AME Critical of Government's Approach to New Consultation Framework
VANCOUVER, BC, March 20, 2025 /CNW/ - The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) has welcomed the publication of a new Mineral Claims Consultation Framework (MCCF) but has raised concerns with the development process and raised serious issues about the framework's detail.
The final framework was released today, with less than one week until the March 26, 2025, deadline for its implementation. The deadline was given by the Supreme Court of British Columbia in September 2023. The MCCF introduces Indigenous consultation to the claim staking process through a newly introduced application process prior to registration. Previously, consultation with Indigenous communities was not required until applying for permits to conduct mechanical mineral exploration work.
While AME is pleased to see a public document, it takes serious issue with the process used to create the framework, and with the framework itself. The framework proceeds without addressing key industry concerns of ensuring firm reliable timelines; and maintaining an applicant's confidentiality to ensure objective decisions are made. 'AME understands the need to implement the framework by March 26,' said Trish Jacques, Board Chair of the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME). 'However, it has taken the full 18 months to get to this stage, and the government has only meaningfully engaged with industry in recent months. This has limited our association's ability to provide prudent feedback on some complex issues, although some progress has been made.'
'AME does not endorse the final version of the framework as there are serious issues that have not been addressed. While we have provided consistent recommendations, the government has chosen to apply a political response in some of its decision-making. This is disappointing to AME and to the members we represent.'
'The B.C. government has failed to meaningfully address two of our main concerns,' added Jacques. 'The decision to include applicants' names in the processes takes away confidentiality of the applicant and the protection of their intellectual property. This means the process cannot be guaranteed to be unbiased and objective. Also, the timelines in the framework are not firm and are only targets, despite promises by the Premier to guarantee permitting timelines.1 This leaves us with a wait-and-see approach to how government manages timelines in a manner that will support the mineral exploration industry. AME has been clear that timelines must be upheld to ensure investment in early-stage mineral exploration.'
AME is pleased that the government has committed to a process of continuous improvement for the MCCF and will be providing government with expertise in the review of the timelines and effectiveness at six months, with an opportunity to adjust the program and make recommended changes.
It is important for the government to recognize that the implementation of the MCCF creates instability for the mineral exploration industry. Based on industry's experience with the development of the MCCF, AME is deeply concerned with government's stated goal of modernizing the Mineral Tenure Act in 2026. At a time when economic uncertainty is already heightened by Trump Tariffs and democratic instability following the passage of Bill 7, this initiative risks further deterring investment in the sector. AME strongly encourages the government to slow down and allow for the MCCF and government's management of it to prove itself out prior to piling further change and instability on the industry.
AME remains committed to providing government practical solutions that can fix the process and are engaging with government to continue to provide information about issues through a transparent and continual improvement process. With one week until a court-mandated deadline for the framework's implementation, the B.C. government, by not addressing the Association's core concerns, has left industry hanging by choosing to ignore prudent recommendations to ensure industry stability.
The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) is the lead association for the mineral exploration and development industry based in British Columbia. Established in 1912, AME represents, advocates and promotes the interests of more than 6,000 members who are engaged in mineral exploration and development in BC and globally. AME encourages a safe, economically strong and environmentally responsible industry by providing clear initiatives, policies, events and tools to support its membership in delivering responsible projects that advance reconciliation and provide benefit to all British Columbians.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
3 hours ago
- Time Business News
The Missing Skillset in Most Executive Teams Today
