Quebec is tackling the mining boom which led to the acquisition of more than 80,000 exploration permits on Quebec territory last year. In a bill tabled on Tuesday, Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina proposes to limit access to these “claims”.
The law also reviews the use of the term “claim” to replace it with “exclusive exploration right”. If it is adopted as is, it will review “the method of granting” these mining titles in Quebec territory.
The Minister of Natural Resources will also have the right to “impose on an exclusive right holder […] conditions and obligations” related to the use of the territory and the repercussions on Indigenous communities.
The last major amendments to the Mining Act date back to 2013.
The tabling of this bill follows a series of consultations carried out last year by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests. During this tour, several speakers denounced “the ease of acquiring a mining title”, reported a ministry document in October.
According to figures obtained by The dutymore than 83,000 new claims were made in Quebec last year, bringing to 176,000 km2 — or 400 times the island of Montreal — the area of the territory covered by these mining exploration titles.
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The latest news was that it was still possible to obtain a mining claim for less than $100. To limit the expansion of territories under mining exploration, certain citizens and municipalities even find themselves having to purchase some themselves.
A year ago, Minister Blanchette Vézina agreed to study the issue. “The consultation processes will lead to results, to changes, perhaps, in mining activity so that it harmonizes better and better with the territory and regional realities,” she said.
Further details will follow.