdam Convention, which operates by consensus. 2011.06.21: Vancouver Sun - Canada noticeably quiet at international meeting on asbestos exports Canada remained silent Tuesday at an international meeting convened to decide whether to place limits on the export of chrysotile asbestos — fuelling concerns from observers that the federal government is letting other countries do its "dirty work." http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+noticeably+quiet+international+meeting+asbestos+exports/4982873/story.html#ixzz1Q0cuJA832011.06.21: The Gazette - Layton patriarch champion of asbestos industry his son now slags But here's the surprising twist: the Conservative government's increasingly isolated position on asbestos — that the substance can be safely used, and that Quebec's chrysotile exports to developing nations should continue or even expand — was largely shaped 25 years ago by Layton's own father. 2011.06.21: Vancouver Sun - Ottawa asked to label asbestos as hazardous/Opposition, ex-minister push for designation Canada's chief public health officer said Monday it's wise "as a general principle" to inform people of the risks if they're handling hazardous materials such as asbestos, a statement that came on the eve of an expected move by the Conservative government to block international efforts this week to warn importing countries about the risks. It also came after a former top Tory minister asked his former colleagues to support the warnings. 2011.06.21: Macleans - Can asbestos be used “safely”? Chrysotile, or white asbestos, is back in the news again, and doctors around the world are questioning the Canadian government’s championing of a substance that has been banned in most developed countries. “My jaw dropped when I heard [Soudas’ statement],” says Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, a specialist in respirology at Toronto’s University Health Network and assistant professor in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto. “It’s so completely misrepresentative of the science.” 2011.06.21: Vancouver SunEx-B.C. cabinet minister Chuck Strahl urges Tories to act on asbestos The Conservative government took a hit from friendly-fire Monday when a former Tory cabinet minister who has battled lung cancer pleaded with his former colleagues to support limits on the export of chrysotile asbestos. 2011.06.20: CBC Radio - Asbestos in Developing Countries Today, representatives from 143 countries meet in Geneva to debate whether chrysotile asbestos, the kind mined mainly in Canada, should be added to an international treaty regulating the trade in hazardous chemicals. 2011.06.18: Vancouver Sun - Vancouver comedian finds no humour in Canada's asbestos mining practicesCochrane, 28, recently joined forces with Sean Devlin, Cam Reed and other Vancouverites to launch a national campaign calling on the government to support a United Nations recommendation to add chrysotile asbestos, also known as white asbestos, as a hazardous substance under the Rotterdam Convention at a four-day conference that starts Monday in Geneva, Switzerland. 2011.06.17: The Toronto Star - The big deal: Should Canada defend the asbestos industry?On Monday, a meeting is set to convene in Geneva of the 143 nations, including Canada, that have ratified the U.N.’s Rotterdam Convention. The international agreement concerns pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons. As in previous years, chrysotile asbestos (the industry’s name for white asbestos) is one of the substances the convention is considering adding to its Annex III list. 2011.06.17: Postmedia News - Canada silent on intent ahead of meeting to limit asbestos exports The federal government isn't saying whether Canada will block efforts at an international meeting Monday to limit the export of chrysotile asbestos. 2011.06.15: The Gazette - Chrysotile asbestos on UN agenda, Meeting on Monday; Quebec doctors urge PM to support regulation QUEBEC – On Monday in Geneva, representatives of the 143 countries belonging to United Nations-sponsored Rotterdam Convention regulating hazardous chemicals are to begin a meeting where chrysotile, the type of asbestos fibre mined in Quebec, will be on the top of the list of new products to be regulated. 2011.06.15: The Canadian Press - Tories refuse to say Canada's position on warning world about asbestos dangers OTTAWA — The Conservative government continues to claim that Canada's chrysotile asbestos can be used safely "under controlled conditions." But with a major international conference in Geneva less than a week away, the government is refusing to say what position Canada will take when its global partners ask that the known carcinogen be included on a list of hazardous chemicals. 2011.06.14: CBC Radio - Power and Politics, Tuesday, June 14 ...is the government ignoring the danger of asbestos? Why has it not followed advice by Health Canada to list it as a hazardous substance? We ask Industry Minister Christian Paradis, and MPs Pat Martin and Marc Garneau. 2011.06.14: CBC News - Shut down Canada's asbestos industry According to documents obtained under Access to Information, a senior Health Canada bureaucrat wrote that the agency believed that chrysotile should be added to a UN treaty known as the Rotterdam Convention. 2011.06.14: The Gazette - Canada's export of asbestos slammed by NDP, health experts NDP MPs said a newly released internal government email has revealed that Health Canada officials recognize the danger of chrysotile asbestos, mined in central Quebec, but failed to convince the government to take the same position on the international stage under the United Nations Rotterdam Convention, which sets controls on the trade of a list of toxic substances. http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+export+asbestos+slammed+health+experts/4944277/story.html#ixzz1PSeuvqFe2011.06.14: CBC News - Asbestos: 'Magic' mineral was once Canada's gold, Critics decry Canadian production but industry, government says it's safe Canada has spent the last 25-plus years trying to rid our homes, schools and offices — including Parliament Hill — of the dangerous dust that was often loosely sprayed as insulation. However, the country continues to mine and export the controversial mineral — though only chrysotile, or white asbestos, which the government says is safe to use. 2011.06.14: The Gazette - UN body aims to regulate asbestos In the past, the Canadian government, allied with other chrysotile producers, like Russia and Zimbabwe, have blocked chrysotile’s inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention’s PIC designation – meaning prior informed consent must be given before such a product in imported. 2011.06.14: The Globe and Mail - UN-sanctioned group criticizes Canada on asbestos science Canada has signed an international treaty that obligates it to follow the latest scientific evidence on the dangers of asbestos, a UN-affiliated labour organization is reminding the country this week. But the NDP has unearthed a 2006 Health Canada recommendation that suggests the Harper government isn't even following the advice of its own experts on chrysotile asbestos. 2011.06.13: CBC News - Health Canada's asbestos advice rejected by government The 2006 Rotterdam Convention comprises a list of hazardous substances that require countries to disclose any restrictions imposed for health or environmental reasons by exporting countries. Importing countries would then decide whether to import the substance, ban it, or restrict it, something known as prior informed consent. 2011.06.10: Canadian Labour Congress - Canada called on carpet by ILO over asbestosThe International Labour Organization has taken the unusual step of calling Canada to account regarding asbestos at a special hearing which occurred in Geneva on June 10. Canada is a signatory to ILO Convention 162 concerning the use of asbestos for workers and the ILO held the hearing because the CLC and other organizations believe that Canada has failed to review its laws and regulations regarding occupational exposure to asbestos. This puts workers at risk both in Canada and abroad because virtually all of Canada’s production is exported. 2011.06.03: T he Observer - ASBESTOS: MP did oppose Harper government on exports Letters reveal Davidson’s plight They also reveal the frustration Davidson experienced in urging the Harper government to reject the "faulty" evidence used to support the continued export of asbestos. 2011.05.26: Langley Advance - Warawa may fight asbestos, Langley's MP says he wants to look at potentially changing asbestos export rules. Just weeks after Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada won’t ban asbestos exports, Langley MP Mark Warawa wants to re-open the debate. Globe and Mail - Harper’s in and Canada’s back – just ask Jon Stewart Hardly a news organization in Canada has failed to carry it, including this newspaper. The five-minute segment makes anyone who promotes the mining and exporting of asbestos appear to be either delusional or villainous, off their rockers or immoral. This includes the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Quebec. 2011.05.19: CTV.ca - A sbestos episode a lesson in PR don'ts, expert says "He's darn lucky the headline in The Globe and Mail wasn't 'We're Not Ignorant Imbeciles, Claims Poulombe'," Ansell said, suggesting the nuance of the mining executive's explanation was lost and instead served only to rejuvenate a story that might otherwise have flown under the radar. 2011.05.18: National Post - Anatomy of a public relations failure Last Thursday, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart broadcast a report ripping into the Quebec town of Asbestos and the industry after which it's named. The show's reporter, comedian and actor Aasif Mandvi, asks mining executive Bernard Coulombe what Asbestos means in French. "Because in English it means slow, hacking death." He later shows CBC footage of Indian workers carelessly handling carcinogenic asbestos fibres and prompts Mr. Coulombe to speculate that, because people in India are "used to pollution," they have developed a resistance. 2011.05.17: The Star - Research data on asbestos exposure hidden Canada’s role in exporting asbestos, a known carcinogenic product no longer used in this country, and in supporting an international lobbying effort for its use, has been appalling. Even more disgraceful, Canadian authorities have tried to hide their own work at piecing together an overview of where and how Canadians were exposed to chrysotile asbestos. That government-sponsored research, begun back in 2007, reviewed the many places — mines, office buildings, school gyms, homes — where the risk of exposure to asbestos dust was high and could cause serious health problems and death. 