Brief

Submission to the Environmental Registry of Ontario re: Bill G71, the Building More Mines Act, 2023

This submission on Ontario Bill 71, the proposed Building More Mines Act, observes that the government has brought forward a proposal that has not been broadly consulted and discussed, if it has been discussed at all other than with the mining industry. As a result, the proposed amendments to the Mining Act are unlikely to meet their stated purposes. The proposed legislative amendments will set back the protection of the environment – and the treasury – substantially, leaving taxpayers on the hook for significantly greater liabilities when it comes to cleaning up decommissioned (and often toxic) mine sites, waste rock, and tailings. Rather than speeding up the approval of new mining projects, it will more probably lead to greater uncertainty and conflict.