Enforcement of mine reclamation regulations weakest in Sask., Que.

Mine operators and project lenders in Saskatchewan and Quebec are less liable for the cost of mine reclamation work than their counterparts in other provinces, says Normand Champigny, a senior consultant for the Coopers & Lybrand Consulting Group of Toronto. In a recent study, Champigny compares differing provincial regulations in Canada and other major mining countries in the West. He presented the results at the 15th Annual Mine Reclamation Symposium, held in Kamloops, B.C., June 24-28. Saskatchewan and Quebec do not require financial guarantees for mine reclamation work before mining begins. (There are proposed changes to the current regulations in Quebec, however.) Such assurances, typically provided in the form of government bonds, are required in all other jurisdictions in Canada. Saskatchewan and Quebec mine operators must submit a reclamation plan to the government to obtain a mining lease but are not required to provide financial assurances that the work will be done. Champigny’s study also notes that Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland do not have any provisions for non-compliance with reclamation regulations. Of 18 companies surveyed by Champigny, a total of $127.5 million was provided for reclamation work in 1990 compared with just $1 million in 1986. “These provisions will continue to increase during the ’90s,” Champigny says.