Rein in B.C. mining industry, poll says
The B.C. government is bucking the opinion of a large majority of residents of the province with its plan to intensively expand the mining industry, says a leading environmental organization, the CBC reports.
In a news release Wednesday, Sierra Club BC said a survey found that almost 80 per cent of British Columbians want an end to preferential treatment for the province’s mining sector, and 73 per cent believe B.C.’s environmental assessment process needs to be strengthened.
Premier Christy Clark’s jobs plan calls for an increase in the industry’s 45,000 jobs by opening eight new mines in the next four years.
On Monday, Clark’s government introduced a new bill which would cut red tape and allow mine exploration to be done with fewer permits.
“That’s the wrong direction; British Columbians have said so. We think they’re right,” said Sierra Club BC president George Heyman.
Heyman said that instead of cutting red tape, the government should impose stricter environmental regulations on the industry.
The province’s 150-year-old Mining Act gives mining companies too much clout, Heyman said.
“[The act] is outdated. It does create a playing field that is vastly out of whack,” he said. “No other industry gets treated the same.”
- The article continues at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/11/16/bc-sierra-club-poll-mining.html?cmp=rss
