PDAC Mining Conference Teach In

BACKGROUND:

“The Planet is not dying, it is being killed…” – Utah Phillips

Every winter, the world of prospecting and mining gathers in Toronto, as our fair city plays host to the worlds largest mining conference, PDAC (Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada). The conference attracts executives and engineers from mining companies the world over. With names like Teck Resources and Rio Tinto, the attendees list effectively doubles as a Rolodex of the worst climate criminals.

The mining companies and their big wigs are not the only ones in attendance, though. The conference also attracts representatives from firms as varied as the banks who fund (and profit) from violence against land defenders, tailings dam disasters, and the destruction of indigenous territories to the slick PR folks who find a way to green-wash it all away. In years past the event has also seen VIPs like Kathleen Wynne and Justin Trudeau make appearances.

Some Rolodex indeed…

It should come as no surprise that the conference has been a magnet for resistance fighters. Since 2008, MISN (the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network) has collaborated with environmental & social justice groups to ensure that the voice of wanton development is not the only one heard at the conference. By staging actions like their annual tradition of delivering statements written by those living in front-line communities who suffer from the many negative impacts of mining to the very companies responsible, MISN has been dogged in trying to hold conference attendees accountable for their actions.

On 10 February, MISN will be partnering with Extinction Rebellion Toronto for an evening that will allow us all to ensure this year’s PDAC is no different. Veteran organisers with MISN will give a 30 minute teach in covering what PDAC is and how it’s structured, why it’s an important place to disrupt, and what past interventions have looked like. This will be followed by a ZAP proposal session where we will brainstorm and kickstart the myriad actions that will make this PDAC one to remember!

WHAT IS A ZAP?

A ZAP is an action that can be planned by 1-3 people over the course of no more than two weeks. They are meant to be light-weight and should not require a great amount of funds or people in order to pull it off. The focus should be on maximising the effectiveness of the action relative to the amount of resources put in. The term was coined in the 70’s by gay liberation activists like the Gay Activist Alliance. In the 1980s, the tactic was used to great effect by ACT UP in fighting to change mainstream indifference to the AIDS Epidemic.

Some examples of Zaps include “kiss-ins” which were organised by Queer Nation to highlight how different gay and lesbian couples could not express affection the same way as straight couples or one activist handcuffing himself to a camera when a talk show axed a planned segment on LGBTQ issues.

FOR MORE IN DEPTH RECAPS OF PREVIOUS YEAR’S PDAC ACTIONS SEE LINKS HERE:
– https://nowtoronto.com/news/canadian-mining-convention-ignores-harsh-reality-of-deadly-industry/
– https://mininginjustice.org/untold-in-the-underground-an-unconventional-treasure-hunt-pdac/
– https://mininginjustice.org/disruptpdac-using-social-media-to-mess-with-the-cdn-mining-industrys-pr/
– https://mininginjustice.org/disrupting-pdac-2017/
– https://mininginjustice.org/update-pdac-spoofed-its-funny-because-its-absurd-its-tragic-because-its-true/
– https://mininginjustice.org/pdac2017/