Government Of Ontario Continues Mining Act Modernization Process

The government of Ontario introduced amending legislation on December 2, 2015 (the "Proposed Mining Amendment") in furtherance of the modernization of the Mining Act (Ontario) (the "Mining Act"). The modernization process began in earnest in 2009 with the passing of the Mining Amendment Act ("Bill 173") and represented the first major overhaul of the Mining Act in over a century.

The Proposed Mining Amendment would build upon the changes introduced by Bill 173 (described below) and significantly modernize how claims are registered and managed in Ontario by (i) implementing an online registration system for mining claims, moving the province away from the existing ground and paper map staking system, and (ii) introducing a modernized electronic mining lands administration system.