Mining Mired in Red Tape

Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:02 PM

Byng Giraud points out how a simple permit process can be bogged down by additional requirements

Prince George, B.C.-“If red tape were nutritional, we could feed the world.” Those are the words of Byng Giraud, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Imperial Metals Corp.

Giraud was addressing the 400+ delegates at the Minerals North conference in Prince George this morning and says while environmental groups would suggest the environmental process has never met a mine it didn’t like, miners will point out there hasn’t been a new metals mine start production since Kemess South..

Giraud says the road to permitting may seem straight forward, but each step may get bogged down with more requirements in each step. He says we have entered an era where more and more specialists must be consulted and despite their expert opinion, no one trusts what they have to say. At the same time, the general public wants more say on all development.

He calls on those in industry to press for seven points of change:

1.A harmonized federal and provincial Environmental assessment process, “We need ‘yeses’ and ‘nos’ not long term ‘maybes’. We have projects that have been stuck in ‘maybes’ for a long time.” Giraud says this makes good sense because it reduces duplication and saves taxpayer dollars.

2. Timelines needed for notices of work consultations and other processes

3.Customer driven audits and reviews of regulation and a[placation of regulation

4.Real regulation “sunshine” clauses and grandfathering

5.If First Nations are to comment, they must be adequately supported and there must be substantive comment.

6.All external comment must also have time limits

7.Principles based, not rules based or Best Practices vs Prescription.

He says the permit process should be principle based where companies do things because it’s the right thing to do rather than making it rule based where you do it not because it’s the right thing, but because if you don’t you’ll get in trouble. “There are companies in this room that would like to do the right thing, but are afraid to make a move because it will make them have to go back to the beginning of the process again.”

No one knows better about red tape than Terrane metals. That company has been working several years to bring the Mount Milligan Mine to fruition. The project is 155 km northwest of Prince George and would provide a significant number of construction jobs over the next two years, and 400 direct jobs when the mine is up and running.

Terrane Metals’ Glen Wonders says it is a very, very significant task to undertake the certification of a mine in British Columbia, “There’s absolutely no stepping around that, so you have to be prepared for those timelines. I think there is room for improvement , I look forward to seeing that opportunity realized. Obviously we have to mines that are thoroughly reviewed and meet the standards of the environmental and social needs of the region, province and country.”

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Posted on Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:02 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: acrider54 on April 22 2010 3:59 PM

No such thing as "Red Tape" since the Liberals were elected. Remember? They were going to eliminate that.

Posted by: Denaljo on April 22 2010 8:04 PM

For mines it is probably a good thing there is red tape with their track record on pollution and cutting & running leaving the expensive mess for the taxpayers to clean up.

Posted by: northman on April 22 2010 8:20 PM

-Have you not seen what logging has done Denaljo? The taxpayer foots a bigger bill to clean up after canfor then any mines..

Posted by: Mercenary on April 22 2010 8:34 PM

I don't think First Nations opinions should carry any more weight than the average joe Canadian. They are certainly entitled to their opinions but it almost seems like they have the power of veto over any big project here in the north.

Just ain't right...

Posted by: Chester on April 22 2010 8:36 PM

With all the regulations, rules, and red tape, it's a wonder anything is able to move ahead.

Posted by: socredible on April 22 2010 9:28 PM

There's certainly something very much wrong when it costs more and takes longer to get the permits to do something than it actually does to do it.

This all but eliminates the 'small producer', whether he's in mining, sawmilling, logging, and even increasingly now, retailing.

What do these people who issue all these permits actually know about your business, anyways? If it IS anything at all, surely the whole process could be streamlined and made far less costly?

And if it ISN'T than why do we have to undergo such painful aggravation in the first place?

It's seldom the "little guy" who ever causes the problems, yet he's the one whose project, generally the most benign in terms of its effects on the 'environment', is penalised in terms of bearing the greatest regulatory 'cost' vs. the volume of business he'll ever do.

While the larger, multi-national, can hire better 'experts' than the permit processors, bulldoze their way through, and wreak major disasters that are completely overlooked. Often ones that those who issued the permits will help them cover up. Time for some changes.

Posted by: interceptor on April 22 2010 11:06 PM

hey northman - care to back that statement up with ANY kind of fact or stat please

Posted by: Eagleone on April 22 2010 11:06 PM

I disagree with points number 1 and 7. The province collects the revenue and therefor is biased to approve any project... the fed is a good check and balance on an industry that can have huge negative effects to the environment if things go wrong. Most regulatory agencies are eventually bought and owned by those they are regulating, thus the push for a single regulator. Also the principles of a mining company are not good enough and are not universal, therefore rules need to be in place and followed... regulators need to work within reason.

Posted by: northman on April 23 2010 8:38 AM

Yes...Every forest road that a company builds eventually goes to the forest service as a crown asset. Forest road bridges and major culverts have a life span of 30 years before they have to be deactivated which the FS pays (tax dollars). It costs around 50 grand to pull a bridge. Even more if its a glu-lam creosote bridge. In some cases it may cost over $300,000 to pull a major bridge. There are over 500 forest road crossings in the northern interior alone...As well the FS has to maintain these crossigns until the end of their life.. There is no security bond put up by companies to fix these roads once they turn them over to the forest service...

Posted by: Eagleone on April 23 2010 9:39 PM

Free enterprise enabling infrastructure... I see nothing wrong with that if the public only pays the deactivation costs after 30-years of use. Can't make an argument that a tailing pond also enables free enterprise though....