Cambior Inc. was a Canadian based international

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

producer with operations, development projects and exploration activities in the Americas. Cambior's shares traded on the Toronto (TSX) and American (AMEX) stock exchanges under the symbol "CBJ". Cambior's warrants "CBJ.WT.C" traded on the TSX. In November 2006 IAMGOLD acquired 100% of Cambior shares.

Formation

The company results from the privatization of the major discoveries in Quebec by Soquem, the Crown Company in 1986: Mine Doyon, Ressources Aiguebelle, Sullivan, and 50% of the Niobec mine near Chicoutimi.

Omai mine acid spill

In August 1995 there was an acid spill from the Omai mine

tailings dam A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potent ...

in the river by the Canadian mining company Cambior in the Essequibo region of Guyana. An estimated 4 000 000 m³ of waste laced with cyanide, other heavy metals and other pollutants were released into the river causing much destruction. Thousands of dead fish were found floating on the river used by Amerindians, the Native Indians of Guyana. An estimated 23,000 people who live in the region surrounding the river, depend on the river for drinking water, bathing and fishing. A public interest group filed a class-action lawsuit against Cambior in 1997 in Québec Superior Court seeking damages on behalf of the Guyanese victims of the spill. The Omai Mine is wholly owned by Omai Gold Mines Limited (OGML). At the time of the spill, Cambior owned 65% of this company and the balance was owned by Golden Star Resources and the Government of Guyana. In 2002, Cambior acquired Golden Star's interest in OGML, thereby obtaining a 95% ownership interest in the company. The Québec Superior Court dismissed the case in August 1998, on the grounds that the courts in Guyana were in a better position to hear the case. A lawsuit against Cambior was filed in Guyana, but it was dismissed by the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana in 2002. A new suit was filed against Cambior in 2003 in Guyana again seeking US$2billion in damages for the effects of the 1995 spill. In October 2006, the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana ordered the dismissal of the 2003 action and ordered the plaintiffs to pay the defendants' legal costs.

Operations

The company's operations included sites in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, and

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

among other countries in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

Acquisition

Cambior was acquired by Iamgold in November 2006.

References

https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/economie/200901/06/01-677322-cambior-disparait-aujourdhui.php https://www.northernminer.com/company/025045578/ https://www.lexpert.ca/big-deals/iamgold-acquires-cambior/346114

External links

Official site
* https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1203464/000119907306000655/ex99_1.htm {{Mining-company-stub Companies formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Defunct mining companies of Canada