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MONTREAL — Quebec’s attempts to put an end to years of image-corroding uncertainty and lack of clarity for the mining industry are getting mixed reviews.
The Liberal government of Premier Philippe Couillard has revived plans to accelerate natural resource extraction in the vast northern reaches of the province. And the new Mining Act has helped bring greater predictability and transparency to a political environment many critics said was damaging Quebec’s reputation as an attractive jurisdiction for mining investment.
But problems and unresolved issues remain, even factoring in the current global commodities downturn, say some industry players and observers.
Take the case of Strateco Resources Inc., which recently shut down its uranium mining project in the Otish Mountains of northern Quebec after years of what its chief executive says have been frustrating dealings with provincial authorities. “This has been extremely difficult,” Strateco president and chief executive officer Guy Hébert said.
For years, the government declined to grant Strateco the right to start underground exploration at the site, known as Matoush, despite the company jumping through hoops to get 22 permits from Quebec at different phases of the project, he said.
Strateco also has authorization from federal authorities and a permit from the Canadian Nuclear Safety commission. But last year the former Parti Québécois government imposed a moratorium on uranium projects until the province’s environmental review agency completes a lengthy public inquiry into the issue.
Boucherville, Que.-based Strateco has launched a court case against the government seeking to overturn the decision to halt Matoush, which Quebec’s Cree nation opposes for environmental reasons.
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