LETTER TO THE EDITOR — Ontario’s ‘Living Legacy’ bolsters certainty

At the same time that the provincial government released “Living Legacy,” the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines also released its “Commitments to the Minerals Industry.” Leaders in the minerals industry reacted very positively. Let me remind you why.

The province is the only jurisdiction in Canada to have completed this system of parks and protected areas. Any talk of future expansion of parks and protected areas in the Lands for Life planning area will only occur with the agreement of the forestry and mining sectors. The certainty this commitment brings to the resource industries is truly invaluable.

We will be designating areas of provincially significant mineral potential that will remain open for staking and exploration in parks and protected areas. This commitment makes Ontario the first jurisdiction ever to clearly distinguish exploration activities from mining. It is a formal recognition that exploration is not incompatible with parks and protected areas.

If a significant mineral deposit is discovered in a park or a protected area, we will allow that piece of land to be regulated out of the park and substituted with land of equal heritage value. This pragmatic approach is consistent with the principle laid out in the Whitehorse Mining Initiative, as it recognizes that mining in parks is not appropriate. And as I am sure you are aware, the WMI was ratified by the mining industry.

The province is “grandfathering” existing mining tenure within new parks. This will include access and other rights to explore and mine. At the suggestion of the mining investment community, I have provided mining property-holders with a contract that sets out my commitment and guarantee. It is their choice as to whether to sign it or not, and I will be taking steps to grandfather their existing rights and interests in any case.

The province will confirm the rights of current mining property holders under the Mining Act, not reduce them, through the contract which I will sign.

My staff has just received a letter from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada outlining its concerns. Ministry staff has confirmed with the PDAC that signing the contract will in no way waive or derogate the rights of claim holders.

Put simply, the contract does not commit the property-holder to anything, and it will not be used in any way to the detriment of those who sign it.

There is still work to be done and areas to be clarified, in consultation with the industry.

For instance, we must develop the best rules for staking and exploration within parks to minimize any undesirable impact on the environment. We must determine the process by which significant discoveries may be regulated out of the parks system in a way that will provide certainty to investors at the exploration stage.

Once again, I want to thank everyone who dedicated their time and energy to this sometimes difficult but very worthwhile process. Reaching such a broad-based agreement on land use should be regarded as a significant breakthrough that will ensure and enhance Ontario’s competitiveness and business leadership in the decades to come.

Let me conclude by restating a long-standing invitation: I welcome all stakeholders of the minerals industry to continue this constructive dialogue with the government. The door is wide open for you to be a part of that process.

Chris Hodgson

Minister of Northern Development and Mines

Queen’s Park, Toronto