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1998/99 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 36th Parliament

FIRST READING

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

MR. SYMONS

BILL M 203 – 1998

URANIUM MORATORIUM ACT

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of British

Columbia, enacts as follows:

The Mineral Tenure Act is amended by adding the following section:

Uranium Moratorium

17.1

Interpretation

(1) In this

section

"chief inspector" means the Chief Inspector of

Mines under the Mines Act ;

"explore" includes prospecting or searching for

minerals by drilling, trenching, blasting or driving workings underground;

"lessee" means the holder of a placer lease issued

under the Mining (Placer) Act ;

"mineral" means mineral as defined in the Mineral

Act and Mining (Placer) Act ;

"mining property" means mining property as defined

in the Mineral Act and includes a Crown-granted 2 post claim;

"place lease" means a lease issued under

section

7 of the Mining (Placer) Act .

Mineral reserve and placer mining reserve

(2) (

a) The Province of British Columbia is designated as a mineral reserve and a

placer mining reserve in respect of the mineral uranium.

(

b) No person shall explore for, develop, mine or produce any mineral for its uranium

content on the reserve created under subsection (a).

Discovery of uranium in samples

(3) (

a) Subject to

section 4, where, during the course of exploring for a mineral,

uranium is encountered which, to the knowledge of the person who encounters it, has

uranium in a quantity exceeding 0.5 kg of uranium for every tonne of mineral in place, no

person shall explore for any mineral on

(

i) the mining property, or

(ii) the land covered by a placer lease

where the uranium in that proportion has been encountered.

(

b) A person who encounters uranium in the proportion referred to in subsection

(1) shall report that fact in writing to the chief inspector within 7 days after he/she learns

that the mineral he/she has encountered has uranium that exceeds the proportion referred

to in subsection (a).

Discovery of uranium in ore bodies

(4) Where, in the course of developing a mine or producing a mineral from a mineral

body, minerals with an average grade of .01% uranium by weight are discovered, the owner,

manager or agent of the mine shall

(

a) order all development and production to cease, and

(

b) within 7 days, inform the chief inspector that minerals containing uranium in that

grade have been discovered.

Commencement

This Act comes into effect on Royal Assent.

Copyright © 1999: Queen's Printer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada