HOT TOPIC: Environmental disaster

As British Petroleum attempts to stop the flow of crude oil from its doomed Deepwater Horizon well, the environmental problems of Canada's oil sands producers are making fewer headlines, but they are not going away. We are asking CMJ readers which of the two problems they consider to be the greatest disaster, oil sands tailings in Alberta or crude oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico?

Please go to the CMJ home page, www.CanadianMiningJournal.com, and find the Hot Topic Opinions half-way down on the left hand side of the page to vote.

Two weeks ago we asked our readers what is pushing the price of gold to new highs. The greatest factor pushing the increase is European monetary weakness, according to 48% of respondents. The threat of rising interest rates (28%) and volatility in the stock markets (24%) were also important factors.