"I have a quibble with the impressions left from your recent article on the revisions to the Ontario Mining Act," wrote Peter McBride, manager of communications at the Ontario Mining Association. "Indeed, this piece of legislation was first passed into law in 1873 and clearly has longevity. However, you imply that the changes in the act announced on April 30, 2009, are the first alterations to this law in 136 years.
"Like any longstanding Act, there is a strong likelihood that it has been amended many times to adjust to changing times, technologies and societal expectations. For example , in the mid-1990s, the Ontario Mining Act went through major revisions related to mine closure, rehabilitation and financial assurance to ensure the completion of mine closure plans. There are many people at mining companies with the word environment in their job titles who spent measurable parts of their careers working on related changes in the Mining Act in the 1990s.
McBride points out "Also, if one takes a close look at the legislation, one can perhaps conclude that the Ontario Mining Act is a misnomer. The legislation itself actually deals predominantly with the exploration, or front end of the business, and the mine closure and rehabilitation of mine sites, or the back end of the business. It has very little to do with the actual mining and mineral production process."
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