2011.05.14: The Canadian Press - Jon Stewart's popular U.S. TV show mocks Quebec town of Asbestos MONTREAL — The town of Asbestos, Que., was the object of ridicule on one of the world's most popular comedy programs Thursday night. ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' produced a segment that began with lighthearted mockery and ended with moral indignation over the town's attachment to the asbestos industry. 2011.05.13: La Presse - De nouvelles photos gênantes pour l'industrie de l'amiante Un mois après que Québec eut donné son appui à la relance de la mine Jeffrey, à Asbestos, de nouvelles photos embarrassantes pour l'industrie québécoise de l'amiante font surface. 2011.05.13: Globe and Mail - Unreleased report shows high levels of asbestos in many public buildings In late 2007, Health Canada hired a group of researchers affiliated with the University of Ottawa to assess a health hazard it had never attempted to quantify before: how at risk were Canadians from everyday and occupational exposures to cancer-causing asbestos? 2011.05.13: CBC - Daily Show mocks Asbestos, Que. Daily Show comedian Aasif Mandvi asks the president of Jeffrey Mine whether the word 'asbestos' means something different in French. (Comedy Network) Asbestos, Que., is taking another beating on the international stage, this time from American news satire program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2011/05/13/asbestos-quebec-daily-show-spoof.html YouTube Version 2011.05.12: Daily Show - Aasif Mandvi Visits Asbestos, Quebec Despite all the anti-asbestos propaganda, this town outside Montreal promotes the relatively safe mineral. These are kind of issues we look to the likes of Ruth Ellen Brosseau to solve in Quebec. 2011.04.30: Vancouver Sun - Canada bans deadly asbestos at home but sells it overseas Most of Canada's asbestos is exported to developing countries, as it has been banned everywhere else. (Worldwide 60 countries, including all those in the European Union, have banned the use of asbestos.) 2011.04.27: Sherbrooke Record - PM defends industry Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to defend the local asbestos industry during a morning visit to the area, but added no efforts will be made to lift health and safety restrictions on its use in domestic and international industry. 2011.04.26: The Globe and Mail - Canada labelled ‘immoral asbestos pusher’ as Harper visits Quebec mining town Stephen Harper says he won’t allow a substance synonymous with cancer to be reintroduced in Canadian homes or schools but he’s firmly behind allowing Quebec’s maligned asbestos industry to export its product to willing buyers abroad. The Conservative Leader made a campaign stop in Quebec’s Eastern Townships to show the failing asbestos industry some support, a move the Tories are hoping will enable them to win a seat in the area. 2011.04.26: Edmonton Journal - Harper rejects export ban on asbestos ASBESTOS, Que. — Conservative leader Stephen Harper has declared that Canada will not ban the export of asbestos — despite calls from health groups — because to do so would hurt Canadian industry.Harper brought his campaign Tuesday to the community synonymous with cancer — and amid renewed pressure to ban the export of asbestos worldwide. 2011.04.26: Brandon Sun - Harper defends support for asbestos industry as he battles Bloc for Quebec seat ASBESTOS, Qc - Neither the name of a cancer-stricken Conservative colleague nor the word asbestos passed Stephen Harper's lips Tuesday as he defended Canada's export of a deadly carcinogen that has afflicted Transport Minister Chuck Strahl. Instead, Harper used a campaign stop in Asbestos, Que., to promote his party's local electoral fortunes as a stout promoter of a dying regional industry. 2011.04.18: Safety-Reporter - Cancer Society ‘disappointed’ with Quebec government The Canadian Cancer Society is “deeply disappointed” in the Quebec government’s conditional support for a project that could lead to the re-opening of a mine in Asbestos, Que. 2011.04.15: The Gazette - Minister defends support for asbestos Although Quebec's support of Canada's lone asbestos mine won the supported of elected officials in the region, it has been widely denounced by health officials. The Canadian Cancer Society this week called upon the provincial government to withdraw its support for the Jeffrey mine expansion. "This decision directly conflicts with global cancer control. The epidemic of asbestos-related concerns, both in Canada and around the world, will continue to spread," the group said in a statement. 2011.04.14: The Canadian Press - Quebec gives conditional support to controversial asbestos mine's revival "Our gesture today will remove the uncertainty," said Clement Gignac. "We are removing the uncertainty (in affirming) that the Quebec government will continue to support the chrysotile (asbestos) industry, will continue to support the region." 2011.04.14: CNW - Quebec Government Gives Conditional Support to Asbestos Mine / Canadian Cancer Society Urges Government to Re-consider "From a public health point of view, the Quebec Government has made the wrong decision as all forms of asbestos cause cancer," says Paul Lapierre, Vice President, Cancer Control and Public Affairs, Canadian Cancer Society. "We strongly urge Minister Gignac to re-consider his decision and to withdraw this support." 2011.04.14: The Gazette - Cancer society 'disappointed' with Quebec asbestos expansion The Canadian Cancer Society is calling on the Quebec government to withdraw its support for an expansion at an asbestos mine in the province, citing the health concerns associated with exposure to the material. 2011.04.13: The Gazette - Jeffrey asbestos mine gets $7.5 million from Quebec The Quebec government has approved the expansion of the Jeffrey asbestos mine in Asbestos, along with a $7.5-million economic diversification fund for the region. "I told the promoter today that the government has given its agreement in principle to the reopening of the Jeffrey Mine," Industry Minister Clément Gignac said in a statement Wednesday. 2011.04.07: The Gazette - A struggle for votes in asbestos country Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe retorted that his party has always defended asbestos. That was a turnaround from Sunday, when Duceppe backed calls for a commission into the safety of the controversial mineral. 2011.04.06: The Gazette - Tories promise to 'defend' Quebec asbestos industry "Only the Conservative party will defend this industry here and everywhere in Canada," said Harper during a campaign stop in Victoriaville. "Only the Conservative party understands that you have a right to live here, to raise your families here." 2011.04.04: Globe and Mail - Air at many Quebec worksites high in asbestos levels: study The study highlights that Quebec’s occupational asbestos exposure limit allows for 10 times more airborne fibres than other Canadian provinces – and 100 times more than some European countries. The study was released as the Quebec government mulls over whether to give a controversial $58-million bank-loan guarantee to extend the life of the Jeffrey Mine in the city of Asbestos. 2011.04.04: The winnipeg Free Press - The air at many Quebec worksites contains high levels of asbestos The study was released as the Quebec government mulls over whether to give a controversial $58-million bank-loan guarantee to extend the life of the Jeffrey Mine in the city of Asbestos. Quebec politicians have traditionally supported the province's embattled chrysotile asbestos industry — and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe recently discovered that opposing it can sometimes be treacherous. 2011.04.03: Globe and Mail - Duceppe wades into debate on safety of asbestos mining during campaign stop Mr. Duceppe said he supports a demand from the Parti Quebecois for a Quebec legislature committee on asbestos. 2011.03.28: Canada.com - Expert demands feds retract statement on 'safe' use of asbestos A key member of the government's expert panel on asbestos is demanding Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis retract recent comments that cited the group's report to promote the "safe use" of asbestos. 2011.03.28: The Ottawa Citizen - Ban the immoral export of asbestos Here's a suggestion for Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. Instead of trying match the Conservatives' largesse, why not demonstrate that you are willing to take a political risk in Quebec on an issue of integrity? Why not promise that if voters throw the Harper Conservatives out, Canada will quit exporting deadly asbestos to developing countries? 2011.03.14: CyberPress.ca - Paradis réitère sa confiance envers l'amiante Le ministre des Ressources naturelles du Canada et député de Mégantic-L'Érable, M. Christian Paradis, assure que la volte-face de la CSN dans le dossier de l'amiante ne modifiera en rien la position du gouvernement du Canada à ce chapitre. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/economie/201103/14/01-4379011-paradis-reitere-sa-confiance-envers-lamiante.php English Version 2011.03.11: CyberPress.ca - Le PQ souhaite un débat sur l'utilisation de l'amiante Les députés péquistes Scott McKay et Agnès Maltais ont réclamé cette semaine qu'un mandat soit confié à ce sujet à la commission de l'agriculture, des pêches, de l'énergie et des ressources naturelles. Lors d'une entrevue à La Presse Canadienne, M. McKay a affirmé que les nombreuses interventions d'organismes de santé publique, au cours des derniers mois, ont soulevé des interrogations sur l'utilisation sécuritaire de l'amiante, au Québec ou à l'étranger. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201103/11/01-4378393-le-pq-souhaite-un-debat-sur-lutilisation-de-lamiante.php English Version 2011.03.11: CyberPress.ca - Comme annoncé, la CSN révise sa position sur l'amiante La présidente de la centrale syndicale, Claudette Carbonneau, avait annoncé plus tôt cette semaine qu'un vote serait pris en ce sens. Or, vendredi matin, à Montréal, le conseil confédéral de la CSN a entériné la recommandation du comité confédéral de la santé et de la sécurité au travail à l'effet de ne pas appuyer de nouveaux projets d'expansion des mines d'amiante québécoises. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/economie/201103/11/01-4378382-comme-annonce-la-csn-revise-sa-position-sur-lamiante.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=envoyer_cbp English Version 2011.03.11: Daily Commercial News - Labour group opposes Quebec asbestos mine expansion An organization representing Quebec unions is recommending against the approval of any expansion projects at Quebec asbestos mines due in part to concern about the use of asbestos cement in construction. 