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Gold/Mining/Energy : Precious and Base Metal Investing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hank2010 who wrote (12889)	6/21/2003 12:23:04 AM
From: russwinter	Respond to of 39344

Excellent synopsis, thank you. Helena newspaper article quoting key lawmakers: helenair.com

To: hank2010 who wrote (12889)	6/21/2003 2:15:15 PM
From: E. Charters	Respond to of 39344

The NDP in Canada were once thought to be the only really strong anti-mine, anti-industry force in Canada. In Saskatchewan they nationalized the Potash mines and Uranium Mines, in Manitoba they overtaxed Hud Bay till it no longer made a profit on anything. On 14 million in net income they were asked to pay 16 million in tax. In BC the NDP just rattled everyone's cage and brought in enviro-mania and paid teams of professional spin doctors at community levels to say mining companies were lying to the public (Windy Craggy) about resources. Under their rule, 138 mines, large and small, went out of business. It was the Union vote that got them in. Union's for what? Unemployment does not need a union. But was the NDP the only enemy of mining? I was told by Kerr Addison people that the Liberals in federal government refused them permits for riparian and air effluent. The same policy for poorer standards did not apply to Suncor and Syncrude the tar sands giants, since 1958. Energy makes political points, and big tax money. People they did not like owned Kerr Add and the tax money was not overwhelming. Not a big lobby group. Similarly it was the Socreds who first refused Cominco the tax breaks they needed to pour big money into the Kootenays and develop the Big Ledge. 6,000 direct jobs went to Alaska and the Red Dog deposit. Alaska with a good sustainable development policy and not exactly a lets play in the garabage attitude, is now a prosperous state. It always did have a better average income than New York State. The provincial liberals in Ontario were scathingly regged up the ying yang and anti mining. The NDP were simply hard on corporate responsibility and like the liberals played scare tactics. 20,000 fines for cutting a single tree over limits were talked about. Unlimited liability of baord members in pollution cases. 1000 business left for the States in a single year taking perhaps 20,000 direct jobs. Along come Harris' conservatives and what do they do? They accelerate the diminishment of mine lands from the public, make it impossible for prospectors to get up to date info, and cut the budget of mining and geology government departments to save money. They take back all government grants from the industry and individuals. It was focused against mining. I am not saying large government always pays dividends, but the government was not in that industry's camp in way shape and form. From the Federal liberals and now MacKay's conservatives comes more noises about pollution and tailings regs, and DFO warnings, and new legislation, most of without scientific justification or basis. Only Quebec has a steadfastly friendly policy towards resource industry and mines. Will they pay for it, choking on sewage and dying from heavy metals poisons in a treeless desert, unable to drink the fetid stinking water? We think not. If it has not happened in the last 100 years, it is unlikely to happen in the next 100 with the ever-more efficient technologies of abatement available. There are no really good mining government left in Canada except Manitoba, which we don't think will last, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec. BC has liberals in it, go figure, with that lovable alcoholic premier who is really going for the candy vote by being positively benign about mining. The territories will let you do things, but permits are as sticky as flypaper, and you have to ransom your claims from seven different mafia leaders, who are disguised as bands, and 50 government departments. Still, they recognize that is their bread and butter. Can it be yours too? The jury is very much out as the diamond mines needed big money to bribe their way into existence. A medium size mine is out. Small might make it. Who knows? the Yukon was a good place to do business, but it now has a DFO problem looming which has been whitepapered as a trumpet of doom for about 3 years now, and the word is now that like Ontario in some areas, the placer miners now must tippy toe in whim of the Kings. You cannot just meet regs, it is up to the DFO's "feeling". In other words no. People think I criticize the fr. Kings unfairly but every time I see this sort of dictatorial government, it reminds me of the Plantagenets in England trying to rule it with forts here and there, and armed knights patrolling the Saxon pleasantry beyond the Pale. We see the same attitude out of Ottawa whenever the liberals, born of the Papineau rebellion, are in act. A fiat accompli is the way things are run. It's our way and our money or you can shove it and leave. But in the franco domain of Green Belle provincialism? well, everything is just hunky dory. Alphonse can have his mine and pollute it too. EC<:-}