TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – The Quebec Mining Association (QMA) on Wednesday said its members would adopt the ‘Towards Sustainable Mining’ (TSM) initiative, a programme designed to improve environmental and social practices in the Canadian mining industry, over a phased-in four-year period.

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and its members launched the TSM initiative in 2004.

The QMA’s announcement marked the second provincial mining association to commit to formally implementing the initiative, following the Mining Association of British Columbia, which adopted the TSM in 2011.

"The QMA's main goal is to promote a responsible, committed and innovative Quebec mining industry. Our members' participation in the TSM initiative is directly aligned with our vision of mining development in Quebec. Our methods are recognised across the globe and we are proud of our industry.

“The TSM initiative will allow mining companies active in Quebec to always aim higher, while supporting a continuous improvement process, thanks to a precise set of performance indicators," QMA president and CEO Josée Méthot said.

The MAC’s president and CEO Pierre Gratton welcomed the QMA's signing up to the programme.

“We commend the QMA for adopting the TSM initiative, which reflects the Quebec mining industry's commitment to raising the bar for corporate responsibility and to provide communities with a transparent view of their performance in critical environmental and social practices. This is milestone for the TSM initiative, helping to expand its reach within Canada, and adding to its credibility as an effective mining standard,” Gratton said.

The TSM initiative requires mining companies to perform yearly assessments of their Canadian facilities' performance against 23 indicators under six areas, known as ‘protocols’, including tailings management, Aboriginal and community outreach, biodiversity conservation management, energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions management, safety and health and crisis management planning.

Trained third-party verifiers then externally verify the results every three years to ensure the reported results are accurate. All facility-level results are published each year in a ‘TSM Progress Report’. Members of the QMA that are not MAC members will undergo independent verification of their facility results after four years. MAC members operating in Quebec already report their performance yearly.

One of the critical strengths of TSM is that mining companies are measured where the mining activity actually takes place – at the facility level. The results, therefore, provide local communities with a meaningful view of how a nearby mine is faring.

The programme was also designed and continues to be shaped by civil society through the Community of Interest (COI) advisory panel. The panel is an independent, multistakeholder group that serves as a consultative body to the industry.

The panel played a key role in the programme's design and continues to be integral to its evolution and the verification of results. The panel includes representatives from Aboriginal communities, environmental and social nongovernmental organisations, international development and labour groups.

"The QMA's adoption of TSM shows a commitment to leadership in environmental and social performance. TSM is important for both its high standards that go beyond provincial regulations and the public reporting that goes with them. This is a good move for industry and all its stakeholders," stated Quebec spokesperson for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign Suzann Méthot (no relation to Josée Méthot).

In 2014, the TSM initiative celebrates ten years of driving performance for mining operations across Canada and beyond. TSM has been successful in pushing for continuous progress in the mining sector as can be seen in the results that have pointed to steady improvement over the duration of the programme.