Mining & Energy
B.C. is famed for its natural beauty. Snow-topped mountains, rich agricultural land, rugged fjords, and wild rivers and lakes all add up to produce some of the most varied and fantastic landscapes found anywhere on the planet. In addition to B.C.'s "supernatural" attributes, we are also Canada's most biologically diverse province. A significant number of British Columbians are employed in sectors that rely on B.C.'s rewewable natural resources -- tourism, farming, guiding and fishing, to name a few. Many First Nations communities depend on renewable resources for their culture, livelihoods and food.
In 2009, the provincial government signalled a shift in B.C.'s mining policy, announcing that red tape would be slashed to make it easier for mining companies to profit from B.C.'s rich deposits of gold, copper, silver and coal. Since then B.C. has experienced a significant increase in proposed mines, with plans to more than double the number of coal mines alone. Learn more about the Raven coal mine planned for Vancouver Island. Some mine proposals, like the Fish Lake gold and copper mine, stand to cause irreparable environmental damage and have met with staunch opposition from First Nations.
At the same time as B.C. makes it easier for mining corporations to set up shop, we have failed to modernize our Mineral Tenure Act. The act dates from 1859, and was designed to encourage settlement in remote areas by offering easy and potentially lucrative opportunities to stake mining claims. B.C.’s Mineral Tenure Act is based on the “free entry” system that has been abandoned by other provinces. Free entry allows miners to pay a minimal fee to stake a claim virtually anywhere in B.C., without first consulting or obtaining approval from the B.C. government or First Nations, and without taking into account the ecological importance of the land in question. Our outdated Mineral Tenure Act creates strife and conflict around the province. Learn more.
B.C.'s bountiful rivers have traditionally ensured that 80 to 90 percent of our province's electricity generation is “clean”—producing no damaging greenhouse gas emissions in daily operations. In 2002, the B.C. government released its controversial “Energy Plan,” opening up electricity generation to private corporations. The result was a gold rush on B.C.’s rivers and creeks. More than 800 B.C. water bodies, from the Kootenays to the Sunshine Coast, were staked for “run of river” power development by private companies, some financed by global energy giants like General Electric. Most proposed “run of river” developments are exempt from environmental assessment. Learn more.
In B.C.'s northeast, the proposed Site C dam and extensive new natural gas fracking operations stand to alter the landscape forever, with alarming consequences for the environment and First Nations. Learn more.
