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Mining Act

Mining in Ontario

The Ontario Mining Act, passed in 1873, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry (MNDM&F). More than 100 years later, in 2009, the provincial government introduced an Act to Amend the Mining Act, intended to update an old piece of legislation in which mining interests are allowed access to most of the land in Ontario, including private property. Moreover, mining projects are exempt from full environmental assessments and are under no obligation to clean up a mining site after the mine has closed.

Unfortunately, this new act has failed to address the exemption permitted for mining from the environmental assessment process or protect Ontarians from being on the hook to pay for cleanup costs.

Mining, including its associated road infrastructure, transmission corridors, and air and water pollution, leaves a huge social and ecological footprint. Lax legislation coupled with economic incentives for mining companies support Ontario’s mining industry. In 2006, $9.4 billion worth of minerals were extracted in Ontario – more than any other jurisdiction in Canada. According to the Ontario Prospectors Association, 41 mines are currently in operation and more than 800 exploration projects are ongoing. The amount of land staked for mining interests totals nearly 54,000 square kilometres – about 6 percent of the province's land base. Staking has spiked in recent months due to activity in the Ring of Fire.

Ontario Nature is calling for the adoption of environmentally meaningful regulations under the new act:

1. Comprehensive environmental assessments must be required for all stages of mining;
2. Land-use planning processes should occur before mining permits are allocated;
3. Communities should be given time and autonomy to determine the suitability and type of mining in their areas;
4. The constitutional right of First Nations communities to reject unwanted development on their traditional territories must be recognized; and
5. Companies must be required to demonstrate financial security for clean up and reclamation costs prior to any development.

Ontario Nature and our partner organizations are working together to speak up for nature by providing the recommendations listed above and asking that they be incorporated under the new act.

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