Mineral Resources Act

Environmental aspects of mining are largely regulated through the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, and other applicable federal and territorial statutes. 

However, the development of a new Mineral Resources Act offers a chance to address gaps in these environmental protections to complement these laws.

What gaps do you see which could be addressed with new legislation? 

Prospecting and exploration are the activities which can ultimately lead to mining. Some jurisdictions in Canada offer incentives through tax rebates, subsidies, grants, or temporarily relaxed work requirements to qualifying mining companies and prospectors to encourage exploration. 

The Northwest Territories currently offers two such programs: 

• Mining Incentive Program
• Work Credit Program

Mining is currently the single-largest industry contributing to the NWT economy. In 2016, it contributed $637 million to the NWT economy and directly employed more than 1000 NWT residents.

How important are these jobs in the mining industry to a prosperous economy for the Northwest Territories?  

What is staking? 

Staking is the process where a person marks out an area of land where they want to explore for minerals.

A person must put up four corner posts each with a separate mineral claim tag affixed to it with important data etched on the tag. Boundary posts must also be erected every 500 meters and witness posts may be used in lieu of legal corner posts due to dangerous terrain or water. 

The claimant must submit the application to record along with a sketch outlining the property not later than 60 days from completion of the staking process.

What challenges does this present?

• Certain areas of the Northwest Territories are often not easily accessible. There is a high cost of getting to remote areas where minerals could be present. 

• A potential for conflicting claims if two people attempt to stake the same area in whole or in part at the same time.