A big fan of Quebec lithium, Australia is the most prominent country in the Quebec Mining District.
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Our analysis shows that 18 Australian companies and investors are on the list of Quebec mining claim holders.
| country | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Indonesia | 2 | 7,477 | 2.66% |
| 2. Australia | 18 | 6,360 | 2.26% |
| 3. United States | 10 | 5,743 | 2.04% |
| 4. Switzerland | 2 | 4,697 | 1.67% |
| 5. China | 3 | 3,865 | 1.37% |
Source: GESTIM, the Mining Title Management System of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. Data extracted on February 6, 2023.
Its 6,361 mining exploration titles cover more than 3,400 square kilometers.
“Australia is home to many mining and exploration companies. My experience tells me that there are more and more Australian companies [qui viennent au Québec]especially in relation to lithium,” explains Ugo Lapointe of the Coalition To Make Quebec Look Better.
Lithium is a key component of batteries used in cell phones, laptops and electric vehicles, among others.
A WIND THAT BLOWS
“There’s a real wind blowing [tant au Québec qu’à l’international] compared to lithium,” adds Éric Lemieux, analyst in the mining sector.
Two Australian companies are among the top 100 active claimants here. They have established subsidiaries to operate in Quebec, namely Les Mines de Fer Champion Limitée (owned by Champion Iron Limited) and Sayona Québec (subsidiary of Sayona Mining Limited).
ADVANTAGES
“Australians look to Quebec and share a Quebec arm, the perfect example being Sayona,” supports Valérie Fillion, General Manager of the Association of Mining Exploration of Quebec.
According to her, these subsidiaries enable Australian companies to better claim tax credits and pay taxes in Quebec.
origin of the claim
Quebec
Canada
International
methodology
Source: GESTIM, the Mining Title Management System of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. Data extracted on February 6, 2023.
Our Bureau of Investigation analyzed all claimholders in Quebec who owned 281,243 active claims as of February 6, 2023. These represent 14.5 million hectares of explorable area. The nationality was determined based on the company headquarters, the address of the main shareholder and the addresses available on GESTIM.
Several companies can jointly hold the same claim. We have calculated the number of titles and the area held by each owner in relation to the rights they hold to each claim.
In the map, the color used represents the nationality of the owner holding the majority of the claim. With even separation of the claim, a mixture of colors is used.