ROUYN-NORANDA, LE 6 JUIN 2022 –
On May 25, regional organizations asked the Quebec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources to cease mining activities on 5161 claims, covering in part all of the eskers in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, and to immediately withdraw mining activities on eskers that are not currently subject to mining titles. This letter was accompanied by a 30-day deadline.
The Quebec Mineral Exploration Association (QMEA) would like to share its thoughts on this request. A significant portion of our members are members of the Ordre des géologues and the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and their professional practice is therefore regulated. It is our responsibility to inform the public based on facts and rigorous and documented analyses when it comes to acts reserved for our practice.
Thus, according to Valérie Fillion (General Manager), the May 25 request only targets mining titles, without any scientific proof demonstrating a real danger on the eskers, ignoring other activities that are practiced there, under the pretext of reaching regional protected area targets, which are nevertheless provincial and national in scope.
In this perspective, we consider that there is no rational argument to conclude that the removal of 5161 mining claims in Abitibi-Témiscamingue is necessary.