Mining activities often require multiple authorizations from across government. The table below provides information about common regulated activities related to mining and their associated Provincial authorization requirements.
This information is provided for convenience only, and users should confirm authorization requirements with Provincial staff prior to undertaking regulated works or activities. This table does not include authorizations required by federal or local governments. Note that decision making powers may be delegated in accordance with the applicable act.
Activity |
Act |
Authorization |
Ministry |
Decision Maker |
Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ability to obtain authorizations for a reviewable project. |
Environmental Assessment Act |
EAO |
Minister |
To obtain authorizations for a reviewable project. Required for any project that meets or exceeds thresholds or are otherwise designated. |
|
Acquire and access mineral title |
Mineral Tenure Act |
MCM |
n/a |
To explore for, acquire and maintain mineral titles and to access mineral title area. |
|
Altering archeological site or removing materials |
Heritage Conservation Act |
FOR |
Director |
To alter or destroy an archeological site, or to remove materials from an archeological site, including culturally modified trees. |
|
Assess the archeological significance of a site |
Heritage Conservation Act |
FOR |
Director |
To inspect a property for the presence of archaeological deposits, to assess potential impacts to archaeological deposits by a proposed development, to evaluate the significance of the site, and to provide enough information to formulate management recommendations for the site. |
|
Camp construction |
Mines Act HSRC |
MCM |
Chief Permitting Officer |
Industrial camps must comply with the Industrial Camp Regulation of the Public Health Act and the HSRC of the Mines Act. Proponents should contact the Regional Health Authority and MCM to determine necessary authorizations. |
|
Camp construction |
Public Health Act Industrial Camp Regulation |
Regional Health Authority |
Environmental Health Officer |
Industrial camps must comply with the Industrial Camp Regulation of the Public Health Act and the HSRC of the Mines Act. Proponents should contact the Regional Health Authority and MCM to determine necessary authorizations. |
|
Changes in or about a stream or divert or use water |
Water Sustainability Act |
Water authorizations (various types) |
FOR |
Water Manager |
To divert, use or store surface water or groundwater, or to make changes in and about a stream. |
Clear trees to develop mineral/ coal title over 50 cubic metres |
Forest Act |
FOR |
District Manager |
To clear over 50 cubic metres of timber for exploration and mining activities on a mineral or coal title area. |
|
Clear trees to develop mineral/ coal title up to 50 cubic metres |
Forest Act |
MCM |
Chief Permitting Officer |
To clear up to 50 cubic metres of timber for exploration and mining activities on a mineral or coal title area. If a proponent is completing a notice of work, the free use permit is linked to this electronic application and will be generated as part of that process. If a person already has an exploration permit, they should submit a notice of work to amend the permit to include tree cutting. |
|
Concrete production in a batch plant (permanent or temporary) |
Environmental Management Act Concrete and Concrete Products Industry Code of Practice |
ENV |
Director |
Registration is required for permission to discharge from manufacturing ready-mix concrete and concrete products. Requirements are set for air emissions and discharges of process water. |
|
Connect, cross or use highway right of way or infrastructure |
Transportation Act |
TT |
Minister (delegated to staff) |
To create access to a highway, to construct, repair or maintain works, or hold an event on or along a provincial highway right-of-way. |
|
Construct and use a sewage disposal facility |
Environmental Management Act Municipal Wastewater Regulation |
ENV |
Director |
To construct and use an onsite sewerage system with discharges to water or 22.7m3/day or greater. |
|
Construct and use a sewage disposal facility |
Public Health Act Sewerage System Regulation |
On-Site Sewerage Certification / Permit (Info on Regional Health Authority websites) |
Regional Health Authority |
Environmental Health Officer |
To construct and use an onsite sewerage system with discharges under 22.7m3/day. |
Construct and use road |
Forest Practices Code of B.C. |
FOR |
District Manager |
To construct and maintain mining access roads, including construction and maintenance of bridges and other drainage structures. |
|
Construct, operate, close a mine |
Mines Act |
MCM |
Chief Permitting Officer |
To prepare, construct, operate and close a mine. The permit also sets out closure and reclamation obligations and security. Mineral or coal tenure is required prior to obtaining a Mines Act permit. |
|
