Mineral association asks Quebec government for clearer rules

The Quebec Mineral Exploration Association asked the Quebec government on Thursday for rules that will simplify mineral development and exploration.

A mining bill, which the association has criticized, is working its way through the provincial legislature. The association says that sections of the bill could lead to industry losses of $1 billion in mineral exploration investments.

The association is mainly concerned with some  jurisdiction for mining and exploration remaining at the local level. Instead, the association would like to see clear rules across the province for assessing development.

“The Association believes that transferring responsibility for applying and enforcing the Mining Act to an arm’s‐length third party would be consistent with the spirit of sustainable development in Quebec, as opposed to the bill’s clauses that would make 1,200 different entities responsible for assessing the geologic potential, province‐wide economic impacts, and the environmental mitigation measures that would be required for all future development projects,” said the organization in a statement.

As written, the association believes that the mining bill will be harmful.

“The Association clearly illustrated in its brief that Bill 14 is an exceptional one that applies retroactive clauses and that still harms hundreds of mineral exploration SMEs in Quebec.”

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