Ontario

Extensive revisions to Ontario’s Mining Act were approved by Queen’s Park on October 21, 2009, and received royal assent a week later. The new Act follows commitments made by Premier McGuinty to “modernize” the Act and strike a balance between the diverse interests that are affected by and involved in the sector. Though another round of consultations took place as part of the legislative process while the bill was under Committee review, few substantive changes have been made since the bill was introduced in the spring.

At the invitation of Brazilian activists who are supporting communities struggling against multinational mining giant Vale (formerly Companhia Vale do Rio Doce) in Brazil, and with support from the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and the Canadian Auto Workers Social Justice Fund, MiningWatch’s Catherine Coumans attended the World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil in January 2009. Catherine was asked to provide local activists with information about relations between Vale and communities in Canada (Port Colborne and Sudbury in Ontario as well as Labrador), Indonesia and New Caledonia. In each of these places Inco (now owned by Vale and operating as a subsidiary, Vale Inco) is facing serious community concerns and criticism of its operations.

MiningWatch Canada is very pleased with yesterday’s announcement from the Government of Ontario regarding a resolution to the three-year stand off between the community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug ("KI") and Toronto-based exploration company Platinex.

Joint release with CPAWS-Wildlands Leagues and Ecojustice: TORONTO – A rapid increase in exploratory mining activities, including staking, drilling and clearance of vegetation in the heart of Ontario’s northern Boreal Forest, one of the world’s most carbon-rich ecosystems, has become a “Wild West” free-for-all, warn public interest groups. CPAWS Wildlands League, Ecojustice and MiningWatch Canada are concerned that development in an area known in the industry as the ‘Ring of Fire’ in Ontario’s Far North is exploding due to inadequate control under an antiquated Mining Act.

United Steel Worker Union members from Sudbury, Ontario, are on strike to protect important, hard-won benefits including pensions and the "nickel bonus". The bonus is a profit sharing mechanism paid  when nickel prices are high. Despite making substantial profits in recent years, the company is claiming that its Sudbury operations are not sustainable. Vale Inco staff are on record as saying they want to harmonize labour benefits across their global operations.

Since the current process began last year, MiningWatch Canada has taken a keen interest in “modernizing” the Ontario Mining Act. We have been actively engaging with other NGOs and First Nations across the province to analyse the current mining regime and to develop solutions to the problems we have observed.

Mining developments in Ontario currently enjoy a rare privilege in Canada – they are not subject to the provincial environmental assessment (EA) process. This is thanks to a “Declaration Order” from the Minister of the Environment making the transfer of public mineral resources to private leases exempt from the Environmental Assessment Act. The Order has just been renewed for another three years.

[Joint news release] In response to proposed changes to Ontario’s Mining Act, Mushkegowuk Council, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, and Ardoch Algonquin First Nation call on the province to respect the right of First Nations to say NO to all aspects of mining from prospecting to exploration to full mine development in their traditional territories. The First Nations clarify that the Ontario government must respect and adhere to Constitutional duty of consultation and accommodation and the internationally recognized right of free prior and informed consent. This has not been addressed by the proposed changes Minister Gravelle introduced on April 30, 2009.