B.C. Mines Act Permit Credential

1. Primary Document

1.1 Introduction

The Mines Act regulates mining activities in British Columbia (B.C.) – from early exploration to development, production, reclamation, closure, and post-closure. A permit must be in place before any work in, on, or about a mine can occur. A B.C. Mines Act Permit credential issued according to this Governance Framework (GF) provides evidence the credential holder has been issued a B.C. Mines Act Permit.

Further information can be found online:

Acknowledgements: The development of this documentation follows the governance framework created by the Trust over IP Foundation (ToIP) Governance Metamodel Specification created by the Governance Stack Working Group (GSWG).

No Warranty: The Mines Act Permit Credential is provided “as is”, and the Province of British Columbia (the “Province”) disclaims all representations, warranties, conditions, obligations, and liabilities of any kind, whether express or implied, in relation to the Mines Act Permit Credential, including without limitation implied warranties with respect to merchantability, satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Without limiting the general nature of the previous sentence, the Province does not represent or warrant that:

  • (a). the Mines Act Permit Credential will be available;
  • (b) your use of the Mines Act Permit Credential will be timely, uninterrupted or error-free;
  • (c) any errors in the Mines Act Permit Credential will be corrected; or
  • (d) the Mines Act Permit Credential will meet your expectations and requirements.

Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, under no circumstances will the Province be liable to you, to any other individual or to any entity for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential or other loss, claim, injury or damage, whether foreseeable or unforeseeable (including without limitation claims for damages for loss of profits or business opportunities, use or misuse of, or inability to use, the Mines Act Permit Credential, interruptions, deletion or corruption of files, loss of programs or information, errors, defects or delays) arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the Mines Act Permit Credential and whether based on contract, tort, strict liability or any other legal theory. The previous sentence will apply even if the Province has been specifically advised of the possibility of any such loss, claim, injury or damage.

1.2. Terminology and Notation

Please reference Glossary - General Trust Over IP Terms.

Requirements include any combination of Machine-Testable Requirements and Human-Auditable Requirements. Unless otherwise stated, all Requirements MUST be expressed as defined in RFC 2119.

  • Mandates are Requirements that use a MUST, MUST NOT, SHALL, SHALL NOT, or REQUIRED keyword.
  • Recommendations are Requirements that use a SHOULD, SHOULD NOT, or RECOMMENDED keyword.
  • Options are Requirements that use a MAY or OPTIONAL keyword.

Machine-Testable Requirements are those with which compliance can be verified using an automated test suite and appropriate scripting or testing software.

Rules are Machine-Testable Requirements that are written in a Machine-Readable language and can be processed by a Rules Engine. They are expressed in a structured rules language as specified by the Governance Framework.

Human-Auditable Requirements are those with which compliance can only be verified by an audit of people, processes, and procedures.

Policies are Human-Auditable Requirements written using standard conformance terminology. The Policies used in the Governance Framework will use the standard terminology detailed in RFC 2119 keywords. Note that all RFC 2119 keywords have weight from an auditing perspective. An implementer MUST explain why a SHOULD or RECOMMENDED requirement was not implemented and SHOULD explain why a MAY requirement was implemented.

Specifications are documents containing any combination of Machine-Testable Requirements and Human-Auditable Requirements needed to produce technical interoperability.

1.3. Localization

The standard language for this governing framework (GF) is English.

1.4 Governing Authority

The Chief Permitting Officer (CPO) is the governing authority responsible for this GF as defined in section 8.2 of the Mines Act. The CPO may delegate in writing to an inspector any of the powers conferred on the CPO under the Mines Act.

The contact information for the CPO is:

  • Name: Lowell Constable
  • Title: Executive Director and Deputy Chief Inspector
  • Organization: Major Mines Office
  • Email: Lowell.Constable@gov.bc.ca

1.5. Administering Authority

The Mines Digital Services (MDS) team is the administering authority responsible for this GF. MDS has replaced the legacy Mine Management System (MMS) with a suite of scalable, open-source, and data-driven technologies to support mine oversight in B.C.

The contact information for MDS is:

  • Name: Rebecca Stevenson
  • Title: Project Owner
  • Organization: Mines Digital Services
  • Email: rebecca.stevenson@gov.bc.ca

1.6 Purpose

The purpose of this GF is to define what the B.C. Mines Act Permit credential is and who is responsible for the authority and administration of its use.

1.7 Scope

A B.C. Mines Act Permit credential issued according to this GF, provides evidence of permit issuance and summary permit information. The initial scope of the B.C. Mines Act Permit credential is limited to operating permits of major mines in B.C.

1.8 Objectives

To allow the credential holder evidence they have been issued a B.C. Mines Act permit in a verifiable credential format that is both secure and tamperproof.

1.9 Principles

The B.C. Public Service has one overarching corporate value, Integrity, and 6 core corporate values: Curiosity, Service, Passion, Teamwork, Accountability, and Courage. Integrity is placed above all the other values as a quality that affirms the Standards of Conduct for the B.C. Public Service.

1.10 General Requirements

Mining activities in British Columbia are subject to a variety of different provincial and federal enactments. Mining permits MUST be issued by the ministry responsible for mining activities through the authority of the Chief Permitting Officer (CPO) under section 10 of the Mines Act.

