EDITORIAL PAGE (December 30, 1991)

We know we’re going to take a lot of ribbing, but there really was no other choice. Margaret Witte, our Mining Man of the Year for 1991, was the newsmaker who made things happen in 1991 — assembling a family of gold producers with a combined history of close to 150 years, pushing the amalgamation through, then working to make what some dismissed as tired old mines into profitable operations despite a falling gold price.

But Man of the Year? The title is a tradition of which we’re proud. Like “chairman” or “alderman,” titles do not have to change simply to protect some people’s sensibilities. Traditional titles like these are gender neutral and less offensive than the awkward constructions artificially created to give the appearance of fairness — chairwoman, alderperson or perhaps individual-of-the-year. Regardless of the title, Witte’s accomplishments in 1991 deserve recognition. During a year when many could do little more than shake their heads, moan about low prices, the high dollar or a hundred other excuses, she grabbed an opportunity and made the most of it.

It’s that kind of attitude that built this industry, and we’d like to see more of it.

British Columbia, beware. Without policies that encourage mining to continue in the province, the flight of capital and expertise to other jurisdictions will continue.

And it probably won’t be to another province. The events of 1991 have shown that Canadian mining companies are becoming increasingly convinced that their future lies beyond Canada’s boundaries. They are questioning if there is a future for the industry in Canada.

Cominco Ltd. President Bob Hallbauer laid it on the line earlier this month during an interview with the Vancouver Sun. Cominco will no longer continue to spend money on mineral exploration in British Columbia, he said, unless the company knows it will be able to build a mine.

That sounds pretty fundamental, but it seems to be a concept Canadian governments have difficulty grasping, except, perhaps, Quebec which does more than any other province to welcome mining investment. The British Columbia government has gone to court three times to fight that position — and each time it has lost. The provincial Supreme Court recently ruled that the government’s action to prevent Cream Silver Mines from developing a mine on its claims by changing the classification of the area to a “Class A” park amounted to expropriation. The court said the company was entitled to compensation as a result.

Earlier this year the province’s Court of Appeal upheld a similar decision against the Crown in the case of Casamiro Resource.

Now Geddes Resources is saying that it has a right to develop its Windy Craggy deposit, and if the government expropriates that right, it should be compelled to compensate the company. If the province believes it should prevent development at Windy Craggy for the benefit of river rafters on the Tatsenshini River, there will be a hefty price.

This adversarial approach between the industry and government is not benefiting the people of British Columbia, and other provinces should take notice. Mining can proceed in an environmentally responsible manner, but the rules have to be written with the views of both sides in mind. And if companies invest in exploration, there is an implicit right to mine that goes with it.

When Canadian policymakers talk about the need to be more competitive, they can’t just talk about productivity rates and quality control. The climate for investment, for which governments are largely responsible, must be competitive, too.