Mining in Quebec

Québec - One of the Best Places in the World for Exploration

In 2008, for the ninth time, Québec’s excellence in the mining field received international recognition when Vancouver’s Fraser Institute ranked the province first in the world for its favourable mining environment, based mainly on its mining policies and mineral potential.

The mining industry, including the primary processing sector for minerals from outside Québec, makes a significant contribution to Québec’s economy and international profile, accounting for 50,000 jobs in more than 30 municipalities.

Québec is producer of iron, zinc, nickel, silver and gold. Investments in the mining sector are significant and are growing steadily. Québec has approximately 20 active mines producing also copper and industrial minerals such as chrysotile, ilmenite, mica and salt. A likely addition to the list in the near future will be diamonds, since current exploration work is promising. Québec is also a major producer of industrial stone (slate and limestone) and architectural stone (granite and marble).

Québec’s strength lies not only in its raw materials, but also in the excellence of its labour pool, training institutions and specialist research centres. In addition, it is a world leader in the capture and processing of geoscientific data.

Exploration, innovation and entrepreneurship: motors of economic development

The development of the mining industry is dependent on new discoveries. The Québec Government firmly believes in its mining sector, and fosters industry diversification through the discovery of new substances and exploration of less well-known regions, while continuing its efforts to capture new knowledge on the geology of traditional mining regions, where a significant portion of the potential (gold and other metals) has yet to be uncovered. In addition, the sector must be able to count on a high level of entrepreneurship if it is to prosper.

Creation of a Mining Heritage Fund

The future of the industry also depends on investments in technological solutions tailored to the needs of mineral exploration and mining in Québec. The Québec Government has therefore announced the creation of the Mining Heritage Fund, constituted from mining dues. The Fund will be directed towards the capture of geoscientific knowledge and support for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Unrivalled Government support

The Québec Government actively supports the mining industry by offering a large number of tax incentives and an extremely attractive mining regime for firms that engage in exploration and mining activities in Québec. The Government also supports the industry’s partners, as well as several institutional investment portfolios.

Creation of a National Mining Institute and other labour development measures

Québec’s mining sector is characterized by a significant need for specialized labour, mainly in remote regions. Attracting and training workers is one of the major challenges facing the mining industry, and constitutes an essential element of its development.

To help achieve the industry’s goals, the Government injected $4 million over two years for the introduction of targeted labour development measures, promotion of the industry to potential workers, and the creation of a National Mining Institute that will be responsible for adjusting vocational training to the sector’s labour needs.

A stimulating vision of mineral development

Québec has its very first mineral strategy, designed to help increase mining activity and enhance its impacts. Measures are proposed to develop mining activity through the discovery of new deposits, both in new regions and in the regions where Québec’s mining history was originally written. The strategy fosters the industry’s development, so that it is able to use new exploration and mining methods and be more competitive and more attractive to young workers. At the same time, it ensures that all development is respectful of the environment, fits into the surrounding area and is favourable to regional participation. The new strategy reflects the Government’s desire to transform the sector into a figurehead of sustainable development.