Opposition to the boom in mining titles in southern Quebec is growing. A new coalition bringing together associations for the protection of lakes is in turn asking the Legault government to decree a moratorium on the allocation of mining claims, which is on the rise in several regions.
The Quebec Coalition of Lakes Incompatible with Mining Activity or QLAIM coalition will be officially launched this Wednesday, learned The Press. This already brings together nearly 75 associations for the protection of lakes, including several in the Laurentians, Outaouais and Lanaudière.
In these three regions, the number of mining claims has increased considerably over the past two years, according to a compilation carried out by the Quebec Better Mine Coalition. According to the organization, the high price of gold and the growing demand for minerals such as graphite and lithium are behind this increase in the number of mining titles.
A mining claim is an exclusive right to verify the presence of ore on a territory of 160,000 square meters. For less than $100, a claim can be acquired in just a few minutes through the mining titles management platform (GESTIM) of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts.
PHOTO ÉTIENNE RANGER, LAW
Louis St-Hilaire
There is an acceleration in the number of claims everywhere. And if we don’t make a moratorium from the start, it will increase further.
Louis St-Hilaire, spokesperson for the QLAIM coalition
The QLAIM coalition already brings together associations from several major lakes in their respective regions, including Lac Tremblant (Laurentides), Lac Simon (Outaouais) and Lac Taureau (Lanaudière).
The idea of a coalition took shape a few days before Christmas, explains Mr. St-Hilaire. In a few weeks, nearly 75 associations for the protection of lakes have agreed to join the QLAIM coalition. “I think we will have even more [au sein de la coalition] when it’s known,” he said. Louis St-Hilaire estimates that there are approximately 500 such associations in Quebec.
According to calculations by the Quebec Better Mine Coalition, just over 267,000 mining claims were registered in the GESTIM register at the end of 2022. If 1% of them materialize into mining projects, “that’s a lot mines,” says Louis St-Hilaire.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE PETITE-NATION LAKES PROTECTION GROUP
The mining boom in the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Mauricie, in 2022
“Are the citizens ready for this? A mining project transforms a region. People should be able to express their views on the development of their region,” he adds, specifying that many citizens are worried about the quality of the water and the quality of life with this increase in the number of mining claims.
“A strong message”
Benoit Lauzon, mayor of Thurso and prefect of the MRC de Papineau, in Outaouais, is delighted with the arrival of the QLAIM coalition. “Cities, RCMs and communities are coming together to have a strong message,” he says.
A message that the municipal world intends to convey during a forum to be held in Gatineau on Thursday. Organized by the Union of Municipalities of Quebec, on the initiative of Benoit Lauzon, the event is entitled Integration of mining activities: social acceptability and cohabitation.
To date, 209 municipalities representing just over a million people are asking the Government of Quebec for additional powers to better regulate this enthusiasm for Quebec’s subsoil. They demand, among other things, that we put an end to the precedence of Mining Act in land use planning.
Section 246 of the Planning and Town Planning Act says in effect that “nothing in this Act, a metropolitan plan, a scheme, a by-law or an interim control resolution or a zoning, subdivision or building by-law shall may have the effect of preventing the designation on a map of a claim, the exploration, research, development or exploitation of mineral substances carried out in accordance with the Mining Act “.
We are a local government, we know our territories well, we should be given the powers to manage them. It’s a law [la Loi sur les mines] which is old, which must be reviewed with current issues.
Benoit Lauzon, Mayor of Thurso and Prefect of the MRC de Papineau
La législation prévoit notamment que des travaux d’exploration ne peuvent être menés à moins de 1000 mètres du périmètre urbain. « Pour les lacs où il y a des habitations, ça tombe à 600 mètres. On veut le même 1000 mètres pour protéger les lacs qui sont notre richesse », illustre le préfet de la MRC de Papineau et administrateur de l’UMQ.
La directrice générale de l’Association de l’exploration minière du Québec, Valérie Filion, n’est pas de cet avis. « La loi a été sanctionnée en 2013. Ça marche bien, selon nos membres », dit-elle.
Selon Mme Filion, « le défi de la cohabitation [avec l’industrie minière] is much more interesting than excluding territories”. “The important thing is to talk to each other,” she adds. We have everything we need in the law to reassure people. »
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- 408%
- In Lanaudière, the number of mining claims jumped 408% between 1er January 2021 and June 30, 2022. Laurentides and Outaouais saw increases of 71% and 211%.
Source: Québec Better Mine Coalition
- 85%
- In 2021, expenditures related to mining exploration work in Quebec amounted to nearly $1 billion, up 85% from the previous year.
Source: Statistical Institute of Quebec