Ontario extends consultation period for mining law review
miningweekly.com
By: Liezel Hill
Published on 14th November 2008
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Ontario's Ministry of Northern Development and Mines will allow more time for consultation with communities, landowners and the mining industry on proposed changes to the province's Mining Act.
The cut-off date has now been extended to January 15, 2009, from November 12, which means that the new legislation will only be introduced into the legislature early in the spring session, rather than the fall session, as previously planned.
However, the Ministry said in a statement that it still plans to have the new rules in place before the end of 2009.
Ontario's Mining Act, in its current form, has been in place for more than 100 years, and has been criticised for not prescribing processes for how mining and exploration companies consult with local aboriginal communities.
“First Nations leaders expressed concern about their ability to respond to our request for
consultation,” said Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle.
“We believe it is important to allow this extra time so we can achieve effective and appropriate legislation.”
Ontario, Canada's biggest minerals producer, announced a series of public consultations in August only six days before the first session, and stakeholders complained that they have not had enough time or notice to prepare their submissions.
The province faces the challenge of balancing the interests of diverse stakeholder groups, including the $10,7-billion a year mining industry, aboriginal communities, who either live nearby to or have ownership claims on exploration land, and private landowners in the province, a percentage of whom do not own the mineral rights on their land, and so can come in for a nasty surprise when it catches the eye of potential minebuilders. |
