First established by the Mining Association of Canada in 2004, TSM was the first mining standard in the world to require site-level reporting with external verification. The program is mandatory for all companies that are members of implementing associations.
Each year, mine sites use TSM to report on 9 protocols with 34 indicators of social and environmental performance. Qualified external verifiers review and confirm these results every three years.
In Canada, the administration and management of the TSM standard is fully funded by MAC members through annual association membership fees. In 2023, MAC’s total budget was $5.2 million CAD, of which TSM accounted for $282,500 CAD. In 2024, MAC projects a total budget of $5.7 million CAD, of which $347,300 CAD is allocated to TSM. TSM costs also include a portion of the wages for the Mining Association of Canada’s President and CEO and Senior Vice-President, as well as the wages for the Director of TSM.
