Editorial commentary from the Friday, March 3, 2006 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
It may seem like a token gesture, but the British Columbia provincial government’s invitation for Montana to be represented on a panel reviewing a mining project in the Canadian Flathead is actually quite significant.
Canada, after all, is a sovereign nation that has no obligation to include Montana in its internal affairs. But in this case, the B.C. government is recognizing that there are valid external interests in the Cline Mining Corp. project on Foisey Creek. And there is an implied recognition that mining development in the Canadian Flathead may have effects that cross the border.
Now Montana will be represented on the panel that sets terms and conditions for the environmental review that will precede mine development. That’s more than neighborly of provincial officials, and Montana will benefit from having a voice in the process.