Legislation pre-dates the telephone, conservation group says
Mike De Souza
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
OTTAWA - Mineral land claims are threatening more than half-a-million
square kilometres of territory in the boreal forest because of outdated
mining laws that have not been updated since the Klondike gold rush,
warns a new report to be released today.
The report, published by the Canadian Boreal Initiative and the
International Boreal Conservation Campaign, provides a detailed
analysis of the forest, revealing that mining claims have extended to
about 10 per cent of the entire ecosystem.
The report says that the area of claims is expanding rapidly and
provoking conflicts because of the existing laws which automatically
allow prospectors to explore and drill for new minerals as soon as they
stake a claim.
"As a consequence, when exploration conflicts with aboriginal rights,
conservation or other public interests, governments are left with few
options but to either allow the activities to proceed or close areas to
staking and compensate exploration companies for existing claims," says
the report, Mineral Exploration Conflicts in Canada's Boreal Forest.
Although a mining company would eventually need to have approval to
establish a full mining operation, Larry Innes, executive director of
the Canadian Boreal Initiative, said that the legislation desperately
needs to be modernized in the context of booming commodity prices and
escalating conflicts on staked-out territory when the companies begin
exploring and drilling.
"This [mining law] is something that dates back to a time before
telephones," said Innes.
"You see the evidence of the challenges in jurisdictions like Ontario,
where explorationists are now bumping up against first nations
communities, and they're bumping up against conservation priorities."
The only exception would be in national parks, some provincial parks or
areas such as cemeteries, he explained.
He added the existing laws were designed more than a century ago, based
on the principle that land should ideally be used for mining, and that
mining interests should trump all other issues. But Innes said the
process should involve more co-operation and consultation with
aboriginal communities and conservation groups.
The boreal forest is home to over 600 aboriginal communities and
considered to be the largest intact forest and wetland ecosystems
remaining on earth.
It's also a natural habitat for wolves, lynx, moose, bears and caribou
as well as one of the largest sinks of greenhouse gas emissions that
can affect the climate.
The full report is available at www.interboreal.org.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
