The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that mining executives often talk about the importance of having a "social licence" to operate, yet it's rare to hear them acknowledge when they don't have one. The Post's Gabriel Friedman writes that Barrick Gold's chief executive officer Mark Bristow says it happened to his company in Papua New Guinea, where its Porgera mine had been pumping out gold for nearly three decades. Mr. Bristow acknowledged that the company had neglected its relationship with the community and stressed that he wants to build a mining company "that's acceptable to future generations." He said the terms of his new partnership framework in PNG show the path. "Generally, you can operate in the majority of mineral-endowed countries in the world, provided that you're prepared to recognize and build a licence to operate," Mr. Bristow told the Post. "And what happened in Papua New Guinea is, we lost that." Activists said the company dumps mine tailings laden with mercury and other toxins into a local tributary, destroyed local agriculture, and led to brutal encounters with private and public security forces when impoverished local residents crossed the river or panned for gold in the tailings.