Industry officials said a united front on globally promoting the province’s resources – forest products, minerals and energy – will be key to creating jobs while also setting a global example through B.C.’s industry practices on the environment, community engagement and innovation. One sector showing its potential as an economic engine is the province’s forest industry, said Alexa Young, vice-president of government and public affairs at the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI). Young, who noted that the sector benefited from people staying home more and opting to upgrade their dwellings during the pandemic, said the industry’s growth in 2020 is a potential road map for B.C.’s economic recovery.
Building a mine in British Columbia: hurry up and wait
Mountain view at Eskay Creek. Image by Skeena Resources.
So, you want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars – possibly billions building a new copper mine in British Columbia.
First, you may have to spend a few million dollars explaining your plan to relevant First Nations and local communities before you even submit an application for an environmental permit.
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That way you’ll know up front whether the province will even accept your application to the Environmental Assessment Agency. Your project may be dead before it is even subjected to an environmental review.
That way you’ll know up front whether the province will even accept your application to the Environmental Assessment Agency. Your project may be dead before it is even subjected to an environmental review. Be sure to read UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People) and DRIPA (Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act). Once you’ve done that, and submitted your application, you will, at some point, probably need to deal with the ministries of ECCS, EMLCI, IRR, and FLNRORD. That’s just the provincial level. Federally you will probably have to deal with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Impact Assessment Agency.
iPolitics By iPolitics . Published on Jan 28, 2021 1:04pm (Joe Biden/Twitter)
The Lead
President Joe Biden signed a slew of executive actions on Wednesday aimed at fighting climate change, which included halting new oil and gas leases on federal land and the cutting of fossil fuel subsidies, Reuters reports.
“In my view, we’ve already waited too long to deal with this climate crisis,” Biden said at a White House ceremony, highlighting the threats the nation faces from extreme weather changes linked to climate change.
Meanwhile, reactions to Biden’s executive orders have been mixed, according to BNN Bloomberg.
“The era of putting polluters’ profits first is over,” said Josh Axelrod, senior advocate for the nature program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We can’t lock our children and grandchildren into decades more of the dirty fossil fuels of the past, and all the hazards and harms they bring to our public lands, oceans and coastal comm
We are excited to embrace the opportunities offered by modern technology, BC Natural Resources Forum communications manager Claire Perusse said in an email last year. Our digital platform will enable participants to share knowledge, new research findings, innovative practices, and case studies. The virtual program will include live webinars, panel discussions, presentations, and interactive Q&A sessions. In addition, there will be daily, virtual breakout rooms to allow for online networking. Given that there will be no travel requirements for this year’s forum, there will be few limits on the number of participants we can welcome, Perusse said. Therefore, we are hoping to engage more participants and attract a wider range of high-profile speakers from across Canada in this discussion.