Prospectors bullish on critical-minerals exploration in B.C.

B.C.'s mining sector is hopeful about prospects to capitalizing on the push for clean energy with eight new or expanded mines on the books

Mining exploration was already heating up in B.C. before Ottawa released its critical-minerals strategy in December.

Still, the federal move stoked a metaphorical fire under the Association for Mineral Exploration B.C.’s annual Roundup convention that wrapped up in Vancouver last week.

“The mood of Roundup was certainly a very energetic and dynamic one,” said Jonathan Buchanan, vice-president of policy and advocacy for the association.

Buchanan said the strategy has been well-received by miners. Its aim is to promote the production of minerals essential to clean energy and green technologies, such as copper, nickel, lithium and rare earth elements.

It promises to speed up approvals of new mines, promote exploration and put a premium on Indigenous reconciliation.

Premier David Eby reminded the Roundup audience that he has told his mines minister, Josie Osborne, to fast track the province’s own critical-mineral strategy, so B.C. can be a part of providing the raw materials the world is clamouring for.

The premier said he would work with industry to speed up approval of new mines.

But that has to happen in partnership with First Nations under B.C.’s commitment to the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Eby said.

With eight new mines or expansions nearing construction in the province, mining has the potential to boost economic growth in the near future, he said.

Eby said mineral exploration in B.C. in 2022 was a record $740 million, mostly spent looking for gold, but increasingly targeting copper, nickel and the rare-earth niobium.

The demand for minerals needed for a clean energy transition is a generational opportunity, said Michael Goehring, CEO of the Mining Association of B.C. who spoke at the convention’s opening.

“With critical minerals, we can make a core contribution to climate action and grow our provincial and national economies,” Goehring said. But, for that to happen, the industry needs greater certainty about environmental reviews and permitting.

And they need to be faster than the average 15 years it typically takes to open a new mine, Goering said.

Conservation groups are wary about speeding up approvals.

MiningWatch Canada called the federal critical-minerals strategy “an adaptation of business as usual” and warned it could bulldoze Indigenous rights.

The province already faces a legal challenge of its claim staking rules from the Gitxaala Nation, backed by seven other First Nations. They argue the so-called open staking process, which lets prospectors register mineral claims online without consulting First Nations on whose territories the claims lay, violates the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Eby told the miners that he’ll work with exploration companies to resolve that issue, in partnership with First Nations.

“Any push toward increasing mining in order to address critical-minerals needs for the green economy is going to have to be based on our recognition of Indigenous consent with regard to rights to minerals,” said Gavin Smith, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, who is involved in the Gitxaala litigation.

Smith said mineral claims that are easily staked often put up obstacles to other land-use planning decisions, especially those related to setting aside protected areas.

“There needs to be better tools in place for dealing with those kinds of conflicts under Canada’s obligation in signing on to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, Smith said.

depenner@postmedia.com

twitter.com/derrickpenner

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