Task: A license, please! Coming up at the end of this section.

2.3 Applying for a Mining Licence

		Developing a mine is not done any old how and at any price. There are conditions to be met!
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2.3.1 Mining Licence

Once a potential deposit has been found, further geochemical, geophysical and drilling work must be carried out to determine whether or not development is feasible and financially viable.

It usually takes five to ten years before a mine goes into production. It also takes a lot of money.

A survey showed that between 1946 and 1985, an average of 50 million dollars was necessary to discover a profitable deposit in Canada.

So the risk is high, especially when one potential deposit in a thousand is mined in the end!

Today, the environment is of paramount importance when it comes to mining. To guarantee the development of a deposit, the prospector must provide more than just a feasibility study.

A study of the impact of mining activities on the environment must be carried out and submitted for examination by the public and the governments.

		View of the former tailings pond of the Solbec mine, in the Estrie region (Québec), rehabilitated by Cambior.
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In addition, a rehabilitation plan for the site must be developed and submitted in anticipation of the mine’s eventual closure.

All these documents must be approved at numerous levels of government before a mining licence is issued.

In short, nothing is left to chance!