BC Government - Mines Permit Fees

The Provincial Government wants to start charging fees to process notice of work (NOW) applications. The proposed minimum amount for less than one hectare is $2,000; 2 to 3 hectares is $4,000 and over 3 hectares is $6,000.00.

A large part of Placer mining is exploratory work - mineral deposits have not yet been proven. If viable mineral deposit is found, then the project would become a taxable venture.

This will affect any claim holder who would want to use any type of mechanical equipment.

At present the small pan and shovel hand miner is not affected. However this could be the beginning of the government eroding the Placer Industry.

This issue affects the entire province of British Columbia. Placer miners in BC should stand together and have a unified voice in this industry.  The more people involved, the more awareness we bring to this issue.

Any cost is wrong.  There should be no charge for submitting a NOW. The government collects taxation on mining earnings and that money is used to cover costs to the system. It is wrong to front load costs/fees to exploration work. This cost has a high probability to place exploration and testing of claims for small operator far out of reach. The cost to larger operations also represents money that can be used to buy or rent equipment or hire workers. This is money that could go to the economy, money that could allow a venture to carry on, or perhaps be an initial start to exploration.

Currently, in order to get a NOW, the person has to stake a bond which sits in place. The dollar amounts of these bonds can range from $2500 to $5000 or more depending on a number of factors. If the mines inspector is not happy with the reclamation they can pull the bond. Between the bond and NOW fees, this is a lot of money out of pocket for exploration work.

All Placer Miners should be addressing this proposed NOW permitting fee. It’s important that we all stay vigilant and unified to present our position on this matter. We urge you to fill out the petition and also add your comments.

If you haven't already, please consider joining your local Placer Mining Club. The members of all the BC clubs - along with the affiliations to the BC Placer Mining Association - provide a substantial lobby force to sit at the table with the BC government for matters such as this and provide input on behalf of all.

 

Your comments can also be sent to "Mapa.fees@gov.bc.ca"

The petition:

As a Free Miner in the Province of British Columbia, I disagree with the proposed fees for Notice of Work applications. I submit my digital signature below to reject the proposal or implementation of ANY fees for NOW applications.

 

 

Jointly written by: Donna Chaytor and Mike Bjerstedt