Please submit comments on Ontario
Mining Act revisions and Far North legislation
Bill 173, Proposed legislative amendments to the Mining Act, and Bill
191, An Act with respect to land use planning and protection in the Far
North, have both been referred to the Standing Committee on General
Government, the former having passed second reading on May 27 and the
latter discharged prior to second reading on June 3. Members are
encouraged to submit their comments on these two pieces of legislation
through
Ontario’s Environmental Registry. The deadline for comments on Bill
173 (EBR registry number 010-6559) is July 4. Comments on Bill 191 (EBR
registry number 010-6624) should be submitted by August 4. Members may
also send their views to the Standing Committee on General Government
which will be convening hearings on both bills in August. For more
information, please email
Philip
Bousquet.
PDAC president talks to Economic
Club of Canada about CSR and the exploration industry
Jon Baird spoke to the Economic Club of Canada audience on Tuesday, June
23 on the topic, Corporate social responsibility and Canada’s
mineral exploration sector: Doing the right thing wherever we work.
The speech outlined the CSR advances that the exploration industry is
making and included a discussion about the association’s e3 Plus: A
Framework for Responsible Exploration. It was well received and
elicited several questions, including a number about the impact of Bill
C-300, An Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of
Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries. As we reported in our last
e-news, this Private Member’s Bill, proposed by John MacKay, has passed
second reading and has been referred to the Standing Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Copies of Baird’s speech are
being widely distributed, and plans are underway to have the speech
given in business centres across the country. If you know of a business
group in your area that you think would consider hosting this
presentation, please contact
Brenda
Dalglish. A copy of the speech is
here.
Safety in and around helicopters
A note from our health and safety committee reminding people to be aware
of the dangers of helicopters – either traveling in them or working
around them. Transportation related accidents, particularly those
involving helicopters, are the main source of fatalities and major
injuries in the mineral exploration sector. This Transport Canada
handout,
Safety Around Helicopters is well worth reading.
Yukon explorationists
call for help in opposing the draft Peel Land Use Plan
Carl Schulze, president of the Yukon Chamber of Mines, is asking PDAC
members to help oppose the draft Peel Land Use Plan currently being discussed
in the Yukon (click
here for a map). The plan calls for 63.3% of the Peel watershed to
be protected (including the expiration of existing grandfathered
claims), 59% to take effect immediately and significant restrictions on
exploration on most of the remaining 36.7%. The Chamber points out that
there has been continuous and considerable mineral exploration in the
watershed for the last 50 years. Exploration spending between 2000 and
March 2008 reached $48.3 million. Even so, the area is regarded as a
pristine wilderness, proof that exploration and environmental integrity
can coexist. How can you help? Adapt one of these
sample letters
and mail it in or sign this
declaration and
fax it to the Yukon Chamber of Mines, fax 867 668 7127. Other points
that you might wish to incorporate into your letter are
here. The
deadline for submissions is close. Please make sure that your submission
is dated no later than June 30. Thanks for your help.
Canadian Mining Hall of Fame
seeks a mining history researcher
The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (CMHF) is looking for a mining history
researcher. The successful candidate will have: a keen interest in
research; solid Powerpoint and photo editing skills; the diplomacy to
elicit visual resources and related anecdotes from inductees and their
families; and the ability to create memorable visual
tributes to CMHF inductees. This is not a full time commitment but
requires dedicated effort from September to January, probably in the
order of 100 hours depending on the volume of available information on
the various candidates who generally number 4-5 each year. Click
here
for full details.
Finance Minister Canadian
Securities Regulator Transition Office
On June 22, federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty announced the
launch of the Transition Office, which will lead Canada’s effort to
establish a Canadian securities regulator. The minister also announced
that Doug Hyndman will head the new office and Bryan Davies will be its
vice-chair. The office will lead all aspects of the transition,
including the development of the federal Securities Act, collaborating
with the provinces and territories, and developing and implementing a
plan to manage organizational and administrative matters. Minister
Flaherty said that the Transition Office is expected to deliver a plan
for the transition to a Canadian securities regulator within one year.
Full
announcement.
EdGEO is looking for volunteer
fundraisers
EdGEO is one of the Canadian Geoscience Education Network’s national
core programs. It organizes workshops for teachers across Canada,
providing them with the knowledge, confidence and tools to teach earth
sciences in their classrooms. More information on the program is
available here.
EdGEO is conducting a fundraising campaign to raise $12,000 in 2009. If
you’d like to make a donation – large or small - please contact Jane
Wynne at Jane.Wynne@NRCan-RNCan.gc.ca or telephone 1 250 363 6471.
Fairmont Royal York is offering
our members a special summer rate
The Fairmont Royal York is offering PDAC members a special summer rate
of $109 for accommodation at the hotel. The offer is valid until
September 7, 2009. If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, please
follow the instructions
here.
You should also mention that you are a member of the PDAC.
