Mining, tourism reach deal in BC

Representatives of British Columbia’s mining and tourism industries have hammered out a land-use agreement designed to restore investor confidence.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two groups recognizes a 2-zone system under which mining is not allowed in parks, ecological reserves or on protected heritage property but is permitted outside those areas while remaining subject to government legislation, regulations and policies.

“The MOU will provide the kind of certainty mineral investors are looking for,” says Gary Livingstone, president of the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC). Livingstone joined representatives from the British Columbia and & Yukon Chamber of Mines (BCYCM) and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia (COTA) at the recent signing of the MOU in Vancouver.

The agreement states that COTA will encourage its tourism members to make themselves aware of known mineral potential in areas where they wish to operate except where mining activity is being pursued, and to make “reasonable efforts to minimize impacts on essential components of exploration and mining activities.”

The agreement also states that BCYCM and MABC members will be encouraged to minimize their activity on tourism activities in the designated areas.

The mining industry provides about 10,000 people in the province with direct employment, and accounts for 20,000 indirect jobs. Revenue from the mineral industry is about $3 billion annually.

Meanwhile, the province was rated least likely, among Canadian jurisdictions, to attract new mining investment. The Fraser Institute’s seventh annual survey of mining companies rated the policy attractiveness and mineral attractiveness of mining jurisdictions in North America and around the world. Quebec scored the highest in Canada, with Chile coming out on top worldwide.