The Canadian mining company Argonaut Gold reached an agreement with 400 families in Durango, with whom it had a conflict for six years over a debt they claimed for alleged damages caused by its operations, so now the company will be able to operate its mines in this Mexican state again.
“We managed to resolve this conflict that will allow us to continue with the operations of the mines located in this agricultural nucleus: Mina El Castillo, which is in the restoration phase, and Mina San Agustín, which for now has at least three years of useful life, but which It can be extended for longer as we continue with the exploration process in the complex,” explained Alfredo Phillips, director of Argonaut Gold México.
The conflict dates back to 2017, when the mining company signed an agreement with the Ejidatarios and small landowners of San Juan del Río for reparation payment that covered assets other than land and the damages caused by the extraction; Although the resources were liquidated during 2018 and 2019, after that year the company stopped covering the payment to small landowners.
“This situation was the result of a controversy surrounding the claim for payment of assets other than land, established in article 55 of the Mining Law Regulations, where cases of temporary or forced occupations are addressed; However, we, together with the Ministry of Economy, had agreed to an agreement that was no longer respected,” commented the manager.
He explained that the previous agreement allowed a judge to resolve the communities’ complaint as inadmissible; However, he said, what allowed the conflict to be resolved was the change in the communities’ vision of mining.
“The solution is given in a format that we call ‘reset’ in which we seek to transform the culture of the Ejidal communities so that it stops being the culture promoted by companies and the government, of reaching out and asking and if not “I’m blocking you,” Phillips said.
Source: El Financiero
