Clark promises more funding for B.C. mine approvals – by Mark Hume (Globe and Mail – January 26, 2015)

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

VANCOUVER — In an effort to speed up the approval process for mines in British Columbia, Premier Christy Clark has nearly doubled the budget for the department responsible for permitting new mine projects.

Annual base funding for the mines and mineral resources division will jump to $20.1-million from $11.1-million and the government is establishing a major mines permitting office to ensure “improved turnaround times for notice of work permits,” Ms. Clark said on Monday.

“Up to 10 new mines are expected to proceed in the next few years, and this new funding will make sure we are ready to support these projects,” she said in a statement. The changes come as her government struggles to deliver on a liquefied natural gas boom that has not developed as predicted.

Ms. Clark is clearly hoping to promote mining in B.C., which last year suffered a blow to its image when a massive tailings pond collapsed at Mount Polley, spilling 25 million cubic metres of pollutants into Quesnel Lake.

She said she remains encouraged that mining exploration is continuing in the province despite a drop in commodity prices over the past several months.

“We see exploration continuing to happen because, the thing with miners is they know it’s a cyclical industry and they know their prices are going to go up and down. So as long as the exploration is continuing to happen, mines will eventually open,” Ms. Clark said in Vancouver while attending a mining conference.

One of the most promising areas for mining development in the province is in the northwest, along the Alaska Panhandle.

But new B.C. mines there are being questioned by U.S. environmental organizations that fear pollutants will flow downstream into Alaska.

Ms. Clark said her government is trying to alleviate those concerns, but she also dismissed the United States as too negative in its attitude.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/clark-promises-more-funding-for-bc-mine-approvals/article22646652/