An American community of Loretto Sisters and its allies lost a shareholder vote in South Porcupine, Ont., that would have forced Goldcorp Inc. to set aside almost $50 million to pay for post-mining clean-up at a major gold mine in Guatemala.

Management at the Canadian mining giant had opposed the Loretto Sisters’ motion at the company’s Annual General Meeting April 26. The motion asked Goldcorp to revise its mine closure plans in San Marcos, Guatemala, in light of an independent study which pegged mine closure costs at $49 million.