2011.03.11: Rabble.ca - Two big victories in the fight against asbestos This past week has seen two very significant victories in the long battle against Canadian exports of asbestos. There is only one mine in Canada -- in Quebec -- that still exports the deadly substance but trying to halt the trade has proved extremely difficult, despite the fact that asbestos kills 107,000 people a year world-wide. As an industrial killer in Canada, more people die from its effects than all the industrial killers combined. Quebec’s asbestos industry suffered another major blow Wednesday when one of the province’s largest unions said the Quebec government should not support the expansion of the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos. And Wednesday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), which represents 300,000 unionized workers across the province, announced it no longer supports the industry. Big Labour in Quebec has been among the staunchest supporters of the asbestos industry for decades. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/withdraws+support+Quebec+asbestos+industry/4412635/story.html#ixzz1GCkMJrs3 2011.03.09: The National Post - Your money or your lungs? Asbestos funding cut – next year This isn’t the first time the Conservatives have embraced asbestos. Back in October 1985, then-Minister of State for Mines Robert Layton claimed that chrysotile was so safe, he could put it in his coffee. The Canadian public was neither convinced nor amused, and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney shuffled Mr. Layton out of Cabinet and into the role of caucus chair in 1986. http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/09/tasha-kheiriddin-your-money-or-your-lungs-feds-cut-asbestos-funding-next-year/ So why, in 2011, would the Canadian federal government continue to fund an asbestos lobby group – to the tune of $250,000 a year? That’s right: the feds approved the money for the Chrysotile Institute, a lobby group which promotes the use of chrysotile asbestos in the developing world, where health and safety standards are lower, and the product remains in use. While the support will end in 2012, the group will still get funding for its current fiscal year. 2011.03.08: Ottawa Citizen - Ottawa quietly cuts funding to asbestos-industry group After years of criticism from Canadian and international health organizations, the federal government has quietly cut off taxpayer funding for an asbestos industry lobby group. http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Ottawa+quietly+cuts+funding+asbestos+industry+group/4402029/story.html#ixzz1G1qjBe83 2011.02.08: Canadian Press - Charest defends fundraiser hosted by man seeking to revive asbestos industry Premier Jean Charest says there's nothing wrong with his provincial Liberals having a fundraiser hosted by a businessman seeking government money to reopen one of Canada's last asbestos mines. Charest accused Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois of making assumptions about conflicts of interest when she raised links between Baljit Chadha and the Liberals. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/charest-defends-fundraiser-hosted-by-man-seeking-to-revive-asbestos-industry-115599579.html 2011.02.05: Le Devoir: Clément Gignac en Inde - Amiante: Québec cherche une façon d'aller de l'avant New Delhi — Estimant toujours qu'il y a moyen d'utiliser l'amiante de manière à ne faire courir aucun risque à la santé des travailleurs, le ministre du Développement économique, Clément Gignac, qui clôturait hier une mission économique d'une semaine qui l'a mené à Mumbaï et Delhi, dit qu'il n'approuvera pas le projet d'expansion de la mine Jeffrey, à Asbestos, avant d'avoir acquis la conviction qu'on en ferait une utilisation sûre en Inde. http://www.ledevoir.com/international/actualites-internationales/316217/clement-gignac-en-inde-amiante-quebec-cherche-une-facon-d-aller-de-l-avant English Version 2011.02.04: Montreal Gazette - Quebec, India mining accord to include asbestos The governments of Quebec and India have agreed to draw up an accord on investment and sustainable development in mining activities. The agreement would include chrysotile, as the variety of asbestos mined in Quebec is known. Quebec Industry Minister Clément Gignac is currently in India. In the face of opposition in the province to continued asbestos exports from Quebec, Gignac has delayed granting a government guarantee on a $58-million loan needed to reopen the Jeffrey underground asbestos mine in the Quebec town of Asbestos. http://www.montrealgazette.com/Quebec+India+mining+accord+include+asbestos/4226576/story.html#ixzz1D6c8XviC 2011.01.289: Macleans.ca - Well, this is awkward The host of a fundraiser for Michael Ignatieff owns a company that exports asbestos from Quebec. Their differences on asbestos aside, Ignatieff said he’s happy to attend Chadha’s fundraiser. ”Baljit Chadha is a great guy, personal friend, great businessman,” he said. ”(Asbestos) is a discussion I have with Mr. Chadha, but I’m happy to be there tonight.” 2011.01.28: Globe and Mail - La trahison des séparatistes Any day now Premier Jean Charest will announce whether he will subsidize the re-opening and expansion of an asbestos mine in Quebec aimed specifically at increasing deadly asbestos exports to Asia, South America and Africa. If this scandalous venture goes ahead, it will, as sure as you are reading these words, lead directly to the deaths of workers in the countries who will be using it. 2011.01.28: CTV News - Ignatieff fundraiser to be hosted by asbestos supporter A lavish fundraiser for Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff will be hosted by a businessman leading the charge to reopen one of Canada's last-remaining asbestos mines. Ignatieff has often said Canada must stop exporting the carcinogenic material abroad. 2011.01.27: La Press Affaires - Le ministre Gignac discutera d'amiante en Inde Le ministre du Developpement economique du Quebec, Clement Gignac, discutera d'exploitation d'amiante avec le gouvernement de l'Inde au cours d'une mission économique la semaine prochaine. Les deux gouvernements entameront aussi des discussions au sujet d'une entente de collaboration sur l'exploitation sécuritaire de cette fibre cancérigène. http://lapresseaffaires.cyberpresse.ca/economie/energie-et-ressources/201101/27/01-4364175-le-ministre-gignac-discutera-damiante-en-inde.php English Version 2011.01.25: Cyberpresse.ca - Amiante: Khadir affirme qu'il y a apparence de conflit d'intérêts Le gouvernement se place en conflit d'intérêts en invitant dans une mission économique en Inde une entreprise associée à un projet controversé de relance d'une mine d'amiante, a déclaré mardi le député de Québec solidaire Amir Khadir. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201101/25/01-4363636-amiante-khadir-affirme-quil-y-a-apparence-de-conflit-dinterets.php English Version 2011.01.17: Montreal Gazette - Raging Grannies protest against asbestos exports Montreal’s Raging Grannies had an earful for Premier Jean Charest on Monday, when they showed up outside his Montreal office. Wearing their customary outrageous hats and bundled up against the cold in bright layers of colourful clothing, the nine women sang “I’ve been working with asbestos” to the tune of “I’ve been Working on the Railroad”, including lyrics like “Asbestos has been proven to kill, kill, kill.” 11.01.14: Montreal Gazette - Quebecers don't want government cash going to asbestos industry More than three-quarters of Quebecers oppose the idea of the Quebec government financing a project to expand the Jeffrey asbestos mine, according to a survey commissioned by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. 2011.01.12: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos safety at root of debate Quebec's College of Physicians is unlikely to take a stand on the question of mining and exporting asbestos to developing countries, a spokesperson for the professional body said Tuesday.On Friday, a group of doctors asked the College to take a public position on asbestos, calling it a matter of public health. On Monday, groups that support the asbestos industry asked the College not to get involved. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Asbestos+safety+root+debate/4091985/story.html#ixzz1Appteyzb 2011.01.08: Montreal Gazette - The continued sale of Quebec's asbestos is indefensible Premier Jean Charest and the asbestos lobby have had to come up with some new arguments to defend Quebec's export of asbestos. Their usual arguments -that Quebec's chrysotile asbestos is less harmful than other forms of asbestos and can be safely used -have been exposed as groundless by provincial, national and international medical authorities, who are appalled by Charest and Prime Minister Stephen Harper denying the science and putting politics ahead of human life. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/continued+sale+Quebec+asbestos+indefensible/4080013/story.html#ixzz1ASbO3R9F 2011.01.08: Le Devoir - Amiante: un groupe demande l'intervention du College des medecins Une cinquantaine de medecins s'en prennent a l'ethique d'Yves Bolduc, "comme ministre et medecin" Pres de 50 medecins et quelques scientifiques du milieu de la sante ont reclame hier l'intervention du College des medecins du Quebec dans le dossier de la relance de l'industrie de l'amiante au Quebec grace a une garantie gouvernementale de pret de 58 millions. http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/314324/amiante-un-groupe-demande-l-intervention-du-college-des-medecins English Version 2010.12.29: The Bullet: Working-Class Solidarity or Colonial Complicity? Quebec Unions and Asbestos All the more troubling, therefore, was the reception that Quebec's union federations reserved the other week for a delegation from Asia, consisting of a representative of the Building and Wood Workers' International and victims of asbestos. The immediate aim of the delegation was to ask the government and people of Quebec not to give financial support to the exploitation of a new vein at the Jeffrey asbestos mine, whose production would be exported to Asia. Neither the FTQ (Federation des travailleuses et des travailleurs du Quebec) nor the CSN (Centrale des syndicats nationaux) saw fit to respond to the request for a meeting. Only the CSD (Centrale des syndicats democratiques) met the delegation, but in the presence of a lobbyist of the Chrysotile Institute. http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/447.php 2010.12.28: The Observer - Asbestos exports decried A former head of the local occupational health clinic is calling on Quebec's premier to halt a plan to loan millions of dollars to the provincial asbestos mining industry. http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2907602 2010.12.28: Cyberpresse.ca - Amiante: la complicite des syndicats D'autant plus deroutant est l'accueil reserve par nos centrales a une delegation venue de l'Asie la semaine derniere, composee d'un syndicaliste, representant de l'Internationale des travailleurs et des travailleurs du batiment et du bois (IBB), et de victimes de l'amiante. Le but immediat de la delegation etait de demander au gouvernement du Quebec, et au peuple du Quebec, de ne pas soutenir le financement de l'exploitation d'un nouveau gisement d'amiante a la mine Jeffrey, dont la production serait exportee en Asie. