Editorial Rumors no substitute for reality

Sometimes, a good rumor packs a bigger and faster punch than facts do. Just ask anyone who plays the market. They know the rumor mill can be more real than the facts of a situation.

Rumor also plays an important role, it seems, in shaping the public’s perception of the mining industry. And, as everyone knows, while it takes just one person (or company) to start a rumor, it’s almost impossible to stop one until it has run its course.

That’s why it’s not hard to understand why the public is more fearful of the unknown environmental hazards than the known impacts. A surprising 93% of those questioned in a recent national poll said they believed that unknown environmental hazards are damaging our collective health, according to Elise Lavigne- Bruchet, a partner in Dimensions Planning, an environmental management consulting firm based in Calgary.

With such a large number of voters sporting such an attitude, rooted no doubt in scientific ignorance, it comes as no surprise to find the federal government giving environmental issues more visibility.

But heeded less by the public is the real news about what is being done. Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR), for example, recently published a detailed plan of action stating what it plans to do in the next year concerning the environment. It talks about how the country can no longer afford to make decisions solely based on economic information but must strive for environmentally sustainable economic development. It also describes what EMR is doing to reduce acid gas emissions from our smelters, prolonging the life of mining projects, helping companies recycle valuable resources and solving the problem of acidic mine tailings.

This is not new for the federal mines ministry. In fact, more than 16 years ago EMR instituted a special group within the ministry to be responsible for advising senior management of the ministry on the environmental consequences of the department’s actions. That was the first time a federal economic department had incorporated an environmental conscience into its structure.

The work at EMR is commendable and the industry itself recognizes that much remains to be done to correct the sins of the past. Fact is, most of the major mining companies in Canada have done a good job for several years now sensitizing all levels of management to the importance of incorporating environmental objectives into their day-to-day activities. Many in the industry believe the best way to avoid government legislation is to act as if you already have it. Take, for example, the common practice of constructing polishing ponds to remove even more suspended solids from mill effluents after they go through conventional tailings ponds. But there are always companies which do not follow this ethic and that is when mistrust sets in and rumors start to fly.

What needs to be done, perhaps through the Mining Association of Canada, is to develop a code of practice for all mining companies, majors and juniors, engaged in all stages of mine finding and development. That way the misdeeds of a few would be less likely to tarnish the reputation of the industry as a whole.

The industry is doing a good job of preventing pollution at its source. If it could only prevent damaging rumors about industry practices before they start, the public’s perception might better reflect reality.