Cut and remove or destroy Crown timber |
Forest Act |
FOR |
District Manager |
To cut, or cut and removal, Crown timber from Crown land or private land. In all cases, the applicant must hold a right to occupy and use the land being harvested through a ”right of occupation", a lease, or a special use permit. |
|
Dispose or incinerate refuse |
Environmental Management Act Hazardous Waste Regulation |
ENV |
Director |
Registration and application for a provincial identification number is required in order to produce, store, treat, recycle or discharge more than a prescribed quantity of hazardous waste. |
|
Dispose or incinerate refuse |
Environmental Management Act |
ENV |
Director |
To dispose solid wastes, including food wastes (e.g. to a landfill or composting facility) or to discharge air contaminants from incineration. |
|
Exploration involving mechanical disturbance or excavation |
Mines Act |
(Notice of Work) |
MCM |
Chief Permitting Officer |
To conduct exploration activities on a mineral or coal title area, including ground excavation, drilling, processing, concentrating, waste disposal and site reclamation. Obtained through a Notice of Work application. |
Food premises |
Public Health Act |
(Info on Regional Health Authority websites) |
Regional Health Authority |
Environmental Health Officer |
To construct and operate food premises. |
Occupy Crown land |
Land Act |
FOR |
District Manager |
To occupy or use Crown land. |
|
Open burning |
Environmental Management Act |
ENV |
Director |
A permit or approval under the EMA is required for open burning operations which do not meet the requirements of the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation. |
|
Open burning |
Wildfire Act |
FOR |
n/a |
The Wildfire Act and the Wildfire Regulation specify legal obligations when using fire in (or within one kilometre of) forest land or grassland. A burn registration number is required for any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide, three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide, one or more burning windrows, or stubble or grass burning over an area greater than 0.2 hectares. Proponents should review any current fire bans and restrictions. |
|
Produce coal resources |
Coal Act |
MCM |
Chief Gold Commissioner |
To produce coal from a coal lease area above coal licence limits. |
|
Produce mineral resources |
Mineral Tenure Act |
MCM |
Chief Gold Commissioner |
To produce mineral ore or placer minerals from a lease area above claim limits. |
|
Store and use explosives |
Mines Act |
MCM |
Chief Inspector of Mines |
To store and use explosives. A permit must be obtained before a magazine is located, erected, built, put into service, or modified, or before carrying out any maintenance work including the installation of lighting or heating. |
|
Store fuel |
Environmental Management Act Petroleum Storage and Distribution Facilities Storm Water Regulation |
ENV |
Director |
Any petroleum storage facility that has a cumulative storage capacity over 100,000 L, occupies a location for more than 180 consecutive days and is not a part of a retail service station is required to register. The regulation also outlines requirements for oil water separator systems and effluent quality. |
|
Study or investigate an archeological site |
Heritage Conservation Act |
FOR |
Director |
To mitigate impacts to site through the recovery of data after an impact assessment is completed under an inspection permit, and when a site is determined to be too significant to go straight to an alteration permit. |
|
Subsurface rights for coal resources |
Coal Act |
MCM |
Chief Gold Commissioner |
Grants subsurface rights and rights to explore for the coal resources within the coal unit. Production limit is 100,000 tonne samples for testing purposes. |
|
Subsurface rights for mineral resources |
Mineral Tenure Act |
MCM |
Chief Gold Commissioner |
Grants subsurface rights for the mineral resources within a cell claim. Production limit is 1,000 tonnes per year of ore from each cell claim. Bulk sample limit is 10,000 tonnes once every five years. |
|
Supply drinking water |
Drinking Water Protection Act |
Construction and Operation Permits (Info on Regional Health Authority websites) |
Regional Health Authority |
Drinking Water Officer |
To construct and operate a drinking water supply system. |
Supply drinking water |
Water Sustainability Act |
Water authorizations (various types) |
FOR |
Water Manager |
To divert, use or store surface water or groundwater, or to make changes in and about a stream. |
Surface rights for mining activities on Crown land |
Land Act |
FOR |
District Manager |
To occupy or use Crown land. |
|
Waste discharges (air, effluent and solid wastes) |
Environmental Management Act |
ENV |
Director |
To discharge air, effluent or solid wastes to the environment (short or long term). |
|
Wildlife salvage and removal |
Wildlife Act |
FOR |
Regional Manager |
To possess, trap or kill wildlife or destroy birds’ nests. |