New Brunswick’s Liberals have tabled a bill they say will streamline mine approval processes and strengthen environmental regulations.
While some industry members are applauding the move, opposition leaders aren’t so sure.
The province’s natural resources minister said Wednesday that the proposed Mining Act would rewrite regulations for the first time in 41 years.
John Herron said the goal is to make the province more attractive to mining companies.
“This is a very, very exciting time for the province to be able to have a legislative framework that ensures that we have a very modern, progressive approach to developing our minerals,” he said.
New Brunswick’s mining industry was a major economic driver in the late 2010s but has faced years of decline.
Robert Murray, the president of the New Brunswick Prospectors and Developers Association, welcomed the bill and said he believes it will cut down years of processes.
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“It’s going to open the doors for New Brunswick to become known across Canada and also around the world as one of the premier places to do mining,” Murray said.
“By modernizing the act and streamlining the process, it’s going to allow mining companies to know exactly how to set up their business, to set mining in the province in a way that’s going to be very beneficial.”
Herron said the bill is only meant to work as a framework for other bills to be introduced in the next 14 months. But the province’s Opposition leader, Glen Savoie, said the bill is aspirational and nothing more.
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“This government has simply given another strategy, nothing that gives any results today. There are so many questions for things that we don’t know,” Savoie said.
Herron also said the bill will strengthen environmental protections and ensure consultations with First Nations while speeding up the approval process.
Green Leader David Coon said he’s skeptical about this.
“There’s no mention of First Nations anywhere in this bill in any way,” Coon said.
“Is this going to maintain the status quo of poor environmental performance of mining activities or is it going to enable improved environmental performance?”
The bill will still have to go through second reading, committee and third reading before receiving royal assent.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
Susan Holt has to be the worst premier any province has ever had, yet was very honest during her campaign about what she was going to do with NB. I just can’t believe the brain-fried people of NB keep voting liberal, why Canada keeps voting liberal. I’m surprised there even is a liberal party after 20 years of living under idiotic leadership from people who either hate this country or genuinely couldn’t manage a kid’s birthday party, let alone a political party.