Ontario government tables proposed Mining Act update

The bill to amend Ontario’s 83-year-old Mining Act follows the release last December of a Green Paper on mines and minerals policy by Sean Conway, the former minister of mines.

As part of an ongoing plan to update the Mining Act, Ontario’s Ministry of Northern Development and Mines drafted the Mining Act Amendments Bill after months of consultation with the industry and public. The new legislation incorporates recommendations made in the Green Paper.

In all, the Ministry received more than 80 written submissions from the mining and mineral exploration industries, environmental groups, development councils, municipalities and other organizations. Many of those submissions have been incorporated in the new Bill, copies of which will be made available soon.

While introducing the new Bill, O’Neil said, “In today’s increasingly complex world, it is clear that the mineral exploration and mining industries have changed significantly.” He affirmed that the province needs a new Mining Act to take it into the next decade and beyond.

The amended Act will contain added measures to help avoid claim disputes, ensure environmentally sound mining operations and retain the current provisions for domestic processing of the province’s mineral resources.

A key aspect of the new legislation is that environmental concerns have been firmly addressed. For instance, part nine of the Act has been expanded to cover the environmental effects of advanced exploration, development and mine closure.

“Notice to the public will be required of advanced exploration and mine development,” O’Neil said.”Closure plans and related financial assurance will be required to ensure adequate rehabilitation takes place.”

Other amendments to the Act include extending the validity of prospectors’ licences to five years from one year, and measuring assessment work requirements on a dollar-per-hectare basis, rather than the old “man-days” system.

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