Mine Plants, Buildings & Equipment

Overview of BC Law

Under BC law, the following activities must be carried out for mine plants, buildings and equipment as part of mine closure:²²⁸

• all machinery, equipment and building superstructures must be removed;
• concrete foundations must be covered & re-vegetated; and,
• all scrap material must be disposed of in a manner acceptable to an inspector.

Miners must remove all property from the mine within one year of the cancellation of the mineral title.²²⁹ If the property is not removed within this time, the regulatory authority may issue an order vesting the remaining property in the government, who may then dispose of such property on terms it deems appropriate without compensation to the miner.²³⁰