Blood Money at UVic? Film, Panel, and Discussion on Goldcorp

Still from the Business of Gold film trailer
Thursday, May 16, 2013 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Location: B150 Bob Wright Centre, UVic
Lekwungen and WSANEC Territories

In February, UVic’s School of Business accepted $500,000 from Goldcorp. Goldcorp is alleged to be a serious abuser of human and indigenous rights. Join us May 16 to build a campaign to change UVic’s donations and investment policies.

Film: "The Business of Gold" in Guatemala (50 minutes) documents the resistance of the Mayan-Mam people of San Miguel Ixtahuacan against Canadian mining company Goldcorp Inc.

Speakers: Lorenzo Magzul (Indigenous Guatemalan), Heather Tufts (Mining Justice Action Committee), Andrew Fortune (Divest UVic), Mark Willson (Automated UVic)

In February 2013, UVic’s School of Business announced that they had received a $500,000 donation from Vancouver-based resource firm Goldcorp Inc. to support the school's Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI). In the media release announcing the donation, Chuck Jeannes, President and CEO of Goldcorp, states that “Goldcorp is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where we are located….Our investment in the CSSI aligns with our commitment to operating sustainably, acting responsibly and to growing educational opportunities for young people.”

This donation raises serious questions that need to be addressed:

  • What is Goldcorp’s relationship with, and impact on, indigenous communities in Guatemala?
  • Should UVic accept donations from (and invest in) companies with poor records of responsible social, economic, political, labor, and environmental activities, particularly in their relationships with indigenous communities at home and abroad?
  • How are such decisions arrived at and approved by UVic, and what needs to be changed?
  • What does accepting such donations do to our existing research and educational relationships with the communities involved in such struggles here and abroad?

Map:  http://www.uvic.ca/home/about/campus-info/maps/maps/sci.php
Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/240600286082064/
Contact: automateduvic@gmail.com
More information:  http://automateduvic.wordpress.com

Sponsored by: Mining Justice Action Committee, AutomatedUVic, DivestUVic, Social Justice Studies, Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group

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