1.11. Revisions

Version 1.0.

1.12. Extensions

There are no extensions to this GF.

1.13. Schedule of Controlled Documents

N/A

2. Controlled Documents

2.1. Glossary

ToIP Core Glossary

B.C. Mines Act Definitions

  • Credential Holders: The holder of a credential issued under section 10 of the Mines Act.
  • Major Mines: Moderate to large-scale mineral and coal mining operations.
  • Major Mines Office (MMO): The branch within the Ministry responsible for managing and issuing construction and operations permits under section 10 of the Mines Act for major mines in B.C.

2.2. Risk Assessment

In accordance with B.C. government procedures and policies, the standard Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and Security Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) processes have been completed for the use of this credential technology.

2.3. Trust Assurance and Certification

Development of digital technology is led by British Columbia’s Digital Code of Practice, applicable to all public service employees and contractors involved in and accountable for digital service delivery.

2.4. Governance Requirements

Legislation and regulations govern the disposition, administration, and management of mines in B.C. The Mines Act.

2.5. Business Requirements

The primary use of the B.C. Mines Act Permit credential is for credential holders within B.C. to provide evidence of permit issuance from the province according to B.C. Mines Act.

2.6. Technical Requirements (Credential)

The format for this credential is AnonCreds specification.

2.6.1 Schema Definition

Schema Name: bc-mines-act-permit

Schema Version: 1.1.1

This schema definition follows the AnonCreds specification.

Name Attribute Format Rules Notes
Permit Number permit_no String not NULL (3-digit) Alpha-numeric identifier: M-##- or C-##- Permit Numbers are assigned to a specific mining operation or activity that has been granted permission or authorization. Mines Act Section 10 (1).
Permit Status permit_status String not NULL Defined as either “open” or “closed”.
Permittee permittee_name String not NULL Name of the mining company that holds the permit.
Mine Operation Status mine_operation_status String not NULL Layer one in the hierarchy of identifying mine status. Mines status can be (1) Abandoned (2) Closed (3) Not Started (4) Operating.
Mine Operation Status Reason mine_operation_status_reason String not NULL Layer two in the hierarchy for identifying mine status. Reasons for Closed Mines (1) Closed for Care and Maintenance, (2) Closed for Reclamation and (3) Closed for Unknown. Reasons for Operating (1) Operating Seasonal, or (2) Operating Year Round
Mine Operation Status Sub Reason mine_operation_status_sub_reason String not NULL Layer three in the hierarchy for identifying mine status. Mine Operation Reasons for “Closed for Reclamation” (1) Long-Term Maintenance (2) Long-Term Maintenance and Water Treatment or (3) Permit Release Pending.
Mine Commodity mine_commodity String not NULL Lists the name(s) of the commodities being mined.
Mine Disturbance mine_disturbance String not NULL Specifies if mine is above ground (surface) or below ground (sub-surface).
Mine Number mine_no String not NULL (7-digit) Unique identifier assigned to a specific mine or mining operation to differentiate and track individual mines within a jurisdiction.
Permit Start Date issue_date String not NULL (YYYY-MM-DD) The original issue date of the permit.
Latitude latitude String not NULL (00.0000000) The geographic coordinate representing the north-south position of a specific location related to the administrative building at the mining operation or mine site.
Longitude longitude String not NULL (-000.0000000) The geographic coordinate that represents the east-west position of a specific location related to the administrative building at the mining operation or mine site.
Bond Total bond_total String not NULL (0.00) Lists the total bond value of the permit. A permittee is required to provide monetary security to cover reclamation costs, and to provide for the protection of, and mitigation of damage to, watercourses and cultural heritage resources affected by the mine.
TSF Operating Count tsf_operating_count String not NULL Numerical value for the total number of tailing storage facilities that are in Operating status.
TSF Maintenance Count tsf_care_and_maintenance_count String not NULL Numerical value for the total number of tailing storage facilities that are in Care and Maintenance status.

2.6.2. Credential Implementation

Ledger CRED_DEF_ID Notes
CANdy-Prod A2UZSmrL9N5FDZGPu68wy:3:CL:361:mds-prod-revok Production - November 16, 2023
BCovrin Test SG22gyoUVsC7TiC9m68ytU:3:CL:171126:mds-test-revok Test - November 16, 2023

2.6.3 Schema Implementation

Ledger SCHEMA_ID Notes
CANdy-Prod A2UZSmrL9N5FDZGPu68wy:2:bc-mines-act-permit:1.1.1 Production - November 16, 2023
BCovrin Test S7S2wzcF2giKuwxdeLBk69:2:bc-mines-act-permit:1.1.1 Test - November 16, 2023

2.6.4 Overlays Capture Architecture (OCA) Bundle

B.C. Mines Act Permit Credential

2.7. Information Trust Requirements

Not applicable.

2.8. Inclusion, Equitability, and Accessibility Requirements

The Accessible British Columbia Act informs AccessibleBC.

The Diversity & Inclusion Strategy for the BC Public Service outlines the commitments of BC government in supporting inclusion, equitability and access throughout the province.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) as B.C.’s framework for reconciliation that respects the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Mines Act Permit Credential Terms of Use

End of Document