Noranda workers mount protest outside Jamaica Environment Trust

Workers of Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners this afternoon protested outside the offices of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) in St Andrew over what they say is misinformation in the public domain about mining in the Cockpit Country Protected Area.

The large, peaceful group held placards and handed out flyers.

Noranda demonstrating outside @jamentrust earlier today pic.twitter.com/qwNzQ9Y9sW

— Diana McCaulay (@dmccaulay) September 16, 2019

They insisted that the company is not mining in the protected area.

Noranda and community and environmental stakeholders have been at odds over mining near the boundary.

The company has maintained that its planned activities are outside the protected boundary and that only 15 per cent of the area is earmarked for mining.

READ: Noranda open to dialogue with local communities

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READ: Phillips says no to mining in Cockpit Country

Speaking with The Gleaner, JET CEO Suzanne Stanley said that she and her team engaged with the protesters to learn about their concerns and that she subsequently met with a Noranda representative to have a brief conversation on the issues.

Arguing that JET and Noranda have had a working relationship, Stanley said that she was left surprised by today's protest.

"This was certainly a first," she said.

"We're kind of confused as to why JET, why now. We've engaged Noranda over the years on bauxite mining issues as it relates to Cockpit Country, so I'm a little confused as to why the engagement strategy that they've used is a protest," Stanley continued.

According to the JET CEO, she did not get a clear picture of why the environmental lobby group was the target of the demonstration. She said that the protesters indicated that they were against some of the messages that have been spread about Noranda's activities.

"Why not ask for a meeting in order to outline their concerns? If there is something that JET, specifically, has done that they are upset about or concerned about, we would like to know face to face. They have every right to protest. We didn't feel threatened or anything, but it still remains kind of unclear what they were protesting JET specifically for," she said.

- Jerome Reynolds

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