After two years of booming acquisition of mining exploration permits in several regions of Quebec, the Legault government is finally launching consultations on the supervision of this industry. It also opens the door to a review of the way “claims” are granted and to better protection of “fragile environments” that are coveted by mining companies.
“Since my appointment, I have heard about issues related to mining claims and our government was committed to there being mines, but in a context of social acceptability. I therefore want to hear from the public to ensure that concerns are addressed and solutions are found,” summed up the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, in an interview on Friday. Duty.
As part of the “participatory workshops” planned for the month of April, the minister says she wants to address several “themes”, including the granting of mining titles, “the protection of fragile environments”, “the harmonization” of mining activities on the territory and “social acceptability”. “I want to hear what people are going through and what they have as an experience, so that we can adjust things and that development is done in a harmonious way,” she specifies.
At present, it is possible to acquire mineral exploration permits directly on the Web according to a system that the government itself describes as “easily accessible”. Could Quebec modify this regime, which has often been criticized by municipalities and various civil society organizations? “Everything is on the table”, assures Mme Blanchette Vézina, who says she wants to “modernize” the mining regime in a context of “development of the battery sector”.
“We welcome the consultations in which we will participate, as well as the government’s commitment to modify the current mining framework, but we reiterate the urgency of establishing a moratorium on the granting of new mining claims in order not to aggravate the situation, while we revise the current rules”, reacted jointly the Coalition Quebec better mine and Mining Watch Canada.
According to these two organizations, the current method of granting exploration permits makes it possible to acquire them in just 30 minutes, provided you have access to the Internet and assume the costs, i.e. a few tens of dollars, by paying with a credit card. As a result, there are now 275,387 exploration permits in force. They cover more than 140,000 km2 of Quebec territory.
License boom
The government consultations come in a context where mining “claims” have been multiplying in different regions of Quebec for two years, according to official data recorded by the Coalition Quebec Better Mine.
In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the most coveted region of the province, there were 43,223 titles in December 2022, an increase of 37% in two years. In southwestern Quebec (including Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudière and Mauricie), there were 17,642 exploration permits in January 2023 and a 129% increase in titles for the 2021-2022 period alone.
In the southeast (Estrie, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie), the increase reached 107% in two years, for a total of 7,674 titles. But the increase was stronger in Gaspésie, where it reached 139%. In these regions, exploration permit maps show that many overlap protected areas, rivers, old-growth forests or important wildlife habitats, mainly in the Gaspé Peninsula.
Many mining titles are also located on the borders of national parks, including Forillon Park, Mont Mégantic Park and Gaspésie Park. This national park created by the Quebec government is bordered by permits to the south, north and east. Note: national parks are presented as “mining exploration constraints” on MRNF maps, as are certain urbanized areas such as the island of Montreal, Laval and Quebec.
In this context of growing interest from mining companies in the south of the province, the Quebec Federation of Municipalities challenged elected officials in Quebec City by asking the government to “recognize the precedence of development plans over other territorial planning to ensure respecting the interests of our communities”.
The Union des municipalités du Québec also pleaded for a “more harmonious” reconciliation of mining activities “with the economic levers of vacationing and tourism, while ensuring that we strengthen the safety and quality of life of population “.