Modernizing the Mineral Tenure Act – the next steps

In mid-September, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) passed a resolution recommending that the government modernize the Mineral Tenure Act. This resolution requests amendments to the Act which will ensure that local governments (city councils, regional districts, and first nations councils) will be consulted before registration of a mineral claim that could affect their communities.

What happens to the resolution now? It has been sent to government officials in Victoria who will then pass it on to the appropriate Ministry for review. The results of that review will come back to the UBCM in the spring, and will be passed on to the executive. Kamloops Councillors Arjun Singh and Marg Spina are executive members, and Arjun says that he will speak with Marg, and subsequently the entire UBCM executive, about how they might be able to best help the effort to modernize the Mineral Tenure Act in accordance with resolution B80.

Amendments to the Mineral Tenure Act will not affect the Ajax mine situation. They would, however, ensure that any future mineral claims that might affect our city would have to go through a city approval process before they are registered.