2.1.2 Staking

To acquire the exclusive right to explore a parcel of land, a prospector must first determine its boundaries.

In the past, this was done by staking, that is, by surveying the boundaries of the desired parcel.

In Québec, staking is now done by designating boundaries directly on the map, according to a pre-defined land division. This approach is faster and more straightforward.

To stake a parcel of land, a prospector uses the Ministère des Ressources naturelles’ computer system GESTIM (Management of Mining Titles). The system can be accessed via the Internet : http://gestim.mrnfp.gouv.qc.ca/intro.asp..

		GESTIM, Québec’s electronic mining title management system.
	Source

Once the parcel of land has been staked, the prospector can apply for a claim, a mining title that grants him the right to search for nearly all the underground mineral substances on the land he has designated on the map.

If a discovery is made, the claim ensures that the holder will be issued a mining licence.

The purpose of this practice is to give the prospector the opportunity to obtain a return on his investment by giving him mining priority.

This is regarded as a reasonable practice since mining exploration is costly.

However, a claim holder has a number of obligations: he must perform a minimum amount of work on his land and make the results public, on penalty of paying costs or losing his claim.

This ensures that no one has a monopoly over the territory. Claim holders must explore or allow others to do so.

The claim holder must also pay a fee to the State for the exclusive access to mineral resources on a parcel of land. This practice is intended to compensate the public, which is the real owner of the subsoil.