The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation has released an interim policy on mine reclamation bonding, detailing the financial security mines are required to pay up front to cover the costs of reclamation – a significant step in the right direction in the right direction toward encouraging mining companies to minimize the environmental damage they cause.
The BC Mining Law Reform network welcomes the Declaration Act Action Plan, released by the B.C. government this week. Notably, the plan lays out numerous actions on the self-determination and rights of Indigenous Peoples … and the specific action to “modernize the Mineral Tenure Act in consultation and cooperation with First Nations and First Nations organizations.”
Imperial Metals has applied for an extension to its permit to continue discharging wastewater from the Mount Polley mine into Quesnel Lake. Take action with the Concerned Citizens of Quesnel Lake to oppose the application.
New expert analysis reveals that British Columbia is lagging behind other jurisdictions in Canada and globally when it comes to mine waste safety. The report looks at the B.C. government’s first ever Audit of Code Requirements for Tailings Storage Facilities, released last year, and makes recommendations on how to improve existing laws and regulations on mine waste safety to protect communities and the environment.
First Nations in BC are proactively working towards re-establishing sovereignty over their territories in British Columbia, by introducing and exercising their own law-making authority to regulate and monitor mining on their own lands.
A new report from the Pembina Institute and BCMLR partner, Northern Confluence Initiative, demonstrates that B.C.’s role as an early adopter of electric vehicles (EVs) creates a significant economic and environmental opportunity: to secure a regional leadership role in recycling metals and minerals from EV batteries at end-of-life.
In a new backgrounder report, MiningWatch Canada and the BC Mining Law Reform network conclude that British Columbia fails to meet the Indigenous consent standard for mining, even two years after the passing of the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
Local, regional and national groups support Gitxaala Nation’s legal action against the B.C. government. Earlier today, the Gitxaała First Nation filed a first-of-its kind legal challenge in the British Columbia Supreme Court against the province’s “free entry” mineral claim staking regime.
On September 13th, the Mining Association of Canada presented its ‘Towards Sustainable Mining’ (TSM) standard at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. MiningWatch Canada and the BC Mining Law Reform (BCMLR) network released this backgrounder on these voluntary standards, which the B.C. government often refer to even as it ignores pressure from the public and First Nations to improve its legal and regulatory controls on mining…
MiningWatch Canada is relieved that the BC Environmental Appeal Board (EAB) has dismissed Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley Mine appeal of its $9,000 fine for violating environmental permit requirements. The mining watchdog urges the BC government to beef up its environmental sanctions and stop ongoing water pollution in Quesnel Lake.
