Policy Monitor Canada » Mining

Discussion Paper on the Management of Uranium Mine Waste Rock and Mill Tailings

Admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:16:28 +0000

Information Bulletins
March 25, 2010

Subject: Invitation to comment on Discussion Paper DIS-10-01 Management of Uranium Mine Waste Rock and Mill Tailings

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has released for public consultation a Discussion Paper on the Management of Uranium Mine Waste Rock and Mill Tailings. This Discussion Paper is the first to be released for consultation under the CNSC’s updated regulatory framework. Discussion Papers will be used to solicit comments from the public, our licensees and interested organizations early in the regulatory process. Read more about Discussion Papers.

The contents of this Discussion Paper on the Management of Uranium Mine Waste Rock and Mill Tailings may provide future regulatory direction to the applicants of mining and milling projects on waste management to ensure the protection of the environment and health and safety of Canadians.

For additional information on the proposed CNSC position regarding uranium mine waste rock and mill tailings, consult the Support Document for Management of Uranium Mine Waste Rock and Mill Tailings.

If you would like to submit comments, please do so by the date noted below. You will not receive a formal reply to your comments; however they will be reflected in a report to be issued at a later date. Please contact the CNSC if you have any questions or comments about the Discussion Paper consultation process.

View the Discussion Paper DIS-10-01 [HTML] [PDF]
View the Support Document [PDF]

Comment period

Starts on: March 25, 2010
Ends on: May 25, 2010

How to participate

Please submit your comments:

Online, using the electronic comment form
Via Email: consultation@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca
By Mail:
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
P.O. Box 1046, Station B
280 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 5S9
Fax: 613-992-2915
Please note that any comments submitted, including names and affiliations, will be made public.

Key links

Canadian regulations

General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations
Uranium Mines and Mills Regulations
Please note: Links to Web sites not under the control of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) are provided solely for the convenience of users. CNSC is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content of those sites. CNSC offers no guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links. Users should be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites, to which the Official Languages Act and certain other requirements may not apply, may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

Quebec Legislative Committee Hearings on Mining Act

Admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:43:27 +0000

General consultation on Bill 79 – An Act to amend the Mining Act

The Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, Energy and Natural Resources will be holding public hearings beginning May 12, 2010, as part of its general consultation on Bill 79, An Act to amend the Mining Act. Consult the webpage for the order giving rise to this consultation if you want to follow the public hearings.

Individuals and organizations wishing to express their views on this subject must submit a brief to the Committees Secretariat no later than April 26, 2010. Briefs must be on letter-size paper and include a summary of their contents. They may be sent by email (Word or unlocked PDF) or regular mail, or hand delivered at the reception desk of the Committees Secretariat.

Individuals wishing to voice their views during public hearings without submitting a brief must file a request to that effect with the committee clerk no later than April 26, 2010. The request must include a short statement summarizing the nature of the presentation to be made.

On the basis of these briefs and requests, the Committee decides which individuals and organizations it will hear.

Unless the Committee decides otherwise, briefs will be made public and posted on the Committee’s web page, along with any personal information they contain.

Deadlines for submitting briefs and requests are subject to change, as is the opening-date for public hearings. If changes are made, the information will be made public via the National Assembly’s website without further notice being published in the newspapers.

To find out how to take part in this consultation, click on Participating in a public consultation.

BC MINING TAX CREDIT

Admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:25:17 +0000

PROPOSED TAX CREDIT EXTENSION BENEFITS MINING INDUSTRY

VANCOUVER – The Province intends to introduce legislation to provide greater certainty to British Columbia’s mining industry by extending the BC Mining Flow-Through Share Tax Credit for another three years to 2013, Premier Gordon Campbell announced at Mineral Exploration Roundup.

“The mining industry is a cornerstone of our provincial economy. Right now there are hundreds of exploration projects underway across B.C. injecting millions of dollars into communities and creating jobs,” said Premier Campbell. “In these challenging financial times, investments like these are crucial to helping us build strength in the economy. This three-year tax credit extension will help bring more certainty to the minerals sector and ensure B.C.’s mining industry remains globally-competitive and attractive to investment.”

In 2001, the Province introduced the Mining Flow-Through Share Tax Credit to provide a 20 per cent tax credit for grass roots mineral exploration. Flow-through shares allow exploration companies to pass eligible Canadian exploration expenses to investors. When combined with a similar federal tax credit, the flow-through tax credit helps to reduce the cost of a $1,000 investment to approximately $380.

British Columbia also provides a refundable tax credit for individuals, companies and active members of partnerships that undertake mineral exploration in the province through the Mining Exploration Tax Credit. This credit is calculated as 20 per cent of eligible mineral exploration expenses incurred in British Columbia, 30 per cent in mountain pine beetle-affected areas, and provides a benefit to companies and individual prospectors that do not finance their exploration costs with flow through shares.

The Province has also eliminated the capital tax and the proposed introduction of the HST will increase the savings from the current sales tax exemption for mining machinery and equipment by eliminating all sales tax currently paid on mining inputs when fully implemented.

Review of Railway Cost of Capital

Admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:20:09 +0000

Review of Railway Cost of Capital Methodology

- January 18, 2010
A review of the Canadian Transportation Agency’s (Agency) cost of capital methodology is currently in progress. The review is being conducted in two phases: a study phase and a hearing phase. In the study phase, an independent consultant will examine existing cost of capital methodologies and principles. The consultant will also review the Agency’s current cost of capital methodology and the cost of capital methodologies used by other economic regulatory bodies. When this phase has concluded, there will be a hearing phase during which a panel of Agency Members will consider the consultant’s report and gather evidence from railway companies, shippers and other interested parties to ascertain if there is a potentially superior methodology or methodologies, or improvements that should be made, to the Agency’s current “benchmark” methodology. During the study phase, interested parties will be given the opportunity to provide feedback at specific points in the process as outlined in the Terms of Reference. Submissions should be forwarded to:

Canadian Transportation Agency
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N9

January 18, 2010 – Final Terms of Reference Distributed to Stakeholders

Correspondence from the Agency Secretary – January 18, 2010
Distribution List
Final Terms of Reference [PDF]

GOLD-COPPER PROJECT APPROVED: BC

Admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:05:55 +0000

PROSPERITY GOLD-COPPER PROJECT APPROVED

VICTORIA – Taseko Mines Limited (proponent) has received an environmental assessment certificate for its proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Project.

Environment Minister Barry Penner and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Blair Lekstrom made the decision to grant the environmental assessment (EA) certificate after considering the review led by B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).

The project, a conventional open-pit mining project with a 20-year operating life and a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes of mineral ore per day, will be located approximately 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake. The ore concentrate will be transported by truck to the existing Gibraltar Mine Concentrate Load-out facility near Macalister, 54 kilometres north of Williams Lake.

The project is expected to contribute approximately $340 million to provincial GDP annually, and $400 million in provincial revenue and $43 million to local and regional government over the life of the project.

The EAO assessment report concluded the project is not likely to result in any significant adverse effect, with the exception of the loss of Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake. Given the finding of a significant adverse effect, the EAO’s report provided ministers with a number of factors to consider prior to making their decision on whether or not to issue an EA certificate for the project.

The provincial EA certificate contains 103 commitments the proponent must implement throughout various stages of the project. Key commitments include the following:

Implementing a fish and fish habitat compensation plan to offset the loss of fish and fish habitat, and provide fishing opportunities for the public and First Nations. This will include the establishment of a new lake in the vicinity of Fish Lake.
Monitoring of water management, tailings storage and other facilities to ensure there is no discharge from the mine site during operation.
Developing a wildlife habitat compensation plan that includes the Ministry of Environment, the Canadian Wildlife Service and First Nations.
Implementing archaeological resource management measures to avoid or mitigate adverse effects on identified resources and culturally sensitive areas.

Before the project can proceed, it will require a federal environmental assessment. A federal review panel has been established and that process is ongoing. The proponent will also need to obtain various provincial licences, leases and other approvals, as well as relevant federal approvals.

The Alexandria Indian Band, Alexis Creek Indian Band, Anaham Indian Band, Canoe Creek Indian Band, Esketemc First Nation, High Bar Indian Band, Soda Creek Indian Band, Stone Indian Band, Toosey Indian Band, Tsilhqot’in Nation Government, Ulkatcho Indian Band, Williams Lake Indian Band and Xeni Gewt’in First Nation were consulted on the assessment and the Province is satisfied the Crown’s duties to consult and accommodate First Nations interests have been discharged.

The total capital cost of the project is approximately $800 million and annual operating costs are expected to be $200 million. The project is expected to directly result in an average of 375 jobs during both the two-year construction period and the 20-year operational life of the project and 325 person years of indirect employment annually over the life of the proposed project. The project entered British Columbia’s environmental assessment process in 1995.

More information on the environmental assessment certificate can be found at www.eao.gov.bc.ca.

