Legislation - Part VII of the Mining Act

Overview

Part VII of the Mining Act which deals principally with the rehabilitation of mines and mining lands in the province of Ontario was proclaimed in 1991 and amended June 30, 2000. Under Part VII:

• Proponents of all advanced exploration projects and new mines are required to file a certified Closure Plan including financial assurance to indicate the method, schedule and cost of all rehabilitation to be conducted on the site once closure commences. All Closure Plans received will be posted on Ministry of Environment's Environmental Registry as required under the Environmental Bill of Rights.
• The Closure Plan is audited to ensure all regulatory requirements have been met.
• If all the requirements are met, the Director of Mine Rehabilitation acknowledges receipt of the Closure Plan within 45 days.  

The actual Part VII legislation may be viewed as follows:

• Sections 139-153 of the Mining Act
• Mine Development and Closure Under Part VII of the Mining Act - O. Reg. 240/00

The above Regulation contains details on Closure Plan and certification requirements. 
Listed below are several of the references mentioned in the legislation:

• British Columbia Acid Rock Drainage Guidelines
• Guidelines and Recommended Methods for the Prediction of Metal Leaching and Acid Rock Drainage at Minesites in British Columbia (170 pages, 8.28 MB, PDF format)
• CDA Canadian Dam Safety Guidelines
• Volume 3 of the Ontario Provincial Standards for Roads and Public Works

NOTE: 

• Changes to the above Regulation that came into effect on August 8, 2006 may be found here.
• Additional minor changes that came into effect on July 3, 2007 may be found here.