In several regions of Quebec, more and more citizens are buying mining stocks to keep prospectors at bay, who have stretched their tentacles wildly in recent years.
This spring, in four Mauricie communities, 53 citizens bought 165 claims, while two nonprofits bought 61, for a total of 226. Storyteller Fred Pellerin funded the purchase of a portion of those claims.
A claim is a title that gives its holder the exclusive right to explore for minerals in a specified area. There are currently around 300,000 active applications in Quebec, nearly double the number five years ago.
It all started with a helicopter
In March, citizens were surprised when a helicopter flew over three communities near La Mauricie National Park. On behalf of a mining company, the device carried out geophysical investigations to find out the composition of the subsoil.
Twelve years earlier, another helicopter flight had prompted citizens and elected officials to mobilize to get mining companies to pack up.
But lo and behold, they were back. A quick search of the government’s online directory revealed that a large part of the territory of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton and Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc was affected by claims.
“I informed Fred Pellerin that part of his land has been claimed, as has mine. He asked me what we could do. I replied that a claim can be purchased either from a company or from an individual. At that time Fred bought two claims and people started buying claims in our area. It’s a way of protecting your territory,” says Gilbert Guérin, President of the Creuse pas dans mon Caxton Committee.
Gilbert Guerin Photo Philippe Angers
Fee of $73.25
All you need to redeem a claim is an internet connection and a credit card. The price? $73.25 per claim.
“This is about nature and culture,” continues Mr. Guérin. Are we going to sweep this to make a nickel mine?”
Since 2013, MRCs have been able to ask the government to declare part of their territory “incompatible with mining activities,” but several elected officials say that status is difficult to achieve.
“Purchasing claims is a way of clearly expressing our dissatisfaction and the limited resources we have to defend our territories,” explains Charline Plante, mayor of Saint-Élie.
“We want to try to find long-term solutions so communities affected by mining development aren’t forced to buy claims like we’ve had to do,” she adds.
To ensure they are well understood by the industry, Saint-Élie and the neighboring communes are preparing to send letters to mining companies that still have claims in the region, signed by hundreds of residents, explaining that that no mining activities will be tolerated.
Also in the Outaouais
In the Outaouais, citizens have been pushing back mining companies by buying claims for more than a decade.
“In 2011 we were able to get the mining company that owned the claims to give up the claims. We then decided to act like a mining company and claim our lake’s territory,” says Jean Daoust, remote sensing expert and president of the Viceroy Lake Owners Association.
Jean Daoust Photo courtesy of Jean Daoust
“We have no choice but to protect Quebec’s natural resources from our own government,” he said.
In the spring, Minister of Natural Resources Maïté Blanchette Vézina held consultations on the desirability of tightening oversight of the mining industry.
Louis St-Hilaire, spokesman for the Quebec Coalition of Lakes Incompatible with Mining Activities, regrets that the government did not take the opportunity to impose a moratorium on claim purchases.
“What message did we send to the mining companies? Hurry to claim! A claim that we can renew for years.”
The industry denounces “not in my backyard”.
The industry lobby claims that it is absolutely pointless to buy citizens’ claims to ward off mining companies.
“To gain access to land, it is essential for a company to have a written agreement with its owner, even if it is entitled to it,” says Alain Poirier, project manager at the Association de l’Exploration Minière du Québec (AEMQ).
In his opinion, the acquisition of claims by non-mining companies violates the principle underlying mining stocks. These will be used to “improve Quebec’s geological knowledge,” argues Mr. Poirier.
The much-publicized cases of mineral exploration on private property “are the exception rather than the rule,” he argues.
Alain Poirier Photo by Linkedin, Alain Poirier
According to the AEMQ, about 10% of Quebec’s territory is currently covered by claims for damages, compared to 5% five years ago and 8% in 2011. “It always varies,” says Alain Poirier.
Rare, boreholes
“Approximately 95% of mining exploration is being conducted in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James and North du Quebec,” he explains. And of the 265,000 active claims, barely 1,360 are the subject of drilling or other mechanical activity.
“What we’re confronted with most often is the ‘Not in my backyard,'” says Mr Poirier.
“In fact, people want to protect everything,” he continues. For many it is simply: “We don’t want a mine”. It has nothing to do with a specific project. It’s perception. We want all products that come from a mine for our daily life, but we don’t want a mine.
Can you share information about this story with us?
Write to us or call us directly at 1-800-63SCOOP.