Here's a quick summary:
Newly Registered Claims in West Quebec
Grand Calumet and Fort-Coulonge Area - Claims
(View map: http://know-uranium.org/WQ-CAMU_Docs/Grand_Calumet.JPG)
Several new claims have been staked on Grand Calumet Island on the Ottawa River and north of Fort-Coulonge. Many of these have recently been registered by the MRNF. There are a total of 182 registered claims in the area now held by companies and individuals including:
- Aldershot Resources
- Virginia Mines
- Globex
- Geotest
- Golden Calumet Exploration
- LRG Inc. (Minerals Division)
- Darryl MacFarlane/Fred Sopchyshyn
- Robert Rosenblat
- Mervin Glabb
- Raymond Bedard
- Gregory Hryniw
- Jean Phillippe
La Peche Area (Lac-des-Loup, Lac Sinclair, East Aldfield) - Claims
(View Map: http://know-uranium.org/WQ-CAMU_Docs/La_Peche.JPG)
In the La Peche area many new claims have been registered by the MRNF. There are a total of 276 claims in the vicinity now held by companies and individuals including:
- Midland Exploration (see more below)
- Wildcat Resources
- SOQUEM (a Quebec Government private company)
- Virginia Mines
- Unimin Canada
- Lunik Explorer
- Glenn Griesbach
- Robert Rosenblat
- François Marcotte
- René Rousseau
- Bertrand Brassard
- Michel Gendron/Felix Stephane Gendron
- Robert Hay/Taliesin Hay
(View Map: http://know-uranium.org/WQ-CAMU_Docs/ValdesMonts.JPG)
In the Val-des-Monts area many new claims have also been registered by the MRNF. There are a total of 224 claims in the vicinity now held by companies and individuals including:
- Gemme Manicouagan
- Exploration Esbec
- LRG Inc. (Minerals Division)
- Glenn Griesbach
- Bertrand Brassard
- René Rousseau
- François Marcotte
- Marc S. Caneva
- Annette M. Dunkel
Midland Exploration Inc. Announces New Exploration Deal with Zincore Metals Inc. for the Gatineau Project
Midland Exploration (TSX VENTURE:MD) announced at the end of April the signing of a letter of agreement with Zincore Metals (TSX: ZNC) for the Gatineau Zinc project, which is currently held 100% by Midland. The project which comprises 266 claims covering a surface area of 160 square kilometres is located a few kilometres north of the city of Gatineau.
This deal is concerning because previously Midland was working with Breakwater Resources to explore these claims but the financial crisis caused Breakwater to pull out, thus putting an end to exploration in the area. Now Midland is back with a new and serious partner.
The deal calls for exploration expenditures of $700,000 in the first year (firm commitment of $500,000) with additional expenditures of $2,800,000 for a total of $3,500,000 over four years.
Midland is confident it will find a major zinc deposit in its Gatineau Project. Watch for ground geophysical follow-up, trenching, and subsequent diamond drilling during the summer of 2010.
For more: http://www.midlandexploration.com/documents/editeur/Midland-Zincore%20Zn%20Gatineau_April27.pdf
Reform of the Mining Act - WQ-CAMU Submission to Quebec Legislative Committee
All the new claims activity taking place in the region is disturbing. Meanwhile, the Quebec Government is now in the legislative committee stages with its reform of the Quebec Mining Act.
WQ-CAMU made a formal submission in writing last month. In essence we once again repeat our demands for far greater respect for private property rights, environmental stewardship and local control over land use.
See a copy of our submission:
http://know-uranium.org/WQ-CAMU_Docs/WQCAMU_submission_April_21_2010.pdf (English PDF)
http://know-uranium.org/WQ-CAMU_Docs/COQCEU_soumission_21_avril_2010.pdf (French PDF)
For more information on the work of the Committee:
http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-79-39-1.html
Coalition Pour que le Quebec ait meilleure MINE! Continues to Work Towards Mining Act Reform in Quebec
The QMM Coalition continues it hard work to convince Quebec's government there are more priorities for land use than only mining. With the May 12 commencement of the legislative committee into the Quebec Mining Act reform (Projet de loi 79) the QMM is not mincing words:
- reform how mine sites are managed to minimize long-term environmental impacts
- protect the rights of citizens
- provide better land user planning at the local level
- eliminate open pit mines - especially low grade high tonnage ones
For more information on the work of the Coalition Pour que le Quebec ait meilleure mine!:
Press Release: http://www.quebecmeilleuremine.org/content/consultations-parlementaires-sur-les-mines
Web Site: http://www.quebecmeilleuremine.org/
Blog: http://loisurlesmines.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/quebecmines/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coalition-Pour-que-le-Quebec-ait-Meilleure-MINE/183651392835?ref=ts
Where's Stelmine?
A few short months ago the Ottawa Citizen and the Low Down to Hull and Back News both reported Stelmine Canada had purchased a number of mining claims in the Wakefield area. Stelmine was reportedly searching for Lithium and Rare Earth Elements.
Stelmine has issued press releases stating they have bought these mining claims, but GESTIM Plus, the Quebec Government's mining database, has no record of Stelmine owning claims in the vicinity of Wakefield. Either Stelmine is experiencing a hyperbolic lapse or the Quebec mining claims process is so opaque that citizens can not find out who owns the mineral rights underneath their property.
Right now, the Val-des-Monts area claims map shows a number of claims that could well correspond to those "owned" by Stelmine, but they are held by individuals. It is not possible to tell if a private deal has been made between Stelmine and these individuals to somehow effect an ownership change or similar arrangement.
In any event, Stelmine remains invisible to the public in GESTIM Plus around Wakefield and makes no mention of the Wakefield project on its own website (see: http://www.stelmine.com/projets_eng.php) other than through the original press releases: http://www.stelmine.com/presse_eng.php?id=03dec09 and http://www.stelmine.com/presse_eng.php?id=15dec09.
That doesn't mean Stelmine isn't busy doing airborne surveys of its claims, digging trenches or perhaps even diamond drilling on the ground - we the citizens can't find out.
Quebec Once Again Is the Most Mining-Friendly Jurisdiction in the World
Bravo Quebec - we have the dubious distinction of being recognized as the most mining-friendly district in the world according to the Fraser Institute. Quebec has been in the top 10 since 2001 and in the first spot for 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Could it have anything to do with generous corporate welfare (subsidies, support, infrastructure), poor protection of property rights, weak environmental laws, great tax breaks (credits and flow-throughs) and the primacy of mining rights over other rights?
See the report here: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/commerce.web/product_files/miningsurvey2009-2010.pdf