In today's complex leadership environment, the traditional strengths of executive teams—strategic foresight, financial acumen, and operational oversight—are no longer enough. Boards and C-suites are now expected to guide organisations through rapid technological change, stakeholder scrutiny, and rising expectations around equity and inclusion. Amidst this shift, there is a growing realisation that many leadership teams share a common shortfall: the absence of a well-rounded, contemporary skillset that reflects today's ethical, cultural, and digital realities. These are not niche capabilities, but essential competencies that shape decision-making, trust, and long-term relevance. Here are the seven critical skill sets that are most often missing from executive teams today. Cultural intelligence—the ability to interact effectively and respectfully across diverse cultural contexts—is no longer optional in executive leadership. Many leaders operate with a limited understanding of Indigenous worldviews, knowledge systems, or protocols. This lack of cultural capability can lead to tokenistic efforts or missteps that damage trust and organisational reputation. Executives must be able to recognise and respond to the values, experiences, and histories of Indigenous communities and other underrepresented groups. This includes understanding how historical and structural inequalities shape current relationships. Cultural intelligence enables organisations to move from surface-level diversity efforts to meaningful engagement and long-term inclusion. In many organisations, inclusion is still treated as a peripheral initiative, separate from core business strategy. But inclusive planning is not a side task; it's a strategic competency. Executives must be able to embed equity and reconciliation across critical functions such as procurement, recruitment, policy development, and risk management. This requires co-designing strategies with Indigenous and marginalised stakeholders, aligning inclusion metrics with business outcomes, and building accountability into organisational systems. Organisations often work with consultants like YarnnUp to support inclusive leadership and reconciliation planning. Partnering with external experts can bring fresh insight, cultural context, and the objectivity needed to shift thinking and drive real change. Effective communication is central to any leadership role, but cross-cultural communication requires additional layers of awareness, nuance, and sensitivity. Executives must know how to engage respectfully with Indigenous communities and culturally diverse stakeholders. This means understanding protocol, embracing listening as a leadership tool, and avoiding language or behaviours that alienate or exclude. As Babson College highlights, poor communication can lead to confusion, mistrust, and missed opportunities—a reality that becomes even more pronounced in culturally diverse contexts. Many organisations suffer from failed partnerships or miscommunication simply because leaders lack the interpersonal skills to navigate cross-cultural spaces. Strong communication skills build trust, deepen collaboration, and prevent misunderstandings from escalating into reputational harm. As organisations undergo digital transformation, executive teams must ensure that technology aligns with ethical, inclusive practices. Digital literacy for leaders now includes understanding how digital tools can both enable and undermine equity. For example, how might algorithmic bias affect service delivery? How do Indigenous communities experience digital engagement platforms? Are accessibility and cultural relevance being considered in digital design? These are questions that modern leaders must be equipped to ask—and answer. They must champion digital strategies that are not only efficient but also socially responsible. Inclusive leadership starts with the ability to reflect critically on one's own position, influence, and assumptions. Executives often lead with confidence, but rarely with vulnerability. Yet it is self-awareness that allows leaders to recognise unconscious bias, address privilege, and create space for diverse voices at the table. This skillset involves emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths—not just in others, but in themselves and their organisations. Developing this capability builds authentic, values-based leadership and fosters a more inclusive workplace culture. Organisations are operating in increasingly complex environments—socially, politically, and technologically. Adaptive thinking is the ability to respond to that complexity with agility, creativity, and systems-level awareness. Leaders need to navigate change that is non-linear, sensitive to history, and grounded in real-world impacts. This is especially relevant when dealing with Indigenous engagement, where relationships span generations and are embedded in broader social systems. Adaptive thinking enables executives to lead through ambiguity, build bridges across perspectives, and manage competing priorities with long-term vision. The most significant leadership gaps today are not in traditional disciplines, but in the human, ethical, and cultural dimensions of leadership. These skillsets—ranging from cultural intelligence to ethical digital literacy—are foundational to organisational relevance, integrity, and impact. Executive teams that actively develop these capabilities are better equipped to lead through complexity, build genuine trust, and deliver on their commitments to inclusion and reconciliation. Those that don't risk becoming outdated, performative, or disconnected from the communities they aim to serve. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Meet the folks who live near ‘Alligator Alcatraz' and call the Everglades home
