Historically, closed mines were simply abandoned. This led to widespread and toxic contamination of local ecosystems. The infamous Mt. Washington Mine, for example, was a major contributor to the loss of salmon stocks in the Tsolum River on Vancouver Island.¹ Salmon did not return until millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on remediation. Similarly, BC’s Britannia Beach mine site cost taxpayers $70 million to remediate and address its toxicity issues.²

Today, mine closure has become an integral part of the planning process before mining activities begin.³ This reflects a common expression in the mining industry that ‘the day a mine opens, it begins to close.’

This chapter delves into legal provisions on the following issues related to mine closure:

• Closure plans (when they are required, what they must contain, and how they should be reviewed and approved);
• Work Stoppage
• Post-closure community development;
• Reclamation (to what standards, monitoring and reporting, and decommissioning mining infrastructure);
• Release of mine permit obligations; and
• Orphaned mines.