Stats left out of chamber mining poll
Results shared with public show eight in 10 residents hold positive views of industry; MLAs see slides that say one-third want to more regulation
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The results of a public opinion poll released earlier this month that show eight in 10 NWT residents hold positive views of mining and exploration companies in the territory was not shared with the public and media in its entirety.
What was left out is more than one-third of people in the territory believe the mining industry requires greater regulation, according to results shown to MLAs earlier this month.
When Abacus Data called residents around the territory on behalf of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines earlier this year, 36 per cent responded they favour additional regulation. However, 51 per responded there's enough already and 13 per cent said mining is over-regulated.
The results of this particular question were not included in a presentation shown to reporters and posted on the chamber's website. The mining advocacy group representing mining and exploration had commissioned the poll.
Tom Hoefer, executive director of the chamber, said there was no nefarious intention - the pollster had simply suggested not overloading the presentation.
Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly, an environmentalist who previously worked for Alternatives North, said he found the regulatory questions one of the more interesting aspects of the poll
"Overall, I think it's interesting that people feel that the mining industry is perhaps well regulated. That's not the messaging that comes from the chamber of mines," O'Reilly said.
The chamber has used survey results from the right-leaning Fraser Institute that suggest companies are reluctant to invest because of the regulatory process in the territory.
Over-regulation and delays faced by companies because of the processes they must undertake in the territory were criticized in a report from the think tank examining how industry views regulation in various parts of Canada. Unsettled land claims were cited by several unnamed companies as deterrents to investment in the Fraser Institute report.
Overall, the poll suggests a rosy picture of the mining industry in the territory, with eight in 10 residents surveyed holding positive views of the mining and exploration companies in the territory.
The company called thousands of people across the territory in March, May and June but only 510 of them, mainly in Yellowknife, agreed to answer questions. Only 21 per cent of those surveyed self-identified as indigenous, though the company compensated by giving those responses a higher weight in the results.
Forty seven per cent responded their view of the industry is improving, which Abacus chairman Bruce Anderson said compares to about 15 per cent elsewhere in the country.
"That reflects a positive momentum for the industry," Anderson said.
Anderson, asked about methodology and if results are too good to be true given it's a poll paid for by an industry group, said his reputation depends on producing credible results.
"I've been in this business for 35 years. My business is only as good as my reputation and my reputation is inextricably linked to producing credible analysis," he said.
After the annual report was released this winter, Premier Bob McLeod, also minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, told the legislative assembly the results were proof the territory's regulations need to be streamlined, including introduction of a new Mineral Resources Act. Last week, McLeod told assembly in a speech that regulations will be "responsive, jurisdiction-specific" to provide oversight and enforcement of mining rules.
"Our aim is to increase our competitiveness in the marketplace and create legislation and regulation which is sensitive to Northern needs with respect to protection of land, wildlife and water," McLeod said.
