British Columbia will begin processing mineral-exploration permit applications within 40 to 140 days starting April 1, a move aimed at keeping investment flowing after exploration spending hit a record $751 million (US$550 million) last year.
The province is backing the change with $3 million in new funding, including $1 million to add permitting capacity and $2 million to boost the Mineral Claims Consultation Framework, which the industry has criticized as a bottleneck. Files that miss the new service standard will be escalated to the chief permitting officer for a decision within 14 days, the government said.
“These timelines, backed by new investment, respond to industry feedback,” Mining and Critical Minerals Minister Jagrup Brar told The Northern Miner last week during the AME Roundup in Vancouver. The province is to maintain environmental standards and consultation with First Nations while giving prospectors and investors more certainty, the minister said.
Brar pointed to recent approvals as evidence the province can move projects faster, including Skeena Gold and Silver’s (TSX, NYSE: SKE) $713-million Eskay Creek gold-silver restart under a consent-based Section 7 process with Tahltan Central Government, and permit amendments for Centerra Gold’s (TSX: CG; NYSE: CGAU) Gold’s Mt. Milligan expansion that could extend the mine to 2035 with up to $400 million in capital spending.
Watch below the full interview with The Miner’s Western Editor, Henry Lazenby:
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