COAST SALISH TERRITORIES -  The 2015 Toxic Tour wound its way through downtown Vancouver this afternoon. The guided tour stopped outside major Canadian extractive industry headquarters with information on human rights and other abuses practiced by notorious Canadian resource companies like Chevron, Goldcorp and Barrick Gold.  Speakers came from Latin America, Africa , Northern BC, and the Philippines.

The tour was organized by the Mining Justice Alliance and other groups and coincided with the first full day of the State of Extraction Conference happening at SFU downtown.

From the Toxic Tour guide: ``Vancouver claims to be on the path to becoming the “greenest city in the world.” It is also home to the world's largest conglomeration of Mining companies.

Communities affected by Canadian extractive projects increasingly report conflict, environmental devastation, water toxicity and scarcity, violations of indigenous rights, and other human rights abuses including violent repression–even murder–of residents who speak out in opposition to extractive projects. But instead of regulating extractive practices, Canada's government actively assists extractive corporations with tax breaks, subsidies, lax stock market regulations, diplomatic support, and immunity from prosecution for abuses overseas.``

For more information see the State of Extraction Conference and  miningjusticealliance.wordpress.com