Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/789828
4. Improvements to First Nations consultation; 5. Business process improvements and sta¤ing additions; and 6. According to Order in Council No. 134, the Mines Act Permit Regulation, certain mining exploration activities are considered authorized under an existing Mines Act permit. JOHN HORGAN Leader of the Opposition, BC NDP I understand the importance of mineral exploration for rural and urban jobs across B.C. Investor certainty and public trust are critical to supporting and growing those jobs, and both have su¤ered under Christy Clark's government. Provincial mineral exploration expenditure by companies has dropped from $680 million in 2012 to $272 million in 2015. Commodity prices account for part of this drop, but people tell me it's about more. This government's inattention and crisis management approach to the industry has taken its toll. Investor certainty requires action, not just photo ops and press releases. We took the initiative by advocating for the flow-through share tax credit with the federal finance minister under his taxation review. We strongly support this measure, along with the mineral exploration tax credit. I know that capital can go anywhere in the world. I want it to come here. We will work with the industry to put further measures in place to attract investment in mineral exploration. The BC Liberal handling of Aboriginal title has led to increased uncertainty and costs through endless court challenges. We will work with Geoscience BC, the BC Geological Survey and First Nations to develop comprehensive mineral land-use plans as one step in addressing this uncertainty. Public trust is every bit as important as investor confidence when it comes to your industry. A BC NDP government will restore public trust by demonstrating that compliance and enforcement works, and [by] separating that function from the ministry's promotional mandate, as was recommended by the auditor general. We support e¤iciencies in the provincial and federal environmental assessments to ensure processes, monitoring and inspections make sense for British Columbia, not Ottawa. Focusing on investor confidence and public trust are the essential first steps to positioning the mineral exploration industry for stable growth into the future. It's time for real, sustained attention to the exploration industry as the foundation for mining development in this province. That's my commitment.