British Columbia's Mining Industry Hiring Requirements
to Exceed 16,700 over the Next 10 Years
Human resources challenges continue to threaten the future competitiveness of the BC mining industry. A combination of factors including the pending retirement of the baby boom generation, difficulties in attracting and engaging youth and an under-representation of diverse groups paints a challenging ten-year talent forecast. While the industry has taken tremendous strides in addressing these issues, finding experienced and skilled workers is becoming more difficult, and competition across sectors of the economy is increasing, according to a new report released by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) in partnership with the BC Mining HR Task Force.

The British Columbia Hiring Requirements and Available Talent Forecasts: Exploration, Mining, and Stone, Sand, & Gravel 2012 report shows cumulative hiring requirements of 13,300 under a baseline scenario, whilst an uptick in the BC mining industry could see this number rise to a need for 16,700 workers.

"Based on what we know today, that there won't be enough new entrants to the mining labour market to meet the projected needs" cautions Dr Martha Roberts, Director of Research at MiHR. "It will be essential for industry employers to be strategic and proactive in workforce planning to ensure the right people can be found when the skills and labour shortages are realized," adds Roberts. View the full article posted on MABC.

Ottawa Unveils New Coal-fired Plant Emissions Rules
The federal government has released final regulations for coal-fired power plants that eases the expected burden on utilities by allowing them to run their plants longer before having to replace them with lower-emission alternatives, and to average emission reductions among their plants.

The new regulations may force the closing of at least two coal-fired plants in Alberta by 2020 and prevent construction of one planned by Maxim Power Corp., unless the provincial government can reach an agreement with Ottawa to impose its own regulations while meeting overall federal targets. View the full article posted by the Globe and Mail.

The Forestry Law Reporter, Volume V, Issue I
The next issue of The Quickscribe Forestry Law Reporter by Jeff Waatainen with Davis LLP is now available. This issue provides a summary of this year's legislative change as they relate to the Forest sector in BC. View the Reporter.

Pulp Function: Ford and Weyerhaeuser Collaborate to Develop
Automotive Applications Using Natural Fiber Materials

• Ford's investigation into the use of tree fibers called cellulose in plastic composites has shown using the fiber in automotive applications could significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and weight, while speeding processing time by as much as 40 percent
• Ford has worked with Weyerhaeuser – one of the largest forest products companies in the world – to prove out a more sustainable plastic composite material for future Ford vehicle components
• Ford already uses a variety of sustainable materials throughout its lineup, including soybean-based cushions and head restraints that save about 5 million pounds of petroleum annually

Cellulose joins the growing list of sustainable materials originating from unlikely sources that could soon be used in Ford vehicle components and help further reduce the automaker's reliance on traditional content such as fiberglass and petroleum. The Ford biomaterials research team has been working with forest products leader Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY) to investigate the use of a plastic composite material utilizing cellulose fibers from trees in place of fiberglass or mineral reinforcements. View the full article posted by North America Business Review.

First Nations Forestry Businesses Receive $400,000
First Nation forestry businesses throughout British Columbia will continue to receive the technical support they need to succeed, thanks to an additional $400,000 provided by the government of BC.

The First Nations Forest Sector Technical Support Program helps First Nations develop new and existing forest-related businesses by providing technical advice and hands-on expertise. The program supports job creation, community development, market development and improved economic well-being.

Started in 2010 in a partnership with FPInnovations and the federal government with a total commitment of $1.2 million, the program has exceeded initial targets and engaged with more than 50 First Nations. As a result of the program:

• Twenty businesses have been created, maintained or expanded.
• More than $1.3 million in new capital investment in manufacturing capacity has been identified.
• Forty jobs have been created or maintained.

View the government news release.

Bill C-38 Amendments to the Fisheries Act:
A New Environmental Era in Canada?
Arguably the federal Fisheries Act is the most powerful and regularly applied environmental legislation in the country. It is Canada's oldest conservation law. It was first passed in 1866 in order to deal with sawdust which was polluting the Ottawa River. Since then it has played a critical role in the management, protection and well-being of fisheries in Canada. The Fisheries Act respecting unauthorized habitat deterioration disruption and destruction ("HADD") came into force in 1977. The HADD provision has been routinely applied since that time in order to protect fish and fish habitat. A failure to comply with this prohibition may give rise to criminal liability. View the entire article prepared by Tony Crossman and Daniel L. Kiselbach, Partners, Amanda Baron, Articled Student, Environmental Law Group, Miller Thomson LLP.

Environmental Assessment Office Implementing
Auditor General's Recommendations
British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has implemented four of the six auditor general's recommendations aimed at increased project oversight and will complete action on the remaining two within seven months, Environment Minister Terry Lake announced [on September 30th].

"Our goals are to ensure that the EAO is independently and objectively confident that the conditions set in certificates are effective in preventing or mitigating adverse effects and that those conditions are being met," Lake said. "The work that the EAO is doing to meet these goals addresses and goes beyond the audit report's recommendations."

Actions that exceed the auditor general's recommendations include developing a continuous improvement program that evaluates the effectiveness of environmental assessment certificate mitigation measures to inform future environmental assessments. As well, the EAO is incorporating best practices from leading jurisdictions around the globe into its compliance and enforcement strategy. View the full government news release.