The lineup was long and winding. People chatted enthusiastically, children waited eagerly and impatiently, and the elderly were dressed in their best. From the excitement in the air, you might think a celebrity was scheduled to appear. That’s not the case, but this was indeed a big deal in Guerrero State in southern Mexico. The popular cultural event that entertained the masses was 2011’s Los Filos Fair hosted by Goldcorp. The 3rd Annual Community Safety Fair kicked off with a crowd of close to 3,000 people attending over the two days. Goldcorp’s CEO, other executives and family members attended along with dignitaries from the local communities and state.

As attendees entered the site, they were greeted by company managers and employees who handed out eco-friendly grab bags, each containing a raffle ticket. The visitors then joined tours to see what’s new at the underground mine and went on to explore more than 50 booths featuring displays, exhibits and competition entries submitted by local schoolchildren and science students.

From there the crowd headed to the heavy equipment exhibition for an up-close look at the big rigs and for a photo in the driver’s seat, followed by a stroll through the grounds of the newly created botanical garden, freshly planted with dozens of native species of flowers, shrubs and trees. Then it was time to take in the fun of safety games, entertainment, demonstrations and workshops.

Over the course of the three-day Fair, close to 3,000 visitors from the surrounding communities of Mezcala, Carrizalillo and Mazapa, as well as the neighbouring regions of Chilpancingo, Acapulco, Iguala and Monterrey – including government officials, local organizations, suppliers, partners, and of course citizens from all walks of life – took part in the festivities. The event attracted more people than last year.

For Los Filos General Manager Tomas Iturriaga, the Fair was a big win for reasons far beyond prizes. “We put a lot of thought into how we would bolster our messages to communities. The roulette wheel is a great way to attract people and focus attention on safety, and today we have new, innovative ways to make lasting connections and impressions. The health checks, the recycling contests, the botanical gardens – all of these demonstrate Goldcorp’s commitment to the welfare of people and our planet.”

Marlin has two freshwater production wells in operation which supply water to the process plant, underground mine, dust suppression water trucks and camp/administration areas via a raw water storage pond. Since 2006 Marlin has continued to increase the percentage of recycled water from the tailings storage facility (TSF) to the supply system and decrease the percentage of fresh water extracted from the environment.

The 2011 water recycle rate was higher than other years, up to 97%. The modifications that can be made to improve water recycling from the TSF have been made and further improvement based on the current plant design is not expected to be significant. However, filtration of the tailings beginning in 2012 may provide for additional water management efficiency.

One of our objectives at Goldcorp is to build and maintain a strong corporate culture of respect for human rights. We recognize, though, that strong policies are not enough. Fostering a human rights culture takes time, patience, commitment from senior leadership, training, and a shared vision.

To advance this important culture at Goldcorp and to bring life to the human rights policy, we chose to develop a new human rights training program for everyone that Goldcorp is responsible for: every employee, contractor and sub-contractor in every Goldcorp location.

Through human rights training, Goldcorp supports its employees and contractors to understand their own human rights and the human rights of others. It teaches individuals how to recognize potential human rights issues and how to report them.

To develop a human rights training program that would be respected, credible and substantive, we chose to partner with the Fund for Peace (www.fundforpeace.org). Fund for Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit research and educational organization that works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security. They worked with us on a program that addresses our unique needs as a resource company with security concerns and operations in various regions of the world, many of which affect Indigenous peoples and rural communities.

The result is a program that provides a broad introduction to human rights with a special focus on Indigenous rights and security issues. The program will be implemented company-wide during 2012