First Nations Consultation Guides for BC Environmental Assessment

Admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Proponent Guide for providing First Nation Consultation Information – Non-Treaty First Na tions (formally called Supplemental to Environmental Assessment Office 2009 User Guide – Application Information Requirements and Required First Nations Information) (Jan 2010)

This document provides guidance to proponents on meeting consultation expectations which relate to the potential impacts of the proposed project on aboriginal rights, including title. This document is not intended to be a comprehensive guide on how to consult with First Nations or to replicate materials covered in the Environmental Assessment Office 2009 User Guide. This guide provides specific parameters to proponents on ways to obtain required First Nation information. A separate guide exists for required information regarding Treaty Nations.
Purpose

Proponent Guide for Providing Treaty Nation Consultation Information – Treaty Nations (formally called Supplemental to: Environmental Assessment Office 2009 User Guide – Application Information Requirements and Treaty Nations) (Jan 2010)

This document provides guidance to proponents on meeting consultation expectations which relate to the potential impacts of the proposed project on the treaty rights and interests which arise under the treaty between the First Nation, the Province and Canada. This document is not intended to be a comprehensive guide on how to consult with First Nations, how to interpret First Nation treaties, or to replicate information provided in the Environmental Assessment Office 2009 User Guide. This guide is also not intended to replace or fully articulate the Province’s duties and responsibilities as established under existing treaties. Further, a proponent who is contemplating any project that may impact a First Nation with a treaty should seek to have the potential impacts to the treaty interpreted and explained by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).

Consultations on Ontario Mining Act

Admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:13:50 +0000

McGuinty Government Prepares To Gather Input On Regulations
Public feedback on regulations for the province’s modernized Mining Act will begin to be collected in the New Year.

Broad-based consultations with First Nation and Métis communities, mineral industry stakeholders and interested members of the public will be held from January to June 2010 in many Northern communities. Letters, emails and phone calls will be accepted starting in January.

A workbook is now available to guide public comments and consultations. It provides a framework on the “ground rules” that will be implemented within Ontario’s new Mining Act. These include:

requirement for exploration plans and permits
Aboriginal consultation
a dispute resolution process for Aboriginal concerns
map staking
protection of sites of Aboriginal cultural significance
details of the awareness program for prospectors
provisions for the withdrawal of Crown-held mineral rights on private land.
The workbook is being issued now to give everyone time to carefully consider how Ontario can successfully develop and implement the new regulations.

QUICK FACTS

Ontario’s new Mining Act received royal assent on October 28, 2009 after extensive public consultation and legislative review.
In 2006, mining accounted for approximately one of every 45 Canadian jobs.
Canadian miners earn, on average, more than $1,000 a week – the highest pay levels of any Canadian industry.
In Ontario, each mining industry employee accounts for $660,000 of annual output.
LEARN MORE

Download a copy of the Mining Act Modernization workbook
Find information about Ontario’s new Mining Act
Watch a video describing the activities of our Mines and Minerals Division
Ontario’s New Mining Act

Ontario Tax Policy Changes

Admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:14:22 +0000

November 16, 2009 1:30 PM

McGuinty Government Introduces Legislation To Cut Taxes And Create Jobs

Ontario is introducing new legislation that would increase business investment, create new jobs and raise incomes.

Today, the province introduced The Ontario Tax Plan for More Jobs and Growth Act, 2009 that, if passed, would provide individuals, families and businesses with more than $15 billion in tax cuts over three years.

Along with the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), 93 per cent of taxpayers would pay less personal income tax, while 90,000 low-income Ontarians would no longer pay any provincial personal income tax. The province is also proposing to almost double the property tax and sales tax credits, putting more money back in the pockets of more Ontarians.

Proposed tax cuts for business would enhance the benefits of the proposed HST by attracting more business investment into Ontario and creating even more jobs.

Beginning July 1, 2010:

The general Corporate Income Tax (CIT) rate would be cut from 14 per cent to 12 per cent and further reduced to 10 per cent over three years.

The CIT rate on manufacturing and processing, mining, logging, farming and fishing would be cut from 12 per cent to 10 per cent.

The small business CIT rate would be cut from 5.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent, and

The small business deduction surtax of 4.25 per cent would be eliminated.

QUICK FACTS

A recent study, Ontario’s Bold Move to Create Jobs and Growth, by Jack Mintz, states that the HST, combined with Ontario’s proposed corporate income tax rate cuts and other recent tax changes, would significantly increase jobs and capital investment, and lead to higher annual incomes for Ontarians.
The Mintz study estimates that within 10 years, 591,000 net new jobs would be created and annual incomes would increase by up to 8.8 per cent.

LEARN MORE

Modernizing Ontario’s Mining Sector

Admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:13:22 +0000

October 21

Modernizing Ontario’s Mining Sector

Alberta Land Stewardship Act authorizes regional planning

Admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:36:53 +0000

Alberta Land Stewardship Act authorizes regional planning under Land-use Framework Oct 1, 2009