Scott and Conny Randolph live on a wild piece of land they call paradise. They're comforted by the hoots of owls and snorts of pig frogs. They look up at night to a sky full of glittering stars. And when they get up in the morning, they look out the window to greet their neighbor, a six-foot-long alligator named Big Momma. Anyone who listens to the Randolphs, who live on the property of the Clyde Butcher Big Cypress Gallery, will get an earful on how beautiful, magical and serene the Big Cypress National Preserve is. But those who listen to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who proposed building Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center smack dab in the middle of sprawling Everglades marsh, may get a different picture. 'You don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. No where to go, no where to hide,' he said in a video posted on X. This otherwise quiet section of the Everglades has drawn national attention and controversy to the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a landing strip north of Tamiami Trail where Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis have fast-tracked the construction of what they have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' For days, trucks have hauled in supplies and tools for the site to be operational, officials say, by July. Folks who live and work in Big Cypress, a federally protected section of the vast Florida Everglades, are pushing back on outsiders' misconceptions of their beloved swamp. It is not totally inhospitable to human life — just ask the Seminoles and Miccosukees. The invasive Burmese pythons, though numerous, are actually kind of hard to find, they say. The folks out here find alligators to be pretty chill — so long as you don't get too close to Big Momma's nest. 'In 14 years, I've never come across a Burmese python on these 13 acres. But I'll tell you what I have come across: bears, bobcats, alligators, wood storks,' Scott Randolph said as he pointed out his nature photography at the gallery. 'It's this beautiful system that, seriously, is such a rarity.' And while Big Cypress is definitely backwoods compared to densely populated downtown Miami, hundreds of people live off this stretch of Tamiami Trail, depending on the time of year. Campers hang out on Loop Road. Staff live on site at Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher's gallery. Airboat tour attractions and gift shops dot the highway. Notably, there are also about 20 Miccosukee villages along the Trail. 'To hear how it's described by people who never grew up here, who who aren't from here, as a wasteland. This abandoned, barren land. 'Nobody is out here,'' said Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee tribal member and activist. 'I'm like, 'What about me?' I'm somebody.' The proposal and quick turn around has outraged residents on several fronts, including immigration, environmental protections and Indigenous rights. Those against the facility, who plan on demonstrating on Saturday, argue the $450 million facility undermines the billions of dollars spent on restoring the Everglades and jeopardizes a fragile ecosystem. DeSantis, eager to support President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts, says the facility is necessary and environmentally benign. 'It'll have zero impact on the Everglades,' he said on Fox News. Live, laugh, love mosquitoes Still dressed in his mosquito net jacket, John Kalafarski unfurled laminated maps of the Everglades in the parking lot outside acclaimed nature photographer Clyde Butcher's gallery. He likes to show people how vast the swamp was before development. True nature lovers like Kalafarski thrive in the Everglades. He lived on Loop Road in the preserve for 10 years in the '90s. Now, the Naples resident guides tourists on swamp walks and pulls out snail shells from his backpack to show kids. Many years ago, he said, a couple of journalists came by working on a story about why people live out here. 'You won't understand until I take you on a swamp walk,' he told them. When asked about Alligator Alcatraz, he shook his head solemnly. The gallery , which displays and sells 82-year-old Butcher's black-and-white images and offers guided swamp walks, is less than 10 miles away from the soon-to-be detention site. The Randolphs, who've been married for 37 years, have lived in the cottage behind the gallery for the last 14 years. Scott Randolph, a resident artist at the gallery, takes striking color images of his surroundings. Big Momma the alligator is one of his muses, as are curious bobcats and the serene landscape. He pointed to one image he took of the night sky. The Milky Way was clear as day. When he took the photo, all he could hear was the sound of insects. In fact, the Randolphs love the nature so much, they share one hot take few South Floridians can relate to — they don't mind the mosquitoes. 