WORKING IN A COAL MINEZoe Nielsen and Katja Kiefer

Coal was used for many things, for example it was used to power lamps and other light and heat sources. Trains were also powered by coal.

3) It was mostly children that worked in the coal mines because they were small enough to fit in the small tunnels. Children were employed as young as three or four and the younger children worked in small groups to pull or tug at the carts of coal. There would often be a child that was pushing the cart at the back with the crown of their head. Women were often made to carry baskets of coal on their backs as they walked the stairs up to the surface.

Workers of all ages and genders were at risk of developing chronic heart, lung and kidney diseases. People living in the mining towns were also at risk of developing these things. Coal dust can irritate tissues in the lungs.

When a worker was inured or killed they would immediately be replaced, and the owner of the company didn’t have to pay anything to the deceased family.

1) The Teck company does it’s main work in B.C. Canada, they mine a lot of different recourses but have units focused on copper, steel making, coal, zinc and energy. Copper is worth about $3.00 per pound

2) There are multiple people that manage the different sections of Teck- There is no site that says who they will hire, and at what age, but not children.

• 3) Yes, the workers do belong to a union, this gives them the benefit of health care, a save working environment. A union is an alliance of the workers of a company, that contribute to giving all employees right in the workplace. There are fees for belonging to a union, these fees are tax deductible.

• 4) A scab is a person who works despite any strike actions. If regular workers are picketing a scab is called in to fill their position, because without workers the mining company would lose profit.

• 5)Miners face the danger of roofs collapsing as well as flooding. Scientists have recently come up with a device that tells a miner if there are poisonous levels of coal dust or monoxide in the air. A lung disease called “black lung” is sometimes found in miners.

RAVEN PROJECT

The raven underground project is a mine that is proposed to be dug in the Comox Valley. The Compliance Coal Corporation wants to use the natural underground resources of Vancouver island for their personal gain.

• 1) The raven mine would make a lot of new job opportunities for locals. The project is proposed to take somewhere near to 20 years which would supply the opportunity for stable, long term careers. About 350 new jobs will be created directly with the mine and indirectly in the surrounding areas.

• 2) The fishing industry would be affected the most by the opening of the mine, more specifically the shellfish. The Raven project says that they are conducting experiments to determine what needs to be done to preserve the environment and marine life. The Ramen project also says that they are committed to recycling and conserving water.

• 3) Iron is essential to making steel. If I was the owner of the Raven project I might develop a refinery close to the mines, to eliminate or minimize the costs of shipping the raw materials. This would be a problem for the inhabitants of Vancouver Island because of pollution.

• 4) The opening of the Raven mine would affect the Cougar Smith Creek, Cowie Creek, Tsable River, Hindoo Creek and Wilfred Creek, most of which are salmon or shellfish bearing river or creeks

5) We think that the raven mine should not be built. All mines are harmful to the environment regardless of the safety precautions that a lot of mines have. There is always the matter of coal dust poisoning the air in the surrounding towns and immediate area. There could be poisoning of the water and soil in the surrounding areas. Wildlife will be affected and could have birth defects.