Overview of BC Law

In BC, reclamation standards are outlined in the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia (HSR Code), subject to the Mines Act, for the following matters:

• Re-vegetation, growth media, metal uptake;¹¹¹
• Landforms;¹¹²
• Watercourses and water quality;¹¹³
• Disposal of chemicals and re-agents;¹¹⁴
• Monitoring¹¹⁵; and
• Post-closure land use.¹¹⁶

Reclamation standards are also outlined in the HSR Code for infrastructure-related matters,¹¹⁷ which are discussed below, under “Infrastructure Decommissioning”.¹¹⁸

In addition to these mandated reclamation standards, provincial policy recommends that soil handling plans and erosion control and sediment retention plans also be included in reclamation programs.¹¹⁹

Exemptions from BC’s legal reclamation standards are provided for old mines and in certain other defined circumstances.¹²⁰