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/201012/28/01-4355902-amiante-la-complicite-des-syndicats.php English Version 2010.12.22: Ecologist - Canada's plans to reopen world's largest asbestos mine will create "new generation" of victims?? Campaigners are protesting against plans to re-open the world's largest asbestos mine, the Jeffrey Mine in Quebec with the help of $58 million from the provincial government. The mine would export upwards of 6 million tonnes of chrysotile asbestos to less industrialised countries over the next 25 years. http://goo.gl/gjW6w 2010.12.20 Le Devoir - L'avenir de l'amiante au Quebec - Un debat s'impose Au moment ou le gouvernement du Quebec s'apprete a prendre une decision sur l'octroi d'un pret de 58 millions de dollars aux promoteurs de la reouverture de la mine Jeffrey, de nombreuses voix sur le plan international s'elevent contre ce projet. Une delegation asiatique de syndicalistes, d'activistes et de victimes de maladies associees a l'amiante est venue recemment au Quebec pour temoigner des dommages que l'usage de l'amiante quebecois cause dans leur pays. La prestigieuse revue medicale britannique The Lancet, dans un article en ligne paru recemment, accuse pour sa part le Canada d'hypocrisie concernant ses exportations d'amiante. http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/313335/l-avenir-de-l-amiante-au-quebec-un-debat-s-impose English Version 2010.12.15: CTV Winnipeg - Two Tory staffers tried to block access to info: CP In October, Paradis adviser Sebastien Togneri resigned after it was revealed he had meddled in at least three different access-to-information requests while with the Public Works Department. In one case dealing with the members of a federal panel who wrote a damning report on asbestos, Paradis' political office had highlighted material it did not want released. http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101215/paradis-documents-101215/20101215/?hub=WinnipegHome 2010.12.13: Montreal Gazette - Stop promoting asbestos exports When Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc was asked what he thought of Industry Minister Clement Gignac's proposal to have the government's workplace health and safety board conduct an annual audit on the safe use of Quebec asbestos in countries to which the product is exported, he respectfully declined. For good political reasons, if not good health reasons. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Editorial+Stop+promoting+asbestos+exports/3967827/story.html#ixzz18DwZsTIo 2010.12.10: Le Devoir - Amiante - Un devoir moral La pression s'accentue pour obtenir des gouvernements canadien et quebecois une interdiction de l'exploitation de l'amiante au Canada. Hier, le depute Amir Khadir deposait un projet de loi en ce sens a l'Assemblee nationale. De son cote, le chef du Nouveau Parti democratique, Jack Layton, demandait au premier ministre Harper d'agir en ce sens. Le silence des deux gouvernements devant les enjeux moraux que pose la poursuite de l'exploitation de ce minerai est de plus en plus troublant. http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/312738/amiante-un-devoir-moral English Version 2010.12.10: Montreal Gazette - Asbestos community lobbies Quebec for loan guarantee Despite a week of setbacks, asbestos advocates are pleading with the Quebec government to approve a loan guarantee before Christmas that would allow the controversial underground mine project in Asbestos to go ahead. On Friday, a coalition of elected officials from the asbestos-producing region announced their support for continued mining and export of the fibre. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Asbestos+community+lobbies+Quebec+loan+guarantee/3960610/story.html#ixzz18IfhtGPd 2010.12.09: Montreal Gazette - Quebec promises to conduct annual safety audit of asbestos exports Quebec's industry minister said Thursday he will ask the province's workplace-safety board to conduct an annual audit on the safe use of Quebec asbestos in other countries. The pledge was quickly dismissed as "utopian and hypocritical" by critics. Industry Minister Clement Gignac was responding to a growing chorus of opposition to the planned reopening of the Jeffrey Mine in the town of Asbestos, south of Quebec City. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Quebec+promises+conduct+annual+safety+audit+asbestos+exports/3954544/story.html#ixzz18IgYFha4 2010.12.08: Globe and Mail - Lancet, Asian delegation urge Canada to ban asbestos exports Quebec is finding itself at the centre of a world debate this week over the production and export of asbestos, with a prestigious medical journal taking on the government and a delegation from Asia arriving to urge support for a ban on the product. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lancet-asian-delegation-urge-canada-to-ban-asbestos-exports/article1830597/ 2010.12.08: CTV.ca News - Journal article slams Canada for asbestos exports Quebec's controversial asbestos industry is being taken to task in a new article published in the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet. The article accuses Canada of hypocrisy for imposing a de facto ban on the cancer-causing substance and refusing to expose its own citizens to it, but still exporting it to developing countries. http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101209/lancet-asbestos-critique-101209/20101209/?hub=EdmontonHome 2010.12.08: CBC News - Que. asbestos exports should stop: activists The Jeffrey mine in Asbestos, Que. has been lobbying the provincial government for a $58-million loan guarantee. (CBC) Anti-asbestos activists from several Asian countries have travelled to Quebec this week to urge the province to get out of the asbestos industry. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/12/08/asia-asbestos-activists-visit-quebec.html#ixzz17d1lYfWh 2010.12.07: Toronto Star - Victims, activists urge Canada to stop asbestos exports "I want to ask why Canada, an advanced country, a civilized country, wants to continue to produce this toxic product?" Lee asked through an interpreter. "Why does Canada want to destroy the joy of families?" http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/903341--victims-activists-urge-canada-to-stop-asbestos-exports 2010.12.07: Canadian Mining Journal - Anti-chrysotile crusaders oppose Jeffrey mine redevelopment The debate concerning the safe use of asbestos is far from over. It has been re-ignited as a group of international investors wants to purchase the Jeffrey mine. Plans call for mining to cease in the pit and move underground. Production will expand from 15,000 to 180,000 t/y in 2012 and eventually to 225,000 tonnes. Accomplishing that will take an $80-million investment and create 500 jobs. The plans are supported by the Asbestos community and those who would like to have those jobs. http://www.canadianminingjournal.com/issues/story.aspx?aid=1000395512 A Westmount-based businessman who wants to help finance the expansion of the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos says the international outcry against the project does not bother him. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Asbestos+dealer+clear+conscience/3885311/story.html#ixzz16W6CsPAf 2010.11.14: Winnipege Free Press - Ottawa hopes asbestos mining waste will yield plants and biofuels MONTREAL - A federal government plan to transform mountains of asbestos mining waste in Quebec into lush greenery could pose a risk to citizens living nearby, according to internal documents. Ottawa is digging into tailings in the heart of Canada's asbestos country to see if they could one day yield plants, and even sprout biofuel crops. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/health/ottawa-hopes-asbestos-mining-waste-will-yield-plants-and-biofuels-107896949.html 2010.10.27: La Tribune - La CRE de l'Estrie aura son mot a dire sur l'avenir de l'amiante au Quebec English VersionMercredi, au cours de la reunion mensuelle de son conseil d'administration, la CRE a en effet accepte de donner son avis sur le sujet, comme le lui demande le ministre du Developpement economique, de l'innovation et de l'exportation. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/economie/201010/27/01-4336744-la-cre-de-lestrie-aura-son-mot-a-dire-sur-lavenir-de-lamiante-au-quebec.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=envoyer_cbp 2010.10.22: Montreal Gazette - Quebec asbestos mine may have investors: Owner The owner of Quebec's Jeffrey Mine says he has finally found a willing partner to help finance his proposed underground expansion, a development that could keep Canada in the controversial asbestos export business for decades. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Quebec+asbestos+mine+have+investors+Owner/3714119/story.html#ixzz13Kldzq7O 2010.10.15: Globe and Mail - Exporting death: Another popular Harper foreign policy What do you call a country that deliberately sells products abroad that will kill many people? You call it Canada. What do you call it when a state action kills a large numbers of defenseless people? You call it a crime against humanity. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/exporting-death-another-popular-harper-foreign-policy/article1759444/ 2010.10.13: Vancouver Sun - Blame game begins as Canada loses out on UN Security Council seat The Ottawa-based institute, specializing in foreign and defence policy, attempted to explain the vote debacle: Canadians pride themselves on our global role, but Canada's dismal performance on climate change, foreign aid, peacekeeping, asbestos, reproductive rights and the Middle East, has taken a heavy toll. http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Blame+game+begins+Canada+loses+Security+Council+seat/3662989/story.html#ixzz12FrF97UO 2010.10.13: AM 1150 - The Canadian Press - MONTREAL - Indian consortium makes cash offer to revive rare Canadian asbestos mine An Indian consortium has made an offer to buy one of Canada's last remaining asbestos mines and extend its life. The group made a bid last Thursday to purchase the cash-strapped Jeffrey Mine in the Quebec town of Asbestos. http://www.am1150.ca/News/National/Article.aspx?id=238918 2010.10.12: La Tribune - Une offre d'achat deposee pour Mine Jeffrey (ASBESTOS) Un consortium indien vient de deposer une offre d'achat de la mine de chrysotile d'Asbestos. L'offre a ete presentee jeudi dernier au conseil d'administration de Mine Jeffrey et aux representants de la Cooperative des travailleurs de la min http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/estrie/201010/12/01-4331561-une-offre-dachat-deposee-pour-mine-jeffrey.