Ontario’s finance minister has been holding consultations to develop a “fair budget” that addresses the province’s financial difficulties. One key revenue raising measure to improve the province’s bottom line would be to ensure that the mining industry pays its fair share for the extraction of the province’s non-renewable resources.

As it stands, booming times for the mining sector have not translated into proportional benefits for the province. One of the industry’s main economic benefits — employment — is on the decline. Twenty years ago the mining industry employed 20,000 workers, but by 2012, in the midst of an ongoing mining boom the number of jobs declined to 15,000, reflecting the increasingly automated and capital intensive nature of mining operations.

Nor have provincial coffers reaped full benefits from the mining boom. Over the past decade the province has reduced taxation of the industry to the point where Ontario now has the lowest effective royalty rate (royalties as a portion of production values) of Canada’s mining provinces. Ontario’s mining royalty rates were halved over the past decade, from 20 per cent of mining profits to 10 per cent — and 5 per cent for remote mines. As a result, in 2010 and 2011 the province’s mining industry extracted metals and minerals valued at $17 billion but only paid 1.4 per cent ($250 million) to the people of Ontario for these resources. The average Canadian rate for the same period was 5.6 per cent. Had Ontario taxed mineral extraction at the average rate in Canada the province would have generated an additional $700 million over the past two years.

The boom in commodity prices coincided with reductions in provincial and federal corporate taxes that were added to existing corporate tax breaks for the mining sector. This has contributed to record profits for the industry, but a reduction in the government’s ability to fully benefit from high commodity prices for its resources.

Ontarians are still waiting for the results of last year’s budget commitment “to ensure Ontario receives fair compensation for its non-renewable resources.” Quebec, Canada’s second largest mining jurisdiction after Ontario, has been incrementally increasing the tax rate on mining and recently served notice that it will also be raising royalty rates, including two new levies: a 5-per-cent royalty on annual production and a 30-per-cent tax on “super profits.” Meanwhile, Saskatchewan retained over 30 per cent of the value of production of uranium production in 2010 and 2011.

The next Ontario budget should follow suit and stop short changing the province for the liquidation of our non-renewable resources. Doing so would improve the province’s fiscal position and would go some way to ensuring that the mining industry pays its way for new infrastructure and environmental protection measures that will be required as the province seeks to open up more remote regions for mining. These tax measures should be part of a broader mining development strategy that ensures substantial benefits to First Nations and northern communities that are affected by these activities and a strategy that ensures some of the economic benefits of non-renewable resource extraction are retained in the province for future generations.

Undoubtedly the industry will resist these recommendations and claim its existence depends on the rock bottom tax rate for Ontario to remain competitive. But Ontario holds many advantages for the sector, such as strong institutional and technical capacities, infrastructure, and of course the valuable mineral deposits. Other jurisdictions in Canada and abroad are successfully retaining much more of their mineral wealth for public benefit and there is no good reason why Ontario should continue the cut-rate sell off of our natural resources.