Mining Association of Canada (MAC) members endorse the following recognition statements and commitments taken from the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) Position Statement on Water Stewardship. In doing so, MAC members recognize that:
- Water is a precious shared resource with high social, cultural, environmental and economic value. Access to water has been recognised as a right; integral to wellbeing and livelihoods and the spiritual and cultural practices of many communities. It is also essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide.
- Water is a vital input for all mining and metals operations – required for the health and wellbeing of employees and at every stage of an operation’s life cycle including closure. The dependency and impact on a shared resource creates material risk for the mining and metals sector that requires effective management.
- Water challenges are increasing around the world. Earth’s freshwater resources are finite and under pressure from industrialisation, urbanisation, climate change and the needs of a growing global population.
