BCEIA News
RemTech 2012 - Call for Abstracts Deadline June 1, 2012
October 17-19, 2012
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Read More...
New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project Federal Review Panel Established Three-member review panel for the federal environmental assessment
OTTAWA, May 9, 2012 /CNW/ - The
Honourable Peter Kent, federal Minister of the Environment and
Minister responsible for the Canadian Environmental Assessment
Agency (the Agency) announced today the establishment of a
three-member review panel for the federal environmental assessment
of the proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project in British
Columbia. Read More...
Canada-wide Standards for Benzene CCME Releases 2010 Final Report
Benzene is a non-threshold toxicant - a substance for
which there is considered to be some probability of harmful effects
at any level of exposure. On the basis of available data, benzene
is carcinogenic to humans. The implementation of the
Canada-wide Standard (CWS) for
Benzene will reduce Canadians' exposure to this
known human carcinogen. Read More...
Legal Case Study - New MSDEP Declaration: Permits May Be Delayed Or Refused Now required to be filed as a condition for the issue, maintenance or renewal of an authorization certificate or permit
Following the recent amendments to the Québec Environment
Quality Act (the "EQA"), the Ministry of Sustainable Development,
Environment and Parks ("MSDEP") recently published the form of a
new declaration which is now required to be filed as a condition
for the issue, maintenance or renewal of an authorization
certificate or permit. Read More...
Dealing with contaminated sites shows major challenges remain Some of the thousands of contaminated sites are a testament to poor planning, the failure of initial assessments to anticipate and avoid future environmental and human health problems
The federal government has made progress in identifying
contaminated sites for which it is responsible, and to date it has
closed almost half of them. However, addressing the remaining sites
will be a major challenge, says Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of
the Environment and Sustainable Development, in his report tabled
today in the House of Commons. Read More...
Bilateral R&D Funding Opportunity for Canadian and Brazilian Companies Information Sessions to be held May 8 & May 29
Canadian funding recipients are eligible to receive up to a
maximum of CDN $400,000 or up to 50 percent of the total R&D
project value. Read More...
Call Out for CEP Board Member Candidates CEP AGM to be held May 9, 2012
Deadline for applications extended until May
7th Read More...
Alex Tu joins BCEIA Board of Directors Senior Strategic Technology Specialist in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer with BC Hydro
The BCEIA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the
appointment of Alex Tu to the BCEIA Board. Read More...
Brownfield Funding Program Now Open Part of the the BC Brownfield renewal strategy
On behalf of BC Brownfield Renewal Strategy and the
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations,
we are pleased to announce that the Brownfield Funding Program is
open. Read More...
The Federal Government’s Plan to Overhaul Environmental Assessment Plan Contains a Series of Measures Centered on Four Themes
On April 17th, the Minister
of Natural Resources announced the Harper Government's plan to
streamline the environmental assessment process for major economic
projects.
According to the Government, more then
500 projects representing $500 billion in new investments will be
proposed across Canada in the next 10 years, and it is
against this backdrop that the "Responsible Resource Development"
plan was announced. Read More...
BCEIA Headlines
Imperial's Red Chris Project Receives Mine Permit
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, May 07, 2012 -
Imperial Metals Corporation reports the Province of British
Columbia has issued a Mines Act permit for Red Chris. Mine
development will include a 30,000 tonne per day milling operation
and related open pit mine.
The Red Chris project received British Columbia Environmental
Assessment Certification in 2005 and Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act (CEAA) approval in 2006. In July 2010, the Company
submitted an Application for a Mines' Act Permit following
confirmation by the Supreme Court of Canada on a challenge under
CEAA that there was no evidence before it of dissatisfaction with
the environmental assessments conducted by the BC Environmental
Assessment Office or the responsible authority and no evidence of
dissatisfaction with the assessment process from anyone else. The
Supreme Court of Canada held that the project could go ahead.
The project will employ approximately 300 hourly, salaried and
contract personnel, with the workforce is expected peak at 500
workers during construction.
Imperial is a mine development and operating company based in
Vancouver, British Columbia. The Company's key properties are two
open pit mines: Mount Polley copper/gold mine and Huckleberry
copper/molybdenum mine, both in British Columbia, as well as the
development stage Red Chris copper/gold property in British
Columbia, and the Sterling gold property in Nevada.
WorkSafeBC exec says asbestos disease still top concern for B.C. workers
by Mari-len De Guzman 23 April 2012
VANCOUVER - The effects of long years of exposure to asbestos is
still one of the biggest challenges faced by British Columbia's
workers today, and it is expected to continue to be a problem in
this decade. This was according to Donna Wilson,
vice-president for industrial service and sustainability for
WorkSafeBC, the province's workers' compensation board. [check
out WorkSafeBC's asbestos resource site]
Company faces possible fines for improper asbestos disposal
By Tyler Orton - Langley Times The BC Ministry of Environment is
investigating a local business for improper disposal of hazardous
material, after bags of asbestos were found scattered across the
company's property last month.
Read More
Bar reset for environmental review
ROBERT MATAS
VANCOUVER- From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Apr. 18, 2012 10:22PM EDT
"This isn't about reducing the bar for environmental
assessment," says B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake, referring
to federal changes in the environmental review process.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver announced sweeping
changes this week to the federal environmental review process.
Ottawa will limit its reviews to major projects, such as the
Northern Gateway pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the B.C.
port of Kitimat. In most other cases, the federal government will
step back and let the provinces conduct environmental assessment
reviews. The provinces will be expected to meet standards set out
in federal legislation.
B.C. urged Ottawa to have one environmental assessment process.
Despite best efforts to align federal and provincial efforts, the
process results in delays, duplication, lost economic opportunities
and investor uncertainty, the provincial government told the
committee.
Currently, both Ottawa and the provinces conduct environmental
reviews. Ottawa is currently involved in assessing 562 projects in
B.C., while the province is looking at 69 projects. Dozens are
being reviewed by both levels of government. B.C. says two-thirds
of the projects currently undergoing provincial environmental
assessments also require a federal review. Read More
Blakes 17th Annual Overview of Environmental Law and Regulation in British Columbia 2012
Readers may check out the latest update on environmental law in
British Columbia published by the Vancouver based Blakes
Environmental Group. This ecellent compendium is a must read for
environmental business professionals. Read More
B.C. toxic sites' cleanup costs rise
By Tara Carman, Vancouver Sun April 12, 2012
The estimated cost of identifying and cleaning up contaminated
sites on Crown land in B.C. ballooned by $73 million between 2006
and 2012, government figures show. The province's price tag
for cleanup of these sites has increased to $237 million this year,
up from $163.7 million in 2006, according to government reports
from those two years. The figures are cumulative since
2001.
The increase is due to a number of factors, including an
expanded number of investigations into the nature of contamination
at various sites throughout the province and increases in the
estimated liability at these sites , a spokesman from the Ministry
of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said in an
interview. Read more: