Southern Quebec | The increase in mining claims concerns citizens

The number of mining claims continues to increase in the south of the province, according to the most recent report from the Coalition Québec Meilleur Mine. A situation that worries citizens in several regions, as confirmed by the summary report of a government public consultation unveiled Thursday.

According to the most recent report from the Coalition Québec Meilleur Mine, the number of mining claims in southern Quebec continues to increase. Between 1^er August 2022 and 1^er August 2023, five MRCs located in the Outaouais, Mauricie, Lanaudière and Laurentides regions experienced an average increase of 52% in the number of new mining claims in their respective territories.

This new increase also worries environmental groups, including SNAP Quebec and the Quebec Coalition of Lakes Incompatible with Mining Activity, which are still calling for reform of mining law in the province.

A mining claim is an exclusive right to verify the presence of ore over an area of ​​approximately 0.5 km^⁠2. For less than $100, the acquisition of a claim can be done in just a few minutes through the mining titles management platform (GESTIM) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests.

In the MRC of Maskinongé, in Mauricie, the increase in the number of mining claims has been dazzling: an increase of 146% in one year. This increase is partly attributable to a new phenomenon: citizens acquiring claims to prevent companies from taking over exploration rights in their region. According to figures provided by the Coalition Québec Meilleur Mine, a little less than a third of the 399 new claims granted in the MRC in the last year belong to citizens of the region.

In Mauricie, opposition to mining claims is particularly evident in the municipalities of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Saint-Boniface and Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.

In Outaouais, the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais experienced an increase of 49%, followed by the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau at 39%. Less significant increases were observed in the MRC of Matawinie (19%), in Lanaudière and in the MRC of Antoine-Labelle (10%), in the Laurentides.

“More and more conflicts on the territory”

The Outaouais and Laurentides regions are also those where possible mining activities raise the most questions among the population. Last spring, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, held a public consultation to ensure “harmonious development of mining activity.” In total, 105 briefs were presented during the year, according to the report released Thursday by the MRNF. A little more than 40% of these memories come from these two regions.

With the development of the electric battery industry, “there will be more and more conflicts in the territory,” believes Éric Pineault, professor of sociology at UQAM. “We are going to need a new framework that respects communities. »

“For many of the minerals that we want to look for [au Québec], that requires open-cast mines. This is the case for graphite and lithium,” he specifies, indicating in passing that he shares the concerns of several communities.

According to Mr. Pineault, mining law in Quebec must be reviewed to allow cities and MRCs to better manage their territory.

“The supervision of the process of granting and revoking claims was mentioned during the interventions, for example with regard to the ease of acquiring a mining title, in the absence of consultation of the community” , also mentions the report of around forty pages made public Thursday by the MRNF.

A bill in the pipeline

“We expect the minister [Maïté Blanchette Vézina] takes into account the concerns of citizens who wonder why it is so complicated to protect portions of territory, but so simple to claimant, underlines Rodrigue Turgeon, spokesperson for the Coalition Québec Meilleur Mine. If the minister does not put in place mechanisms to withdraw claims already granted, it will not happen,” he adds.

“I fully understand the concerns associated with the claims for the population, and that is why I launched consultations on a more harmonious development of mining activity last spring. We listen to citizens and we act, for which we are currently working to find solutions. The objective is to find a balance between mining development, environmental protection and solutions to the concerns of the population,” said Mr.^me Blanchette Vézina, in a statement sent to The Press.

In an interview with Quebec JournalThursday, the minister indicated that she wanted to modify the Mining Act in order to develop the battery sector with minerals extracted in Quebec. However, she reiterated that there would be no new mines in Quebec without social acceptability.

A bill is being prepared by the Ministry, but it seems certain that it will not be tabled this fall, said the minister.