ACCOUNTABLE MINING

Canada is a global mining powerhouse. It is both a home and host country for the mining industry, and it is a hub for mining finance. As such, Canada can lead in the implementation of processes that are transparent, and that allow for full accountability.

Transparency International Canada is part of Transparency International’s global network championing accountability in the mining sector.

The Chapter’s research into the process of awarding mining permits has produced two extensive reports:

Its first report, published in 2018, assessed how mine closure plans are approved in the Province of Ontario. Looking at the corruption risks in this process, it found two critical issues: the risk that negotiations with Indigenous Peoples could be manipulated, and a risk stemming from the fact that certain steps in the process are hidden from the public.

Its second report, published in November 2020, analyses the environmental assessment (EA) processes in Ontario, British Colombia and the Yukon Territory. If the EA is not conducted transparently and accountably, the true impacts of a mining project can remain hidden, and the public may not fully understand the trade-offs. This report has uncovered 38 corruption risks that may undermine the EA process.