Mining News: Northern Neighbors: AME BC seeks fix for dwindling access

The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia Jan. 20 called on the provincial government to take action in the wake of a new report highlighting the shrinking land base available for the exploration of hidden and valuable minerals in British Columbia as well as the increasingly complex government policies that exploration companies are forced to navigate. Without ongoing exploration there can be no new discoveries, and without new discoveries, the future of the industry will be limited. As a result, thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic impact could be put at risk. AME BC says the report, “Framing the Future of Mineral Exploration in British Columbia,” prepared by environmental consultant firm, Hemmera, paints a troubling picture about a lack of clarity in land access and use rules as well as the overlapping nature of government regulations. It finds land access for mineral exploration has decreased in B.C., reaching a critical threshold threatening the survival of the industry and by extension, the jobs, families and communities that rely on it. “Despite a perception that only a small percentage of land is designated as off limits to mineral exploration, the reality is that more than half the province is severely constrained to the industry due to layers of restrictive and sometimes redundant regulations,” said AME BC President and CEO Gavin Dirom. “We believe that it is possible to have both a strong and active mineral exploration and development industry and a sustainable, healthy environment.” If not addressed, the mining organization worries that this situation could be devastating for the more than 30,000 British Columbians employed by mineral exploration and development and the many communities around the province that rely on it. This includes Metro Vancouver, which has become a global center for the industry and headquarters to roughly 800 exploration and mining companies as well as many others providing a range of technical, legal, accounting and supply services. “Mineral explorers and developers have a proud history of finding critical metals, like copper, and building British Columbia over the past 150 years,” said Dirom. “The innovative and always evolving exploration industry forms an important R&D (research and development) function, designing and using technologies and developing expertise that results in not only finding new mineral deposits, but also expanding the world’s geological knowledge base for everyone’s benefit.” Since 2010, roughly C$2.2 billion has been spent on mineral exploration in British Columbia. AME BC says a cooling of this industry would leave a large hole in the provincial economy. The mining association is calling on the provincial government to address the situation, including streamlining and clarifying land use regulations and plans as well as developing a modern decision-making process. These changes need to recognize the hidden nature and value of mineral resources compared with surface level natural resource activities and ensure these different values are taken fully into account in land use decisions. “In order to thrive in B.C., the mineral exploration and development industry requires access to land to discover hidden and valuable mineral resources and certainty to develop those resources should a deposit be found,” said Greg Dawson, vice president of exploration, Colorado Resources. “These two principles of access and certainty should be integrated into all government land planning processes.”

- Shane Lasley