Mineral Exploration

12 Mineral Exploration | amebc.ca Since 2001, British Columbia has increased its share of Canadian exploration investment from six per cent to 20 per cent. We have funded Geoscience BC $61.7 million so far and we will continue to fund it. Every $1 invested in public geoscience returns $5 to the people of British Columbia. Aboriginal Reconciliation and How it Could A¤ect Mineral Exploration and Mining British Columbia was the first province in Canada to share mining royalties with First Nations. We also have hundreds of agreements with First Nations that enable training, information sharing, shared decision-making and benefit sharing. It is, however, important to acknowledge that there is no revenue in mineral exploration and, as a result, there is no revenue to share until and unless a deposit that can be mined is discovered and developed. [Our] government stresses the importance of exploration companies sharing information with First Nations early in the exploration process and being respectful. Environmental Assessment Process and Notice of Work Permits for Exploration Most exploration activities do not become su¤iciently advanced to trigger an environmental assessment (EA). For those projects that do require an EA, British Columbia's Environmental Assessment O¤ice is a neutrally administered o¤ice that is required by law to undertake rigorous, thorough reviews of major projects in the province. British Columbia's EA process balances economic, social and environmental values fairly. It has a legislated time period of 180 days to make a decision. Notice of Work (NoW) permits are more relevant to the exploration industry. Our NoW permit turnaround time has been reduced by one-half; in 2016, the average was less than 50 days. The Ministry of Energy and Mines also created the Major Mine Permitting O¤ice. The o¤ice provides more intensive service, for a fee, where a deposit has been identified and a mine can now be planned, financed and built. The following initiatives assist the Ministry with faster turnaround times on permits: 1. Multi-year, area-based permitting – it authorizes exploration activities, typically for up to five years, within identified areas of activity; 2. E-application system through FrontCounter BC; 3. New regulations, which allow amendments to existing Mines Act permits, are not required for some low- impact mineral exploration activities; Omega Communications.indd 1 15-02-05 9:25 AM

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