'I'm happy to see mosquitoes! They're healthy mosquitoes, and they benefit so much to nature. It's a small price to pay to live out here,' Scott Randolph said. '[Mosquitoes] let me know the environment is trying to work. If you have little stuff, you're gonna have big stuff.' They learn to cope with the extreme heat as well. In the winter, Conny Randolph said, she doesn't sweat. But in the summer, she needs to change her clothes several times a day. 'It's harsh, but it's totally, utterly, completely worth it,' she said. By working at the gallery and providing swamp tours, staff member Trish Elser said she wants to spread awareness of the Everglades' beauty and why it needs to be protected. She hoped one particular visitor got that message. A contractor for Alligator Alcatraz stopped by the gallery this week, she said. He was struck by the beauty, she said. 'I'm glad we were able to show him love and what we love about the Everglades,' Elser said. Growing up on Miccosukee land Betty Osceola was among the last generation of Miccosukee to live entirely off the land. Growing up in Big Cypress, nearly all the food her family ate came from their environment, she said. As a girl, Osceola and her siblings ran outside into the swamp barefoot. She has fond memories swimming in rivers while one kid kept an eye out for alligators passing by. As the seasons changed, her mother would remind her when panthers and bears were roaming around. The tribal kids were free to play outside all day, she said, so long as they were back home before sundown. 'We were barefoot going out into the swamps that everybody is so afraid of,' Osceola said. 'That was our playground.' Life out there is tranquil, she said, or at least it was before the cacophony of trucks bringing in supplies for the detention site. The sudden influx of people raises safety concerns, Osceola said. But her primary concern is for nature. How are the trees? The ibis? The endangered panthers that live nearby? While state officials portray alligators as built-in security guards, Osceola said her favorite animal is nothing of the sort. 'I was kind of offended on the alligator's behalf with the way they talk about them,' she said. 'I don't think the alligator wants its name attached to the word Alcatraz.' The Miccosukee have always been in the Everglades and found refuge there during the Seminole Wars, said Chairman Talbert Cypress. Tribal ceremonial grounds and villages are 'very close' to the proposed facility, he said. (Osceola told the Herald she knows a family who's home is less than half a mile away.) 'We have a very close knit community. Everybody knows each other,' Cypress said. 'Even the Gladesmen that live out there, they have family history out there and we have family history with them. We've stuck together through many challenges over the hundreds of thousands of years that we've been there.' Gladesmen is a term for non-natives who have lived, hunted and fished in the Glades for decades. Cypress said the Miccosukee Business Council's priority is to protect the Everglades and advocate for the Miccosukee and Seminole community. As buses bring in and out people, supplies and waste to the facility, Cypress said increased traffic on the two-lane Tamiami Trail will be a major issue. 'It's just a huge burden for the state to take on, and the federal government as well. I don't quite think they understand the scope of how much it's going to cost,' Cypress said. 'God forbid anything emergency-wise happens.' Locals have been keeping a close eye on the construction progress, making their presence known as they watch trucks pull in and out. Garrett Stuart, 41, an environmental scientist of Lakota descent, stood outside the facility just three miles away from where he lives with the Miccosukee. He formed a close bond with Osceola, who adopted him as a nephew. Stuart criticized DeSantis for, as he put it, flip-flopping on his stance of protecting the Everglades when he first ran for governor. And he scoffed at the idea that there's nowhere for detainees to go if they escape. They'd be more likely to run into a Miccosukee camp than into an alligator's mouth, he said. 'It's almost kind of comical that the government thinks that, if you put them out here in the Everglades, there's nowhere to hide,' Stuart said. 'The Seminole and the Miccosukee tribes were the only undefeated tribes in the United States. How did they stay undefeated? They used the Everglades to hide and make war in.' Originally from Kansas, Stuart moved to South Florida about 15 years ago to work in coral reef restoration. But, 'my heart kept leading me back to the Everglades,' he said. 'It's always just felt like a home for me.' Life here is slow and peaceful, unlike in the city, he said. He can still see stars and fireflies at night. The heat doesn't bother him, and the mosquitoes don't bite him. Stuart has been coming to the facility each day, not to protest but to pray. He sits with his drum, shuts his eyes and prays for the government to change its mind and hopes 'that nature can forgive us.' A bird flying above Stuart squawked and he smiled. 'The osprey is talking to us now,' he said. 'I'm praying for everything.'