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B4_en-manchette_375_section_POS2 English Version 2010.10.08: La Presse - Amiante: des photos embarrassantes pour une mine quebecoise Penche au milieu d'un depotoir, un enfant fouille les dechets a mains nues. Derriere lui, des adultes utilisent de grands sacs pour recuperer du plastique, des planches et des morceaux de ciment. Leurs sacs portent le logo de Lab Chrysotile, une mine d'amiante situee a Thetford Mines, au Quebec. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/international/asie-oceanie/201010/07/01-4330625-amiante-des-photos-embarrassantes-pour-une-mine-quebecoise.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_lire_aussi_4330753_article_POS1 2010.09.30: The Globe and Mail - Tory minister's aide resigns after meddling repeatedly in ATI requests A cabinet minister's aide resigned late Thursday over his meddling in at least four access-to-information requests, a case that initially spurred the Conservative government earlier this year to declare ministers responsible for the actions of their staff. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ministers-aide-meddled-repeatedly-in-access-to-information-requests/article1735970/ 2010.09.08: The Globe and Mail - Government investment in asbestos is morally bankrupt Quebec has lent Jeffrey Mine Inc. $3.5-million to keep it alive when the asbestos industry should be allowed to die a natural death. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/government-investment-in-asbestos-is-morally-bankrupt/article1699823/ 2010.09.02: The Star - Quebec offers lifeline to a deadly industry Thumbing their noses at appeals from the Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec's 9,500 doctors, both the Charest and Harper governments are backing a last-ditch, desperate effort to revive Quebec's deadly asbestos industry. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/855643--quebec-offers-lifeline-to-a-deadly-industry 2010.08.30: CBC News - Asbestos mine gets $3.5M from Que. government The Quebec government will guarantee a $3.5-million line of credit for one of the country's last asbestos mines. The money will allow the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Que., to reopen and resume exports of asbestos - also called chrysotile - for the next month. http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=OTcyNzQ1Mw== 2010.08.28: The Gazette - Asbestos mining resumes for now The nearly exhausted Jeffrey Mine in the town of Asbestos will resume operations for the month of September in a last-ditch bid to woo foreign investors to a proposed new underground mine at the site. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Asbestos+mining+resumes/3453561/story.html#ixzz0y9Vj4fqG 2010.08.26: La Nouvelle Union- Deux groupes interesses a devenir partenaire Mine Jeffrey d'Asbestos reprend le boulot durant tout le mois de septembre, non seulement pour repondre a la demande de clients exclusifs, mais aussi pour montrer les operations a des groupes etrangers interess's a un partenariat en vue du projet d'exploitation de la mine souterraine. Mine Jeffrey peut reprendre ses activites en raison d'une marge de credit garantie par Investissement Quebec. Quelque 250 employes retrouveront ainsi temporairement leur travail. -Des visiteurs etrangers seront de passage en septembre. Nous discuterons d'affaires, mais on veut aussi leur montrer un gros complexe en operation et non pas un complexe ferme-, a indique, jeudi matin, le president de Mine Jeffrey, Bernard Coulombe, en entrevue telephonique avec le www.lanouvelle.net. (Thetford Mines) Incapable depuis la mi-juin d'extraire le minerai au fond du puits de sa mine Lac d'amiante du Canada (LAC) de Thetford Mines, la societe miniere LAB Chrysotile a du se resoudre au cours des dernieres semaines a acheterde la compagnie Mazarin 80 000 tonnes de minerai d'amiante chrysotile extrait mais non traite qui dormaient depuis au moins 13 ans dans les entrepots de l'ancienne mine British Canadian. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/les-regions/201008/23/01-4309118-lab-chrysotile-forcee-dacheter-80-000-tonnes-de-minerai-damiante.php 2010.08.04: Serbrooker Record - Jeffrey mine faces permanent shutdown The Jeffrey asbestos mine faces permanent shutdown later this month if financing by the Quebec government is not granted, says mine owner Bernard Coulombe. http://www.sherbrookerecord.com/content/view/490843/1/ 10-07-23: The Gazette - Investigation slams asbestos industry The fight to keep a controversial mineral flowing out of the Quebec town that bears its name has been dealt a major blow at the hands of one of the world's largest media organizations. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Investigation+slams+asbestos+industry/3307407/story.html#ixzz0upOZdPBk 10-07-21: The Vancouver Sun - Lobbyists push use of deadly asbestos in developing nations A global network of lobby groups has spent nearly $100 million since the mid-1980s to preserve the international market for asbestos, a known carcinogen that's taken millions of lives and is banned or restricted in 52 countries, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has found in a nine-month investigation. http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Lobbyists+push+deadly+asbestos+developing+nations/3306405/story.html#ixzz0upNf5wHJ 10-07-21: The Vancouver Sun - India's expanding use of asbestos brings dire warnings Every day, the swirling waters of the Arabian Sea bring misery to Alang, the world's largest shipbreaking yard, in western India's Gujarat state. http://www.vancouversun.com/health/India+expanding+asbestos+brings+dire+warnings/3306427/story.html#ixzz0upO164De 2010.07.20: Edmonton Journal - Tax support of asbestos industry a disgrace For a few votes... The federal government is taking money away from women's groups such as KAIROS, a humanitarian NGO backed by churches who worked with Palestinians, and International Planned Parenthood, a group who hasn't heard for over a year if they will have renewed funding, to funnel a quarter of a million of our tax dollars toward the asbestos lobby. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/support+asbestos+industry+disgrace/3298205/story.html#ixzz0uFh59Imc 2010.07.15: The Province - If asbestos is so dangerous, why do we export it? Why does Canada apply strict measures domestically to protect the health of Canadians handling asbestos and yet exports asbestos to developing countries such as India, where the capacity to implement and monitor the application of similar precautionary measures is inadequate? http://www.theprovince.com/business/asbestos+dangerous+export/3280544/story.html#ixzz0tr3IuP1Z 2010-07-14: Tax support of asbestos industry means we all share the blame - PM continues to boost market for deadly product overseas A recent opinion article in the Journal condemns the "absence of a collective conscience," noting that "the stench of immorality clings to everyone who participates in the asbestos industry." http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/support+asbestos+industry+means+share+blame/3275093/story.html#ixzz0tfYXdMEV 2010.07.13: Cyberpress - L'amiante tue Il est pathetique de voir le premier ministre Charest faire la promotion de ce produit cancerogene a l'etranger, d'entendre des ministres repeter mot pour mot l'argumentaire de l'Institut du chrysotile, de voir le ministre Bolduc s'eriger seul contre a peu pres tous ses confreres medecins. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/place-publique/editorialistes/francois-cardinal/201007/13/01-4297726-lamiante-tue.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_BO40_editoriaux_199_accueil_POS1 2010.07.08: Ottawa Citizen - A bad business Normally it's ill-advised to disparage an entire community, but it's hard not to feel that the whole town of Asbestos, Que., is guilty of shaming Canada. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/3248983/story.html#ixzz0uE9ywiEW 10-07-10: Le Soleil - Le lobby antiamiante maintient la pressio (Quebec) Une nouvelle ronde de pression s'exerce sur les alus de l'Assemblee nationale pour interdire l'extraction, l'utilisation et l'exportation de l'amiante. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/201007/16/01-4299054-le-lobby-antiamiante-maintient-la-pression.php 2010.07.05: The Chonicle Herald - Canada and asbestos: Exporting death But evidently, there are safe levels of chrysotile asbestos, the Quebec miners are mining it safely, or they wouldn't be allowed near it, so perhaps Health ... The politics behind continued production - entirely in Quebec - and export of asbestos is killing people. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/1190519.html 2010.07.05: Ottawa Citizen - Canada pressed to stop supporting asbestos mines lthough asbestos has been banned in 52 countries, annual world production is still more than two million metric tonnes, exposing an estimated 125 million people worldwide to asbestos at work, the researchers said Thursday in the journal Environmental Health http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Canada+pressed+stop+supporting+asbestos+mines/3225545/story.html#ixzz0tYM04wJk 2010.07.02: The Montreal Gazette - Groups slam asbestos mine As construction workers protested in front of Canada House in London yesterday, three health organizations added their weight to calls for Quebec to stop exporting chrysotile asbestos to developing countries http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Groups+slam+asbestos+mine/3226195/story.html#ixzz0tYMHJAmK 2010.07.02: Le Devoir - Amiante et sante publique - Une difficile equation Le gouvernement quebecois se prepare a apporter, sous forme d'une garantie de pret de 58 millions de dollars, son soutien a la reprise des activites de la mine d'amiante Jeffrey a Asbestos. http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/291815/amiante-et-sante-publique-une-difficile-equation 2010.07.01: The Globe and Mail - Researchers ask Canada to ban asbestos An international group of researchers is renewing its call for a global ban on the mining and use of asbestos, a known cause of cancer they say is unsafe in any form. http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/291815/amiante-et-sante-publique-une-difficile-equation 2010.06.30: CBC TV - Don't revive asbestos mine: cancer society. Quebec government considering investment in dying Jeffrey mine Canadian Tax Payers fork out $58 million subsidy to increase Canadian exports of asbestos to the developing world. http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV%20Shows/The%20National/ID=1533277215 2010.06.29: Edmonton Journal - Cancer society urges Quebec not to resuscitate ailing asbestos industry The Canadian Cancer Society on Tuesday urged Quebec Premier Jean Charest not to breathe new life into one of the country's last remaining asbestos mines. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Cancer+society+urges+Quebec+resuscitate+ailing+asbestos+industry/3216581/story.html 2010.06.29: CTV News - Don't revive dying asbestos industry: Cancer society MONTREAL - The Canadian Cancer Society is urging the Quebec government not to revive one of the country's last-remaining asbestos mines. http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20100629/quebec-asbestos-industry-100629/ 10.06.27: The Tyee - Asbestos: Quebec Labour's Shame Why are that province's union leaders defending this killer export by Canada? 2010.06.24: Montreal Gazette - Australian reality show puts Asbestos, Qc. back on the map An Australian reality show that challenged marketers to come up with a tourism pitch for a little Quebec town with an unfortunate name (Asbestos) was intended to be funny. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Australian+reality+show+puts+Asbestos+back/3196895/story.html#ixzz0s4C59GSE 2010.06.14: Winnipeg Free Press - Quebec breathing new life into one of Canada's last remaining asbestos mines The province is close to backing a loan of $58 million to reopen a mine in the town of Asbestos, a cash injection that could keep it operating for the next 25 years. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/quebec-government-to-breathe-new-life-into-canadas-dying-asbestos-industry-96310999.html 2010.06.13: CBC - Les travailleurs acceptent l'offre patronale Les travailleurs de la mine Jeffrey, a Asbestos, ont accepte dimanche la proposition deposee par leur employeur pour renouveler la convention collective pour une periode de cinq ans. http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/estrie/2010/06/13/001-mine-jeffrey-vote.shtml 2010.06.13 La presse affaires - Mine Jeffrey: les travailleurs votent en faveur de l'offre patronale Une premiere etape a ete franchie dimanche pour la reouverture de la mine d'amiante Jeffrey, a Absestos, puisque les travailleurs se sont prononces en faveur de la derniere offre patronale. http://lapresseaffaires.cyberpresse.ca/economie/201006/13/01-4289548-mine-jeffrey-les-travailleurs-votent-en-faveur-de-loffre-patronale.php 2010.06.13: CTV News - Asbestos miner banking on government loan to survive After 131 years of boom times, followed by a gradual decline and mounting international criticism that the product it�s exporting is lethal and should be outlawed, Jeffrey Mine Inc. is closing in on a last-minute reprieve in its fight to stay alive. http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1602716.html 2010.06.12: The Gazette - Asbestos industry in for boost Union set to vote. Province appears poised to okay loan guarantee http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Asbestos+industry+boost/3145594/story.html 2010.06.08: The Star - Furious at PM's asbestos support It makes me ashamed to be a Canadian to learn that my PM continues to support the Quebec asbestos industry by preventing asbestos from being listed by the United Nations as the hazardous substance health experts know it is. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/820290--furious-at-pm-s-asbestos-support 2010.06.06: The Star - Deathbed reprieve for killer industry? The battle to end Canada's export of deadly asbestos may be about to be lost. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/819432--deathbed-reprieve-for-killer-industry 201.05.16: Times Colonist - Anti-tobacco activist takes on Canadian asbestos industry Ask Fernand Turcotte, a veteran of the tobacco wars, whether he thinks his side's latest salvo against another deadly industry will be successful, and there is a long sigh on the other end of the phone line. http://www.timescolonist.com/health/Anti+tobacco+activist+takes+Canadian+asbestos+industry/3034801/story.html#ixzz0oCBjsELB 10-05-15: The Gazette - Asbestos: silky, strong - deadly Turcotte, an occupational health expert and retired professor of public health and preventive medicine at Universit Laval, is at the forefront of an escalating battle over chrysotile asbestos, with most of the country's medical and scientific community lining up on one side, and the asbestos industry and most federal and provincial politicians on the other. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Asbestos+silky+strong+deadly/3031124/story.html#ixzz0o9JB2zsx 10-05-15: The Gazette - Chrysotile Institute champions asbestos - by any other name A major player in the asbestos story is the Chrysotile Institute - which until 2004 was known as the Asbestos Institute - a non-profit organization set up in 1984 by the Quebec and federal governments to promote the safe use of chrysotile asbestos around the world. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Chrysotile+Institute+champions+asbestos+other+name/3031134/story.html#ixzz0o9IgcCHx 2010.05.14: The Ottawa Citizen - The town that refuses to die This small Quebec town is still counting on a mineral that is now a global pariah, reports Catherine Solyom. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/town+that+refuses/3025513/story.html 2010.05.12: Radio-Canada - Manifestation contre l'amiante Une centaine de personnes ont manifeste mercredi midi sur la colline du Parlement, a Ottawa, pour demander aux gouvernements federal et quebecois de mettre fin a la production et a l'exportation d'amiante. http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2010/05/12/004-manif_amiante_Ottawa.shtml 2010.05.12: La Tribune - Front commun contre l'amiante a Ottawa Des professionnels de la sante ainsi que des elus pressent Ottawa d'interdire l'amiante chrysotile avec une conference de presse organisee ce matin sur la colline parlementaire. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/estrie/201005/12/01-4279766-front-commun-contre-lamiante-a-ottawa.php 2010.05.11: The Globe and Mail - Canada pegged to lead world away from asbestos If Canada stops selling it, other countries will take note and take action, activist says http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-pegged-to-lead-world-away-from-asbestos/article1564381/ 2010-05-07: The Gazette - Asbestos: Town at a crossroads “If I believed what I hear on television every night, I’d have to pinch myself to make sure I am still alive,” Lortie says. 10-04-29: CBC News - Quebec town seeks to expand asbestos mining A group of business co-operatives has raised $2 million to expand mining operations in the Quebec town that is home to the last two asbestos mines in Canada. The money will go toward a $190-million plan to reopen an underground portion of the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Que., allowing operations to continue there year-round. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/04/29/mtl-asbestos-expansion.html 2010.04.09: Montreal Gazette - Letter to Quebec premier calls for halt on asbestos exports A group of more than 100 international scientists and experts have put their weight behind a letter to Quebec Premier Jean Charest that calls for an end to the province's asbestos exports to the developing world. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Letter+Quebec+premier+calls+halt+asbestos+exports/2784707/story.html#ixzz0lETrP3bK 2010.04.09: CBC TV - Mining Town Severely Contaminated 2:25 Min 2010.03.23: CBC TV - New lobby group tries to keep asbestos industry alive Quebec organization bucks international calls to ban carcinogenic material. The Canadian government has been under pressure domestically and internationally to shut down the country's only remaining asbestos mines, both located in Thetford Mines, Que. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/03/23/mtl-abestos-partners-defend.html 2010.03.23: The Gazette - Lobby group dodges bid to cut funding, Asbestos cartel are corporate thugs, MP says A parliamentary committee rejected a motion to cut federal funding for a pro-asbestos lobby group from the 2010 budget Tuesday, but a Liberal member of that committee said his party remains concerned about Canadas asbestos industry. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Lobby+group+dodges+funding/2718190/story.html#ixzz0jWDkzuve 2010.03.19: Montreal Gazette - Lobby group takes flak over federal funds New Democratic Party filibustered a budget estimates committee in an attempt to stop taxpayer funding for the Chrysotile Institute. "The asbestos lobby is the tobacco lobby's evil twin, and taxpayers are funding this group to lobby the government so they will keep on exporting this dangerous substance," http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Lobby+group+takes+flak+over+federal+funds/2699662/story.html 2010.03.19: Standard Freeholder - Exporting of asbestos called into question Martin -- a longtime critic of Canada's asbestos industry, which he called a "corporate serial killer" -- took Paradis to task Thursday at the natural resources committee meeting for continuing to support the industry. http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2498380 2010.03.18: Winnipeg Free Press - Feds should cut asbestos advocacy funding: NDP MP A New Democrat MP has challenged the federal government to cut its budget funding for the Chrysotile Institute, a Quebec-based advocacy group for the asbestos industry. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Feds+should+asbestos+funding/2698741/story.html 2010.03.18: Parliamentary Bureau - Paradis, NDPer duke it out over asbestos OTTAWA Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis and the NDPs Pat Martin verbally duked it out Thursday over asbestos. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2010/03/18/13281786-qmi.html 2010.03.18: Vancouver Sun - Exporting Death Nurturing an industry producing asbestos for export does not fit Canada's image as a responsible international player. But that's not interfering with the Harper Government's support for a promotional agency known as the Chrysotile Institute. http://communities.canada.com/VANCOUVERSUN/blogs/powerplay/archive/2010/03/18/exporting-death.