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Manitoba's Mineral Resources

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Mines Branch (Regulatory)

Land Access and Sustainable Development

Land Access Action Plan

Background:

The Manitoba minerals sector produces in excess of one billion dollars annually in total mineral production value. This sector provides significant wealth generation, export earnings, jobs, as well as materials needed to sustain industrial activity and contributes meaningfully to our high standard of living. The Manitoba minerals sector has excellent growth potential, and by providing a positive business climate to further encourage mineral exploration and investment, the economic and social benefits that the industry provides to the Province can be significantly enhanced.

There are land use, access, and tenure challenges that need to be resolved if the minerals industry is to remain economically viable. The industry needs assurance of continued access to high potential mineral lands in order to maximize the probability of exploration success. The current state of land use uncertainty and the need to streamline cumbersome environmental and land use permitting processes have been identified by the mining industry as a serious impediment to new mine development in Canada. This uncertainty concerning possible future mine development will inevitably lead to the sterilization and avoidance of some areas of the Province that have high mineral potential. Resolving the adversarial nature of the environment/development dilemna will help to provide for a new era of positive growth and stability for the mining industry in Manitoba.

  Image of rehabilitated pit

The ongoing implementation of the "action plan" is an important step towards improving land access to areas with mineral potential and improving security of tenure for the mining industry. The following "action plan" lists the major departmental activities that have been initiated to implement the concept of sustainable development in the mining sector.

Issue: Establish a comprehensive departmental land use review and evaluation process in order to ensure that all mineral concerns are addressed into land use planning processes.

  • Action: Design and implement an integrated resource management land use process. A new process for TLE has been designed and implemented.
  • Goal: Improve coordination of land use, policy and regulatory proposals.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: Ongoing. A new process was initiated in Sept. 1995

Issue: Improve security of tenure by providing up-to-date land use and tenure information.

  • Action: Collect and assess complex land use and tenure information.
  • Develop and maintain an inventory of land use designations and provide current information to industry and Cabinet committees.
  • Goal: Ensure that mineral dispositions and mining rights are legally protected.
  • Ensure that the mineral exploration industry can acquire up-to-date land use data in order to plan exploration programs.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: Ongoing. A new process was initiated in Sept. 1995
    1. Provincial Parks - 1996
    2. Wildlife Management Areas - 1996, 1997
    3. Mineral Exploration and Development Areas - 1998
    4. Forestry Areas - 1998

Issue: Minimize encroachment of incompatible land use allocations by implementing Cabinet approved regulatory and policy tools that legally protect high potential mineral lands.

1. New land use policy (regulation under Planning Act)

  • Action: Establish process and procedures.
  • Goal: Provide legal protection for metallic, quarry mineral and petroleum resources.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: 1996

2. Provincial Parks

  • Action: Provide land use maps and required technical information.
  • Goal: Minimize land use conflicts.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: 1996, 1997, 1998

3. Wildlife Management Areas

  • Action: Provide land use maps and required technical information.
  • Goal: Minimize land use conflicts.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: 1997, 1998

4. Forestry Areas

  • Action: Provide land use maps and required technical information.
  • Goal: Minimize land use conflicts.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: 1997, 1998

5. Municipal Development Plans

  • Action: Provide land use maps and required technical information.
  • Goal: Minimize land use conflicts.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: Ongoing

Issue: Legal protection for Winnipeg's aggregate supply from rural residential encroachment.

  • Action: Evaluate land use and mineral information and provide detailed policy recommendations for protection.
  • Goal: Legally protect areas of mineral potential. Provide technical recommendations to the Capital Region Committee.
  • Who: Mines
  • When: 1996, 1997

Issue: Complete the "Implementation Document" of the Sustainable Development Strategy

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