Table Of ContentA Stake in the Future
This page intentionally left blank
Mary Louise McAllister
Cynthia Jacqueline Alexander
A Stake in the Future:
Redefining the Canadian
Mineral Industry
UBCPress / Vancouver
Published in association with the Centre for Resource Studies,
Queen's University at Kingston
© UBC Press 1997
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written
permission of the publisher, or, in Canada, in the case of photocopying or other
reprographic copying, a licence from CANCOPY, 900 - 6 Adelaide Street East,
Toronto, ON M5C 1H6
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper <*>
ISBN 0-7748-0603-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-7748-0602-8 (paperback)
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
McAllister, Mary Louise, 1957-
A stake in the future
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Published in association with the Centre for Resource Studies, Queen's
University at Kingston."
ISBN 0-7748-0603-6 (bound)
ISBN 0-7748-0602-8 (pbk.)
1. Mineral industries - Government policy - Canada. 2. Mineral industries -
Social aspects - Canada. 3. Whitehorse Mining Initiative (Canada). I. Alexander,
Cynthia Jacqueline, 1960- II. Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Centre for
Resource Studies. III. Title.
HD9506.C22M222 1997 338.2'0971 C97-910088-7
UBC Press gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support to its publishing program
from the Canada Council, the Province of British Columbia Cultural Services
Branch, and the Department of Communications of the Government of Canada.
Set in Stone by Val Speidel
Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens
Proofreader: Rachelle Kanefsky
Indexer: Annette Lorek
UBC Press
University of British Columbia
6344 Memorial Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
(604) 822-5959
Fax: 1-800-668-0821
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.ubcpress.ubc.ca
Contents
Tables and Figures / vi
Acknowledgments / vii
Introduction / x
Abbreviations / xiv
1 Surveying the Terrain / 3
2 Assessing the Situation: Challenges to the Mineral Industry / 18
3 Staking a Claim: Broadening the Public Interest / 39
4 Rough Terrain, Rich Resource: The Whitehorse Mining Initiative / 67
5 The Whitehorse Mining Accord: The Search for Consensus / 91
6 Implementing the Vision? Provincial and Federal Initiatives / 120
7 Perspectives on the Accord / 158
8 Terra Incognita: The Future of Resource Policy-Making in Canada / 182
Appendix A: Chronology of Events at the WMI / 193
Appendix B: WMI Vision Statement / 195
Appendix C: Commitment Statement of the BC Advisory Council
on Mining / 196
Notes / 199
Select Bibliography / 211
Index / 219
Tables and Figures
Tables
3.1 Occupational groups in the mining industry / 49
4.1 Stakeholder statements at the WMI / 80
4.2 Thematic issues for discussion at the WMI / 85
7.1 Working group agenda / 172
Figures
2.1 Exploration expenditures in Canada by junior and senior companies,
1969-94 / 22
2.2 Worldwide exploration budgets, 1994 / 23
4.1 Conceptual diagram of the WMI / 86
5.1 WMI outputs: Concepts / 114
Acknowledgments
This book, much like the national Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI),
required the perspectives, insights, and assistance of a great number of peo-
ple. George Hood, former Director of the Centre for Resource Studies (cur-
rent Associate Vice-Principal, Research, Queen's University), and Michael
Doggett, Interim Director of the Centre for Resource Studies, Queen's
University, provided encouragement, direction, and enthusiasm at all the
right times along the way. Their steadfast faith in the project and the
authors was very much appreciated. We also thank CRS for its financial sup
port. The comments provided by those who served as peer reviewers for the
manuscript were very helpful and constructive. We did our best to respond
to their suggestions and thank them for their suggestions.
George Miller, President of the Mining Association of Canada, has gar-
nered tremendous respect within all the communities of interest involved
in the Whitehorse Mining Initiative. Sustainable mineral development in
the next century will depend on the leadership of individuals such as
Miller who know what needs to be done and have the courage to do it. He
took time from his busy schedule to provide us with valuable insights into
the WMI process and the workings of the mineral industry. Dan Johnston,
a facilitator of the WMI and the BC Advisory Council on Mining, acted as
an indispensable bridge in the WMI, ensuring that all participants contin-
ued to communicate. During our interviews, Johnston was frequently cited
as one of the most important individuals in ensuring the successful signing
of the accord. Dan patiently explained to us the complexities involved in
the art of negotiation and facilitation.
Participants in the Whitehorse Mining Initiative and the BC Advisory
Council on Mining kindly responded to all our questions during a long
interview process and numerous follow-up phone calls, and read over rele-
vant chapters. Bruce McRae, then A/Deputy Minister of the BC Ministry of
Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources,1 read sections of the manuscript,
providing a helpful critical perspective and objective advice. The following
viii Acknowledgments
list includes the names of many people who took time to send information
and to be interviewed during the past year: Tony Andrews (Managing
Director, PDAC), Jerry Asp (Consultant), Art Ball (Director of Mines,
Manitoba Department of Energy and Mines), Don Barnett (Assistant
Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, NB), Richard Boyce (President, Local
Union 7619, USWA), Keith Conn (Coordinator, Environment, Assembly of
First Nations), Paul Dean (ADM, Mineral Resource Management Branch,
Department of Mines and Energy, NF), the Hon. Don Downes (Minister of
Natural Resources, NS), the Hon. Anne Edwards (then BC Minister of
Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources), John B. Gammon (ADM, Mines
and Minerals Division, Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, ON),
David Hopper (Land-Use Planner, Department of Natural Resources, NB),
Lois Hooge (Head, Whitehorse Mining Initiative Secretariat), Douglas
Hyde, (Canadian Environmental Network), Ed Huebert (VP, Manitoba
Association of Mining), Bob Keyes (VP, Economic Affairs, Mining Associa-
tion of Canada), Gary Livingstone (President and CEO, Mining Association
of British Columbia), Hans Matthews (President, Canadian Aboriginal
Minerals Association), Hugh MacKenzie (Assistant to the National Director,
USWA), Ed Mankelow (BC Wildlife Federation), Dan McFadyen (ADM,
Resource Policy and Economics, Saskatchewan Energy and Mines), Graeme
McLaren (Manager, Land-Use Policy, EMPR), Gary MacEwen (Natural
Resources and Energy, NB), Bruce McKnight (VP, Corporate Affairs, Westmin
Resources), Irene Novaczek (Chairperson, Ocean-Caucus-PEI Environ-
mental Network), Brian Parrott (then A/ADM, BC Energy, Mines and
Petroleum Resources), George Patterson (Director, Mineral Policy, Energy,
Mines and Petroleum Resources, Government of the NWT), Jack Patterson
(Managing Director, BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines), Bert Pereboom
(Senior Programme Officer, Research Department, USWA), Pat Phelan
(Executive Director, Mines and Minerals, Department of Natural Resources,
NS), Heather Robertson (Senior Planner, Ontario Ministry of Northern Devel-
opment and Mines), Walter Segsworth (President, Westmin Resources), Peter
Smith (Staff Representative, Canadian Auto Workers), Darlene Smith
(Department of Fisheries and Oceans), Bill Toms (Chief, Business Resource
Tax Analysis, Department of Finance), Robert Van Dijken (President, Yukon
Conservation Society), and Alan Young (Canadian Environmental Network).
Other individuals, although not participants in the Whitehorse Mining
Initiative, also gave freely of their time and expertise. They include Dan
Adamson of BC Parks (who patiently explained the province's new land-use
planning processes), Carylin Behn (CRG Projects), who carefully read the
sections on Aboriginal perspectives and provided a thoughtful and very
helpful critique, Annie Booth (Environmental Studies, UNBC), Greg Prycz
(Political Science, Acadia University), Beverly K. Therrien (Edmonton, AB),
and Paul Banfield and his colleagues at Queen's University archives.
Acknowledgments ix
Don Manson (of the political science program at UNBC) provided invalu-
able assistance in helping to pull the first draft of the manuscript together.
He chased down sources and edited, reviewed, and formatted text with
expertise, considerable forbearance, and good humour. Cheerful and pro-
fessional secretarial support was provided by Maggie Clarke, Lois Crowell,
Bev Schroeder (UNBC), Donna Stover (CRS, Queen's), and Leanne Wells
(Acadia University). Thanks also to members of our departments for their
collegial support.
We have tried to be accurate and objective in our portrayal of the many
different perspectives as they relate to mining and the WML None of the
individuals mentioned here should in any way be held responsible for pos-
sible misinterpretation or errors of fact. They are the authors' own.
Similar to the Whitehorse Mining Initiative, the scope of this project was
of a magnitude not originally anticipated. During the WMI process itself,
much was expected of participants in the way of concessions, compromise,
and conciliation. This was also the case with our families, who were
tremendously supportive during the whole project, and it is to them that
this work is dedicated.
