EDITORIAL — Champion needed for licensure — Anyone listening?

Toronto’s status as the mining finance capital of the world is in danger of being undermined unless Ontario’s geologists, geophysicists and geochemists are licensed by a professional organization with legal authority to set standards for registration, discipline their members and prevent unqualified persons from providing services.

Geoscientists in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland are already licensed by professional associations. Legislation in these jurisdictions provides an exclusive scope or practice, meaning that geoscientists must be licensed to practice their profession.

No such legislation is in place in Ontario, home to some of the country’s largest mining companies. Mining and mineral exploration remain a cornerstone of the province’s economy, yet, so far at least, no politician has been willing to champion licensure, even though such a move would go a long way toward serving the public interest, particularly after the shakeup of investor confidence brought about by the Bre-X salting scandal in Indonesia.

We recognize, of course, that politicians are a busy lot, drafting new policies and managing our tax dollars. But here is a case where political endorsement might speed up licensure in the province, to everyone’s benefit. Is anyone listening?

A licensure champion is badly needed at this time, particularly in light of the recommendations contained in the Mining Standards Task Force interim report, commissioned by the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ontario Securities Commission.

Among the key recommendations is the establishment of a Qualified Person (QP), who would be responsible for ensuring that industry “best practices” are followed not only at domestic projects, but at foreign ones as well. Had such a practice been in place during the heady times of Bre-X’s rise to fame, chief geologist John Felderhof would have had no chance of avoiding blame for the “worst practices” that prevailed at the company’s Busang project in Indonesia. A QP would have to sign off on all disclosures relating to exploration programs and mining operations and, in special circumstances, independence would be required.

Geoscientists in Ontario had attempted to gain licensure under an amended Engineers Act, but a group calling themselves “Engineers for Engineering” would have none of it. Subsequent overtures have been firmly rebuffed, which means that geoscientists must now pursue a path to licensure that is independent of the engineering community in Ontario.

In the absence of anyone willing to champion the issue on the public stage, Ontario geoscientists, supported by the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ontario Securities Commission, are attempting to find both interim and long-term solutions to the problem. Already, the geoscientists have forged an alliance with the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians to persuade the government to draft legislation that would lead to an umbrella professional sciences act. Other provincial associations representing the natural sciences may also join this initiative. The proposed act would form a larger and more viable organization, while still maintaining the independence and distinctiveness of the different professions under separate colleges.

If geoscientists decide this is the best and quickest route to licensure, the government should make every effort to help things along. What we need now are more Qualified Persons on the political front willing to champion a cause that clearly serves the public interest. The initiative won’t just benefit Bay Street; it would help protect anyone with a retirement savings plan.

A letter-writing campaign to Ontario Premier Mike Harris and his minister for northern development and mines, Chris Hodgson, might help get the ball rolling.