Ontario Mining Act Review Won't Dampen Investment

By Canadian Press
08 Sep 2008 at 04:19 PM GMT-04:00

The Ontario government says investment in the province's multi-million dollar mining industry isn't likely to take a hit by proposed changes to the Mining Act.

TORONTO (CP) -- Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle says miners have been working with the government to try to balance their needs with those of the communities in which they operate.

He says public consultations — which wrap up in Toronto — have been heavily-attended and are progressing well.

Among the key issues discussed were land claims, aboriginal rights and environmental concerns.

Opposition leader John Tory says he's worried the review may scare investment away from the industry, while N-D-P leader Howard Hampton called the meetings nothing more than a "media show."

But Gravelle says previous meetings in Timmins, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Kingston show stakeholders in every corner support the need for change.