Manitoba unveils plans for a new Mining Act

The minister noted that an increasing amount of government policy has been incorporated into related regulations because the existing legislation is outdated. The new act will bring these non- administrative matters back into a statute.

“The new Mines Act will ensure the orderly and effective development of Manitoba’s mineral resources for years to come,” Neufeld said.

Key elements of the proposal legislation include:

— Greater emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of mining and setting the stage for promoting the principal of sustainable development in the industry.

— Creating a Minerals Research Advisory Council made up of representatives of the minerals industry and the public. Its mandate would be to evaluate public and private research work and recommend ways in which government and industry could gain the maximum benefit from their research and development dollars.

— Appointing an independent chairperson to the Mining Board, which is currently chaired by the deputy minister of Energy and Mines. This change will not affect the board’s role of arbitrating and interpreting minerals disputes, but will remove any potential conflict of interest when the Crown is one of the parties to a dispute before the board.

— Streamlining what is currently a confusing array of legislation dealing with minerals issues. The proposed legislation would replace several existing acts: The Mines Act, The Industrial Minerals Drilling Act, The Minerals Exploration Assistance Act and parts of The Mines and Natural Resources Department Act.

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