Municipalities indicate their support for mining

More than 110 municipalities across the country have adopted resolutions in support of the campaign to “Keep Mining in Canada”

The Canadian Mineral Industry Federation says 26 resolutions have been passed by British Columbia municipalities, 29 in Ontario and 23 in Quebec, with the other provinces and territories making up the remainder. The resolutions call for governments to act on the industry’s “10-point plan,” which was released in September, 1993.

“We’re really excited about the response from municipalities,” said Maureen Jensen, ambassador for the Keep Mining in Canada campaign and president of Noble Peak Resources. “We’ve received more than 110 resolutions and they continue to arrive, from every province and territory,”

She said the resolutions, to be presented to governments, underscore the broad-based support for the 10-point plan of action.

The Keep Mining in Canada campaign was prompted by the alarming departure of mining investment from Canada to other parts of the world. Among the campaign’s chief supporters is the Mining Association of Canada. To stimulate investment in exploration and development, the 10-point plan calls for governments to: improve tax treatment of mine reclamation funding; establish open and predictable processes for land-use planning; streamline federal-provincial environmental regulations; respect mineral property rights; and strengthen Northern Canada’s infrastructure.

Mining provides 100,000 direct jobs, 300,000 indirect jobs and is the mainstay of employment in about 150 Canadian communities with a total population exceeding one million.