Sustainable Development Charter
In June 2014, the Québec Mining Association adopted the Sustainable Development Charter of Mining Companies Working in Québec, a Charter developed by its members, for its members. Eager to adopt and set up the best practices considering social, environmental and economic issues as well as governing, the QMA members identified six commitments they have to get involved with. To consult the PDF version of the Charter, click here.
Towards Sustainable Mining Initiative
Since 2014, the QMA and its members have been part of the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative, developed by the Mining Association of Canada (AMC). The TSM initiative is a performance evaluation system that helps mining and metallurgy companies assess and manage their environmental and social responsibilities using a set of tools and indicators, and above all enables communities of interest to find out more about how local mines operate. Each year, mining companies must publish performance results for their facilities and demonstrate ongoing and measurable improvement for the 30 indicators contained in 8 protocols:
- Indigenous and Community Relationships
- Climate change
- Tailings management
- Biodiversity Conservation Management
- Health and Safety
- Crisis Management and Communications Planning
- Water Stewardship
- Preventing Child and Forced Labour
Since mining companies are required to plan the rehabilitation and restoration of mine sites before the mine begins commercial production, the TSM initiative includes a Mine Closure Framework.
New QMA members and mine facilities beginning commercial production have three years to implement the TSM initiative. This gives them time to train workers and integrate the program with their activities. Each year, mines complete a self-assessment of their performance and, to ensure its accuracy, submit the results every three years to a qualified independent auditor recognized as a Verification Service Provider.
The TSM initiative is supervised by an independent entity, the Community of Interest Advisory Panel, comprising individuals from various sectors. It helps identify current and emerging issues for the mining sector and advises the MAC on the development and implementation of the TSM initiative. Members of the general public can also submit comments on new developments and strategic documents concerning the TSM initiative.
The TSM Governance Team keeps up to date with all aspects of sustainable mining and has ensured that the TSM initiative incorporates the requirements of the Global Industry Standards on Tailings Management, published in 2020. Because the TSM Governance Team relies on a process of ongoing improvement, the protocols are updated regularly to ensure their relevance.
The performance results for QMA member mines can be viewed by clicking here.