The BC provincial election will take place on October 19. As political parties gear up to launch their official election campaigns, it’s important that voters can hear clear and comprehensive positions from candidates on issues we care about— including mining reform. This issue is critical not only for the management of our natural resources but also for the rights and well-being of BC’s communities, and the protection of our environment.
The transition to a clean energy economy is adding to increased demands for B.C.’s minerals and metals. Below are four important issues for mining reform with some suggested questions for candidates in your area.
1. Modernizing the Mineral Tenure Act (MTA)
The Mineral Tenure Act, a cornerstone of mining legislation in British Columbia, is undergoing a court-ordered process of modernization. This process presents a crucial opportunity to overhaul a system that dates back to the gold rush era and continues to grant mineral exploration rights with no consideration of Indigenous rights or other land use priorities. We must ensure that the MTA is reshaped to respect the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous peoples, and to better reflect contemporary environmental and social concerns. Political parties should explain how they plan to ensure that the new MTA respects environmental limits, recognises Indigenous rights, protects biodiversity and adapts to contemporary land-use values.
Potential candidate question:
With the Supreme Court now mandating reform to the claim staking process, how would your government move forward with modernizing the Mineral Tenure Act in the interests of all British Columbians and consistent with its legal duties to Indigenous Nations?
2. Enhancing Mining Safety and Oversight
The legacy of the Mount Polley disaster is a stark reminder of what’s at stake when it comes to environmental protections. Parties must commit to implementing robust regulatory frameworks that prevent similar environmental catastrophes. Their platforms should detail how they plan to improve oversight, enhance penalties for non-compliance, and ensure that mining activities do not compromise the health of B.C.’s ecosystems. Voters need to understand each party’s commitment toward more responsible mining.
Potential candidate questions:
One of the key challenges with mining is managing mine waste. British Columbia has a number of proposed and approved mines that could result in some of the highest and largest tailings facilities in the world. It’s been 10 years since the Mount Polley tailings disaster. What will your government commit to do to ensure mine tailings safety?
Would your government commit to reducing the risk of tailings failures by creating a strategy to ‘de-risk’ and reduce the number of tailings dams in the province?
3. Ensuring the Polluter Pays
In recent years, the province has made some improvements to its reclamation security policy, to reduce public liability for mine site rehabilitation. But the public can be left on the hook in some circumstances, and there is also a legacy of over 1,800 historical mine sites in the province that need to be cleaned up.
After the Mount Polley mine disaster, the company received no fines or penalties, and affected communities received no compensation. We’ve been advocating for the creation of an industry-pooled fund to cover the cost of cleaning mining pollution and disasters, including abandoned mines.
Potential candidate questions:
How would your government deal with the hundreds of historical mine sites littering the province?
Would your government support an industry-pooled fund to support communities impacted by mining disasters or pollution?
4. Broadening the conversation for Transition Minerals
A strong and sustainable energy transition must be built on a responsible mining foundation that is also innovative in securing supply of metals and minerals through recycling, reusing, re-mining tailings, and reducing overall demand through investments in public transit and circular economy initiatives.
Potential candidate question:
What would your government include in a “critical minerals” strategy that would help reduce overall demand for mineral extraction from new mines?
As British Columbia approaches a pivotal provincial election, we need to make sure candidates hear from you about the need for comprehensive mining reform when they come knocking on your door, or at all-candidates debates. We know that the mining industry will be advocating for reduced regulations, claiming that vital protections are just “red tape”.
We need to make our voices heard in support of modernizing the Mineral Tenure Act, enforcing stringent environmental safeguards, ensuring the polluter pays, and respecting Indigenous rights and title when it comes to mining in B.C. The more candidates and their volunteers hear concerns about mining issues, the more it will raise the profile on the need to take action on mining reform. Thanks for speaking up – let us know what you hear back in your riding by writing to info@reformbcmining.ca.