Background
In 1981, over 200 square kilometers of the total land surface of Ontario were directly affected by mining operations. These statistics are contained in Ontario's Mines and Minerals: Policy and Legislation, a green paper prepared in 1988 by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. The Green Paper set the blueprint for policy direction and priorities to be included in a revised Mining Act. Specifying that anyone interested in developing or opening a new mine would have to submit a closure plan before production could begin, Bill 71 received Royal Assent in December 1989. Additional provisions related to claim staking, fees, and assessment requirements are contained in regulations accompanying Bill 71. Public safety problems associated with surface cave-ins, mine tailing sites, open mine shafts and toxic wastes, which the legislation is intended to address, have created a demand for more information by government, the mining and research communities, and the general public. In May 1988, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines and the Ministry of the Environment began funding a series of Environmental Youth Corps projects at Laurentian University mandated to develop a specialized Mining Environment Database on Abandoned Mines and Land Reclamation.