It is well said that “compromise makes a good umbrella but a poor roof” and that may be the case with bill 173 amending the Ontario Mining Act.
It is difficult for some to escape the notion that the proposed amendments were made not only to improve outdated legislation, encourage exploration and development, and enhance mining activity in the province, but to help the government escape potential embarrassing confrontations. Confrontations such as the one that led to the jailing of aboriginal community leaders in their contest with Platinex Inc., a junior mining company, and with irate cottage owners in southern Ontario seeking a moratorium on uranium mining and exploration.
This article was published by the Canadian Lawyer Magazine (May 2009, Volume 33, Issue 5).
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