Ontario to block mining from boreal forest

Mining, forestry and all other kinds of development will be banned from nearly half of Ontario’s northern boreal region, the Ontario Liberal government announced today.

The move will be a strike against the economy, says Jon Baird, president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada.

“It’s an odd announcement at this time when the economy of the province is weakening and when the best performing sector in the province, arguably, is mineral exploration,” Baird says. “We are leading the country in mineral exploration with expenditures of $500 million a year that’s 5% of world expenditures.”

Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty, announced a plan to protect at least 225,000 sq. km of land in Ontario’s far north.

About half of Ontario is covered by boreal forest land, which includes lakes, totaling about 500,000 sq. km, half of which is crown land. In Canada there are 2.9 million sq. km of boreal forest.

It’s hoped the initiative will help combat climate change the region absorbs about 12.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere each year.

Scientists, First Nation and Metis communities will work together to map and permanently protect a network of conservation lands across the far north.

Baird wants to know how the selection of land will be made.

“Mining people are as concerned about the environment as most people, so that’s not a factor here,” he says. “Mining needs large areas simply because we don’t know where we’ll find a deposit.”

The McGuinty government plans to work with northern communities and resource industries to create a broad plan for sustainable development.

Any new mining developments would require early consultation and accommodation with local Aboriginal communities.

McGuinty says this move will allow the province to better control any future development in Northern Ontario.

“Although the northern boreal region has remained virtually undisturbed since the retreat of the Glaciers, change is inevitably coming to these lands,” McGuinty said in a statement. “We need to prepare for development and plan for it. It’s our responsibility as global citizens to get this right, and to act now.”

About 24,000 people live in remote communities in the region, which is well beyond Ontario’s network of highways and rail lines.

The area is also home to more than 200 sensitive species of animals including polar bears, wolves and caribou, many of which are threatened or endangered.