Quebec Makes Another Attempt At Amending The Mining Act

On Thursday, December 5, 2013, Martine Ouellet, the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources, tabled Bill 70, entitled An Act to Amend the Mining Act. The fourth and latest instalment in a long line of attempts to reform Quebec's mining legislation, unlike its predecessor Bill 43, Bill 70 would make amendments to the current Mining Act rather than replace it completely. Interestingly, Bill 70, like Bill 43, contains a preamble that explains the reasons and the objectives upon which the amended Mining Act is based.

What's New?

Bill 70 contains several significant changes to the Quebec legislative mining regime pertaining mainly to the rights and authority of municipalities, increased environmental oversight, public interest considerations, economic benefit measures, consultations requirements with Native communities, and other modifications to the rights and title regime. In this respect, Bill 70 addresses most of the substantive changes proposed in Bill 43, but in a