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+canwest/F229+(Vancouver+Sun+-+News) 2010.03.13: The Globe and Mail - Dying for a living In Sarnia, Ont., former workers with chemicals and asbestos are enduring a slow-motion Bhopal. People are afflicted with rare cancers at a rate nearly 35 per cent higher than the provincial average. It may be the worst outbreak of industrial disease in recent Canadian history http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dying-for-a-living/article789982/ 2010.02.24: LaTribune - Chrysotile: Marc Garneau raffirme la position de son chef Marc Garneau, Ignatieff's new Quebec lieutenant, went to the town of Asbestos on February 23 and met with the asbestos industry lobby and told them face to face that this is the Liberal Party's position. The industry seems now to have accepted that they have lost the support of the federal Liberal Party and that this will not change. 2010.02.17: Globe and Mail - Quebec Liberals rebuff effort to probe asbestos exports Opposition wanted committee to examine effects of selling cancer-linked substance to developing world http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-liberals-rebuff-effort-to-probe-asbestos-exports/article1471837/# 2010.02.17: Winnipeg Free Press - Liberals shoot down opposition request to explore risks of exporting asbestos QUEBEC - The Quebec government has shot down an opposition effort to examine the dangers of exporting asbestos to the developing world. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/liberals-shoot-down-opposition-request-to-explore-risks-of-exporting-asbestos-84638257.html 2010.02.17: Radio-Canada - Politique, Exportation d'amiante; Les libraux refusent de dbattre Translation: I don't think that the government, in its closed mind position, is rendering service to Quebec or to the industry. In fact, by this kind of denials of the reality, what they are doing is create the perception in those countries where we export this product, that we have something to hide, thatn we have something that we don't use here, but that we send them our toxic products. Khadir (Je ne pense pas que le gouvernement, dans sa position de fermeture, rend service au Qubec puis l'industrie. En fait, par cette espce de dni de la ralit, ce qu'on contribue faire, c'est enraciner la perception, l o on exporte ce produit, qu'on a quelque chose cacher, qu'on a quelque chose qu'on n'utilise pas ici, puis qu'on leur envoie notre toxique.) Amir Khadir http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2010/02/17/003-amiante-motion-refusee.shtml 2010.02.17:La Presse - Les libraux refusent de dbattre sur l'amiante Les libéraux se sont objectés au dépôt d'une motion du député Amir Khadir proposant de confier ce mandat à une commission parlementaire. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201002/17/01-952696-les-liberaux-refusent-de-debattre-sur-lamiante.php 2010.02.17: Le Soleil - Khadir veut un dbat sur l'amiante (Qubec) Aprs avoir bris le consensus politique autour de l'amiante au Qubec, Amir Khadir aimerait forcer l'Assemble nationale tenir un vrai dbat sur ce minerai controvers. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/politique/201002/16/01-950417-khadir-veut-un-debat-sur-lamiante.php 2010.02.17: La Presse - Amiante chrysotile: des propos accablants pour le Canada In light of the explosion of asbestos-related deaths, Mexico should not only ban the import of chrysotile asbestos from Canada. It should also require the asbestos industry to cover the resulting costs of health care, concludes a report by a team of six researchers in public health. (En raison de l'explosion des morts lies l'amiante, le Mexique doit non seulement bannir l'importation de chrysotile du Canada, il doit aussi refiler le cot des soins de sant l'industrie, conclut une quipe de six chercheurs de sant publique.) 2010.02.17: Canadian Medical Association Journal - Quebec stands firm on asbestos exports despite growing controversy Quebec Premier Jean Charest is refusing to stop exporting chrysotile asbestos, despite a growing international outcry accusing Canada of hypocrisy in promoting the sale of a known carcinogen. http://www.cmaj.ca/earlyreleases/17feb10-quebec-stands-firm-on-asbestos-exports.dtl 2010.02.12: Radio Canada - Charest accus de travestir la vrit (Radio/TV) Aux yeux d'une dizaine de scientifiques canadiens, cette position tmoigne d'un grave manquement d'thique. Dans une lettre adresse Jean Charest, ils l'accusent de tenir des propos errons sur les dangers potentiels que pose ce minerai pour les travailleurs et prcisent que l'OMS demande plutt de mettre fin l'utilisation de l'amiante. http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/societe/2010/02/12/002-amiante-scientifiques.shtml 2010.02.12: La Press - Quand c'est notre cochonnerie L'intervention surprise des travailleurs indiens qui ont dnonc l'amiante qubcois, la semaine dernire, lors de la visite du premier ministre Jean Charest en Inde, n'est pas un simple incident de parcours. Cet incident risque de faire plus mal au Qubec qu'on l'imagine.http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/chroniqueurs/alain-dubuc/201002/12/01-948888-quand-cest-notre-cochonnerie.php 2010.02.12: Globe and Mail - Controversy brews over asbestos deaths in Mexico The death toll from mesothelioma, a rare cancer almost always caused by asbestos exposure, is rising rapidly in Mexico, a major market for Canada's exports of the mineral, and could be as high as 500 a year. 10.02.12: T he Gazette - On hot seat over asbestos Physicians attack Premier; Damning report rebuts his contention mineral can have benign uses 2010.02.11: McGill Daily - Charest questioned in India for asbestos sales, Scientists slam province for hazardous exports The majority of all asbestos produced in Quebec is exported to developing nations, where regulations on their usage are generally absent. Its sad to see workers in developing countries dying of preventable disease, said Reinstein. People in developing nations need money desperately, corporations take advantage of this, and workers end up working with asbestos in compromising conditions with no protection. The exposure level for people overseas is 10 times higher than the level permitted by...other Western industrialized countries. The Canadian government is seeking thus to protect Quebec workers from asbestos harm. 2010.02.08: The Toronto Star - Asbestos worries dog Charest NEW DELHIControversy over asbestos exports continued to dog Quebec Premier Jean Charest right up to the very last day of a trade mission to India. 2010.02.05: Winnipeg Free Press - Charest faces more questions about export of asbestos during visit to India Premier Jean Charest maintains he can do nothing to protect workers in India who are exposed to the health risks of asbestos that's mined from Quebec. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/83652822.html 2010.02.05: La Presse - Amiante: les travailleurs indiens critiquent Charest le 05 fvrier 2010 (Delhi) Les syndicats de travailleurs indiens dans le secteur de la construction ont hauss le ton hier et somm le gouvernement Charest de mettre fin l'hypocrisie en mettant fin aux exportations d'amiante dans les pays pauvres. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/201002/05/01-946649-amiante-les-travailleurs-indiens-critiquent-charest.php 2010.02.04: Globe and Mail - Playing a dirty game: exporting asbestos The federal government promotes asbestos exports despite the fact that the use of asbestos has all but disappeared in this country. Why? Because scientists, governments, industries and unions have concluded that the product can lead to a variety of health-related problems and, in some cases, to death. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/playing-a-dirty-game-exporting-asbestos/article1456630/ 2010.02.04: Globe and Mail - Quebec physicians urge Charest to call for end to silence on asbestos Doctors claim Indian scientists being threatened with legal action for disseminating information on the dangers of chrysotile asbestos http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-physicians-urge-charest-to-call-for-end-to-silence-on-asbestos/article1456997/ 2010.02.03: Montreal Gazette - Protesters Dog Charest Charest's response was to say it is up to the Indian government to pass laws to protect workers handling asbestos, or chrysotile, the term now preferred in ... http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Protesters+Charest/2515164/story.html 2010-02-03: La Tribune - A fatwa against asbestos? Of note these past few days: a sizeable increase in interventions some of them virulent against the production and exportation of Quebec chrysotile asbestos. We believe that this dirty war against Quebec and its chrysotile industry is orchestrated and guided by a handful of intellectuals in search of recognition. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-tribune/opinions/201002/03/01-945847-une-fatwa-contre-lamiante.php 2010-02-02: Globe and Mail - Charest pilloried over asbestos exports at Delhi summit As Premier touted Quebec's sustainability efforts, critics blasted province's trade in cancer-linked substance http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/charest-pilloried-over-asbestos-exports-at-delhi-summit/article1458216/ 2010-02-02: Le Soleil Abestos export: Khadir breaks the consensus The political consensus surrounding the Quebec asbestos trade is not as solid as it once was. Qubec solidaire MP, Amir Khadir, wants nothing to do with it. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/politique/201002/01/01-945289-exportation-damiante-khadir-brise-le-consensus.php 2010-02-02: La Presse Asbestos catches up to Jean Charest Nearly all asbestos mined in Canada is exported to developing countries where it is transformed into asbestos-cement. The WHO identifies the material as carcinogenic and recommends an end to its use in construction where it threatens the lives of thousands of workers. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/201002/01/01-945323-lamiante-rattrape-jean-charest.php 2010-02-02: La Presse Ashamed and indefensible If a pharmacist had proof that an over-the-counter drug was killing or sickening many people, could she continue to sell it? http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/chroniqueurs/rima-elkouri/201002/02/01-945330-honteux-et-indefendable.php 2010-02-02: Epoch Times Canada Must Stop Exporting Banned Asbestos, Urge Scientists The controversy surrounding Quebecs asbestos industry has moved up a notch with Premier Jean Charests trade mission to India, one of the biggest importers of Canadian asbestos. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29011/ 2010-02-01: Radio-Canada The asbestos issue rears its head Jean Charest maintains that it is up to the Indian government to protect its laborers working with chrysotile asbestos produced in Quebec. http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Economie/2010/02/01/006-charest_inde_amiante.shtml 2010.02.01: CBC News - World - Indian workers rebuke Quebec over asbestos It's hypocritical for Quebec to ban the use of chrysotile asbestos at home, while selling it to countries in the developing world, said activist Gobal http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/01/india-criticizes-quebec-for-producing-asbestos.htm 2010.01.30: THE GAZETTE - Scientists, MDs, labour groups sound the alarm Many developed countries around the world, including the EU, have banned asbestos use, but we continue to promote its use abroad.2010.01.30: THE GAZETTE: Asbestos: A pile of trouble Forecasters were calling for snow this week in Thetford Mines. But for the first winter in recent memory, the town is not spreading asbestos-laden mine residue on the roads as an abrasive. http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Asbestos+pile+trouble/2503075/story.html 2010.01.29: The Gazette - Quebec accused of hypocrisy on asbestos exports More than 100 prominent scientists and researchers from 28 countries appealed yesterday to Premier Jean Charest on the eve of his trade mission to India to stop exporting Quebec-mined asbestos to developing nations. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Quebec+accused+hypocrisy+asbestos+exports/2496940/story.html 2010.01.29: CBC News - Charest may face asbestos protests in India Quebec Premier Jean Charest will face protests over the provinces continued exportation of asbestos when he arrives in India on Sunday, according to a Montreal newspaper report. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/01/29/qc-charest-protests-india-asbestos.html 2010.01.29: Globe and Mail - Charest told to ban asbestos exports Scientists from 28 countries are calling on Jean Charest to ban the use and export of all forms of asbestos, placing the Quebec Premier in an embarrassing position on the eve of his trade mission to India, the province's biggest importer of asbestos. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/charest-told-to-ban-asbestos-exports/article1448541/ 2010-01-29: Le Soleil Stop exporting asbestos and supporting the industrie To the premier of Quebec, Jean Charest As scientific experts of twenty-eight countries, sworn to the protection of public health, we ask that you recognize the incontestable scientific proof that all forms of asbestos are dangerous, as well as the WHO judgment that there is no secure means of using asbestos. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/opinions/points-de-vue/201001/29/01-944212-arretez-dexporter-lamiante-et-de-soutenir-lindustrie.php 2010.01.28: CTV news - Scientists implore Charest to stop asbestos exports The 100 or so scientists say the province needs to stop mining asbestos -- also called chrysotile -- and stop sending it abroad. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100128/quebec_asbestos_100128/20100128?hub=Canada 2009.12.27: Meet Quebec's 'Mr. Asbestos' Bernard Coulombe has big plans for a mineral shunned here but valued in the developing world http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/742991--meet-quebec-s-mr-asbestos 2009.12.27: Canada's lethal export If Canadians think that exporting asbestos is a marginal, dying business, they ought to think again. Canada ships $100 million worth of chrysotile asbestos a year to developing nations such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam, where it is used to make cheap, fire-resistant roofing, cement, water lines and other products. We are one of the world's most aggressive exporters. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/742677--canada-s-lethal-export 2009.12.15: Canada's booming asbestos market The cancer-causing mineral is prized in India, even as it is reviled here. Jennifer Wells investigates the demand for a product we shun – but still mine http://www.thestar.com/news/world/india/article/741085--canada-s-booming-asbestos-market 2009.12.15: Climate-change skeptics gain from Ottawa funding The federal government has been funding an asbestos lobby group that promotes the work of prominent climate-change skeptics. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/15/asbestos-climate-change.html 2009.12.10: Canadian exports on rise again For the first time in four months, Canada notched a surplus in October, netting $428-million thanks to high commodities prices and an unexpected run on canola oil. The biggest increases have been in aircraft and asbestos. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canadian-exports-on-rise-again/article1396239/ 2009.12.02: Quebec government holding onto health report into link between asbestos and cancer For eight months, the Quebec government has been holding on to a report that explores the link between asbestos-related cancer and Canada's only community that still mines the substance. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gyb3_nLxBq5u9GktW-ZtVkzH9wJw 2009.12.02: Quebec health officials denounce asbestos Public health officials in Quebec have added their voices to those calling on the Canadian government to end its support for the mining and use of asbestos. The group has sent a letter to federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq criticizing the government for its support of the mineral that has been banned in many countries as a health hazard. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/12/02/quebec-officials-criticize-asbestos.html 2009.12.01: Quebec health officials speak out against asbestos Critics send letter to federal Health Minister demanding action but risk backlash in province that mines the deadly mineral http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-health-officials-speak-out-against-asbestos/article1385045/ 2009.12.01: Quebec health experts are “a little gang of Talibans”, accuses Quebec’s asbestos industry Medical experts working for the Quebec government’s National Public Health Institute (INSPQ) are “a little gang of Talibans”, charges Bernard Coulombe, president of the Jeffrey asbestos mine. http://www.rightoncanada.ca/?p=395 2009.10.08: Asbestos killing more Canadians than ever; like old 'landmines' An aggressive cancer linked to asbestos is killing more Canadians than ever before, even decades after the end of a boom that saw buildings stuffed with the toxic substance. The number of reported new cases annually of mesothelioma shot up 67 per cent over a decade and a half from 276 across the country to 461 according to the most recent federal figures. http://www.rdmag.com/News/FeedsAP/2009/11/life-sciences-asbestos-killing-more-canadians-than-ever-like-ol/ 2009.10.23: Two interesting articles in Quebec's Le Soleil newspaper on Oct. 24 The 1st article quotes figures from Quebec's CSST (Workers Compensation Commission) for the period Jan 1 - Aug 9, 2009, showing that of the 104 deaths from disease, road accidents or any cause, 61 were due to asbestos. For deaths from occupational disease, 84% were from asbestos (61 of the 73 deaths). It is significant that the article quotes a prominent Quebec union leader highlighting the threat that asbestos continues to pose to Quebec workers and angry at the failure of the Quebec government to take action to protect workers from asbestos harm. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/200910/23/01-914577-lamiante-premiere-cause-de-deces-au-travail.php http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/200910/23/01-914575-amiante-portrait-noirci-plaide-lindustrie.php 2009.10.03: Asbestos opponents at Harper’s door, Le Soleil, Nov. 3, 2009 A large coalition of environmentalists, health experts & trade unionists, principally from English Canada, are asking Stepen Harter to establish a national registry of all buildings and places contaminated with asbestos. The letter is signed by Larry Stoffman in the name of the ban asbestos committee and is endorsed by groups such as the Sierra Club, Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Auto Workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Quebec association of asbestos victims. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/environnement/200911/03/01-918045-les-opposants-a-lamiante-aux-portes-de-harper.php 2009.08.28: Whatever you call it, asbestos is deadly We do this knowing the World Health Organization has condemned the use of chrysotile asbestos, the most commonly used type of asbestos... http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=bf70624a-4270-428e-af6c-c46622a16ef5 2009.09.21: L'amiante menace la population, estiment les experts L'histoire des planchers d'école contenant de l'amiante confirme que cette substance cancérogène est une menace non seulement pour les travailleurs de l'industrie, mais pour l'ensemble de la population, estime Fernand Turcotte, professeur émérite de médecine à l'Université Laval. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/200909/21/01-903799-lamiante-menace-la-population-estiment-les-experts.php 2009.09.21: De l'amiante se libère des planchers des écoles Les planchers d'un bon nombre d'écoles du Québec contiennent de l'amiante. Or une étude menée par la CSST révèle que les techniques de nettoyage libèrent des fibres de cette «matière dangereuse» dans l'air de ces établissements, a appris La Presse. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/environnement/200909/21/01-903788-de-lamiante-se-libere-des-planchers-des-ecoles.php 2009.08.11: Le cancer provoqué par l'amiante fait de plus en plus de victimes au Canada Canadian Press: Le nombre de nouveaux cas de mésothéliome rapportés annuellement a grimpé de 67 pour cent depuis une quinzaine d'années, étant passés de 276 à 461 à travers le pays, selon les plus récentes statistiques fédérales. http://www.google.com:80/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hME46YVEQpItBMraYqvrhnl7vCTw 2009.08.11: Asbestos killing more Canadians than ever; like old 'landmines' Associated Press: An aggressive cancer linked to asbestos is killing more Canadians than ever before, even decades after the end of a boom that saw buildings stuffed with the toxic substance. Experts warn that the upward trend will continue for years as Canada feels the residual impact of its asbestos boom, and will likely be far worse in developing countries that still heavily use Canadian exports. 2009.06.11: Asbestos leading cause of work related deaths in Quebec Ottawa Citizen: 60% of Quebec work related deaths in the first eight months of this year are from asbestos http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Quebec+Asbestos+leading+cause+work+related+deaths/2190423/story.html 2009.10.26: Dangers Of Quebec Exporting Asbestos Ignored By Ottawa. |
