Return To Mineral Exploration – A Legal Perspective

The past few years have not been kind to mineral exploration companies. In the face of uncertain commodity prices — and a difficult financing environment that focused on production or development stage assets — exploration budgets were slashed by both major and junior companies alike. But, as 2017 begins, there appears to be a newfound sense of optimism in the mining industry. For example, capital is starting to return to exploration stage projects and there has been increased activity with asset transactions using earn-ins, joint ventures and strategic alliances. However, memories of the recent downturn are still fresh, and a number of considerations are influencing deal terms and positions on property-level transactions in the current market environment.