As reported in El Caribe, Canadian Ambassador Adam Blackwell told the audience at the ?Canada and Dominican Republic: Closer than ever? seminar that certain changes in the mining laws are required to entice serious investments in this area, specifically referring himself to Article 19. Blackwell said that Placer Dome, the massive Canadian mining consortium, is holding back a US$300-million investment in Pueblo Viejo, Azua until these changes can be effected. Director of Mining Miguel Pe?a said that the stumbling block in this case is the 20-percent import tax levied on equipment that mining explorers would have to bring into the country. Pe?a also pointed out that the law must guarantee exploitation rights of all findings to the companies that discover them.
