Featured image credit: Marty Clemens / The Narwhal. Gavin Smith is a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL). Gavin’s work with WCEL has included fighting against the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipelines and tankers proposal, the passage and implementation of BC’s new Environmental Assessment Act, and supporting Indigenous Nations to revitalize their own laws…. Read more »
You can listen to the episode audio here: https://pnc.st/s/beneath-the-surface/b15c9f15/the-bc-mining-law-reform-network-w-nikki-skuce-jamie-kneen. The episode transcript is below. SPEAKERS Umair Muhammad, Jamie Kneen, Nikki Skuce Umair Muhammad 00:06 Welcome to the first episode of Beneath the Surface, a podcast by the BC Mining Law Reform network. Founded in 2019 BCMLR is a network that promotes changes to mineral development… Read more »
Dear Premier David Eby, Minister Osborne and Minister Cullen, Our 17 organizations, coalitions and networks want to thank you and extend our support for the recent actions taken by the Government of British Columbia to implement interim measures halting mineral claim registrations and mining activities within the territories of the Gitxaała and Ehattesaht First Nations…. Read more »
A new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a US-based non-profit, sheds light on how the mining industry raises money for mineral exploration. The investigation looked into a common financial strategy known as the Prospect Generator Model (PGM), and in particular at how the model functions across northwestern British Columbia—where it found “a web-like… Read more »
A new study by the Mining Association of B.C. (MABC) revels in the potential economic benefits of mining so-called “critical minerals”. MABC claims that the development of over a dozen new “critical mineral” mines could generate an average annual revenue of $1 billion each (if built). Setting aside whether the MABC’s claims are accurate or… Read more »
As glaciers in British Columbia continue to retreat due to climate change, new salmon habitats are emerging. Yet, as a recent scientific study highlights, these same areas are increasingly becoming targets for mining claims. The study, the result of a collaboration between academic and First Nations researchers, is a stark reminder of the need for… Read more »
[Smithers, Osoyoos, Kimberley] – The BC Supreme Court released its decision Tuesday holding that the Province needs to change its free entry mineral claim system within the next 18 months to align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The ruling is a result of the Gitxaała and Ehattesaht Nations’… Read more »
The government of British Columbia and the mining industry often claim to have the strongest environmental and social regulatory regime—especially during May for “B.C. Mining Month.” However, our new report shows there are serious on-going pollution and other risks that keep B.C. from being that world-class mining jurisdiction.
New public opinion polling reveals that 72% of British Columbians believe that the provincial government should be required to seek consent from First Nations and private landowners before issuing mining claims. This is not currently the case.
Today, the court will hear from us and the other intervenors, including B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, a number of Indigenous nations and political organizations, and mineral exploration companies that support Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).