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill becomes law despite Senate criticism
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's controversial legislation to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects received royal assent and became law after the rushed passage of Bill C-5 through the Senate on Thursday. But the legislative accomplishment — the first government bill to pass in both chambers under the minority Liberal administration elected April 28 — was marred by expressions of outrage from some senators, who criticized the legislation's creation of 'so-called Henry VIII' powers that allow the federal cabinet to override laws and regulations to approve development projects. Some also condemned what they saw as the bill's lack of consultation and requirements to respect Indigenous rights, suggesting the new process could get bogged down in the very opposition and delay that it is designed to avoid. 'Bill C-5 is not reconciliation. It's a betrayal of it,' said Sen. Paul Prosper, a Mi'kmaq lawyer from Nova Scotia, who told the red chamber his office received a deluge of 'racist vitriol' after he spoke about his desire to slow down the legislation that sped through the House of Commons last week with the support of opposition Conservatives. Yet some in that party still had concerns about the legislation. Mary Jane McCallum, a Conservative senator from Manitoba, argued Thursday that the bill gives too much power to the federal cabinet to choose projects, and to decide which laws and regulations are relevant to how they are approved. 'Canada is not a dictatorship, yet the so-called Henry VIII clauses in Bill C-5 bring us dangerously close to the precipice,' she said. After two days of debate, the Senate voted down several amendments that would have sent the legislation back to the House, and passed it as written without a recorded vote Thursday afternoon. It received Royal Assent from Gov. Gen. Mary Simon a short time later. Since introducing and pushing to pass the bill before Canada Day, the Carney government has defended the legislation as a necessary framework to boost economic growth and reduce reliance on the United States that has imposed steep tariffs that Ottawa deems illegal and unjustified. Last week, Carney also promised to host summits with Indigenous leaders in July to ensure there is participation on which proposed projects — from pipelines to ports and mines — are chosen for the fast-track process under C-5. The legislation gives the cabinet wide latitude to fast-track a development project based on 'any factor' it deems relevant. Although it's not written in the legislation, the government has pledged to finish the approval of fast-tracked projects so construction can begin within two years, while the special powers the bill creates are set to expire after five years. On Thursday, Sen. Hassan Yusseff, a former labour leader who advocated for the bill in the upper chamber, echoed the government's rationale that the special process to fast-track major projects — and a separate, less contentious part of the bill to lift federal barriers to trade and labour mobility inside Canada — are necessary because of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. His voice breaking with emotion, Yusseff made the case that the legislation is needed quickly to bolster the Canadian economy and help workers in the industries targeted by Trump's tariffs, from steel and aluminum to the auto sector. 'The men and women who build this country of ours are watching very closely,' Yusseff said. Throughout the day, senators debated the merits of the bill, with some arguing it forces Indigenous groups and environmentalists to trust the government to respect rights and standards, rather than force the government to do so. Some senators, however, said the bill's references to Indigenous rights in the Constitution, as well as the government's insistence it won't fast-track projects without provincial buy-in and Indigenous consultation, mean these concerns can't be addressed through amending the legislation. 'There's no bill we can pass that will guarantee the honour of the Crown,' said Alberta Sen. Patti LaBoucane-Benson. 'I don't think there's anything more we can do to the text of the bill to protect Indigenous rights.' Others, like Ontario Sen. Bernadette Clement, argued Parliament should take more time to improve the legislation and address concerns raised by environmental groups, Indigenous communities, and organizations like the Assembly of First Nations. 'Growing our economy, nation-building — yeah, that's urgent. It requires a timely an efficient response. But it doesn't require the trampling of Indigenous rights and our environmental protections,' Clement said. Marilou McPhedran, a senator from Manitoba, expressed shock that Conservatives and Liberals in the House voted en masse to surrender 'parliamentary sovereignty' to the cabinet under the bill. 'As we watch the results of the C-5 juggernaut roll out and roll over Canada, please remember this key question: are the constitutionally guaranteed rights to equality, to Aboriginal and treaty rights, the first to go with Bill C-5?' she said. The House of Commons made several amendments to the bill that some senators welcomed, including new reporting requirements on how projects are selected, and the creation of a parliamentary committee to oversee how the legislation is being used. The House also added a requirement to publish details of a project at least 30 days before it is named in the 'national interest,' and introduced limits so no projects can be added to the new process while Parliament is prorogued or dissolved. The legislation also requires the minister responsible for the law — currently Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc — to consult with provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples whose rights 'may be adversely affected' by a project. The Commons inserted a clause that requires the government to get 'written consent' from a province or territory — but not an Indigenous community — if a project falls within an area of its 'exclusive' jurisdiction. Sen. Marc Gold, the government representative in the chamber, said the bill is 'fundamentally about trust' that all groups — including the government — will act in the best interests of Canadians during a time of crisis after an election he said gave the Liberal minority government a clear mandate to pursue rapid economic growth. 'C-5 is indeed extraordinary, and indeed it entails unprecedented trust,' Gold said. 'This is not about any partisan interest, but in the interest of our country.'
