Québec Mining 2019 Québec Mining 2019
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QUÉBEC MINING 2019 QUÉBEC MINING 2019 Institutional Support and Regulations - Investments - Battery Metals Innovation and Industry 4.0 - Gold - Iron - Services and Support Dear Reader, Global Business Reports is delighted to be back in Québec, a world-class mining jurisdiction with unique institutional support. The following pages investigate the latest developments across the value chain, from the organizations and institutions that provide the sector with financial and regulatory stability and transparency, to the junior explorers, large producers and service-sector companies operating on the ground. GBR’s research team travelled through Montréal, Québec City, Val-d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda for three months, conducting face-to-face interviews with key decision makers, to provide an up-to-date first-hand analysis from the figures who will shape the industry in the years ahead. Since the end of the super cycle in 2012, Québec’s mining industry has weathered a storm that has offered sparse opportunities for wealth creation and in recent years, new industries such as cryptocurrencies, blockchain and cannabis have compounded the challenge of sourcing investment from a finite pool. Yet there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, as a diverse variety of new metals related to renewable energy, such as vanadium, lithium, cobalt and niobium, have caught the attention of a market looking towards a new, more sustainable energy future. Nemaska Lithium and BlackRock Metals have been able to raise billions of dollars to develop their projects in this field. Meanwhile, a Chinese steel market looking to curb pollution has stimulated demand for high-grade iron ore from the Labrador Trough. Nevertheless, the backbone of Québec’s mining industry remains gold production from the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and James Bay. As Eldorado Gold continues construction of its Lamaque mine and Osisko Mining advances development at its Windfall deposit, a host of juniors look for the next discovery of significance, spurred on by the federal government’s decision to renew the mineral exploration tax credit (METC) until 2024. An emphasis on innovation has become crucial, as mining companies look to reduce costs and optimize efficiency. As the industry 4.0 movement gathers pace, a burgeoning Montréal tech community is collaborating with its international counterparts to develop solutions that are transforming processing technology, allowing companies to identify new deposits, and enhancing mine safety in jurisdictions across the globe. ‘La Belle Province’ is leading the drive for sustainable mining and is soon to be home to the world’s first all-electric open-pit mine. We would like to thank all our interviewees who have taken the time to provide their insights into the market. To all our readers, we always welcome your feedback or insights; please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Alice Pascoletti General Manager Global Business Reports GBR Arctic Ocean Regulations Metals of the and Gold Innovation Future Governance Québec’s mining industry Gold continues to dominate Québec’s deposits of lithium, is embracing technological Québec offers a well regulated exploration and new mines near vanadium, cobalt etc. are the development and industry 4.0 mining environment and offers production, though financing focus of investments in a drive for efficiency and attractive fiscal incentives remains squeezed sustainability 8 22 38 60 N CONTENTS / Québec Mining 2019 Introduction to Mining in Québec Innovative Solutions 8. Balancing sustainability and permitting 60. No longer an afterthought, but a necessity 9. Factsheet:Pacic Québec at a glance 61. Interview with Fonds de Solidarité 10. InterviewOcean with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources for Québec 63. Interview with Corem 12. Interview with Québec Mining Association 64. Interview with IOS Services Géoscientifique 13. Interview with Québec Mineral Exploration Association 66. Interview with Newtrax Technologies 15. Interview with Ressources Québec 69. Interview with Geotic 16. Interview with Lavery 70. Interview with Mansour Mining Technologies Canada 17. Interview with SOQUEM 71. Interview with Maclean Engineering 18. Interview with BMO Capital Markets 72. Interview with Azimut Exploration 19. Interview with Fasken 74. Interview with Effigis 75. Interview with InnovExplo C National Capital 76. Interview with Maptek E Province Capital Metals and Materials of the Future 78. Interview with Drone Volt Canada É B 80. Interview with SIRCO Q U 22. Lithium and vanadium projects attract substantial investment 81. Interview with Distributed Gas Solutions Canada 23. Interview with SIDEX 26. Interview with Nemaska Lithium 27. Interview with Mason Graphite Services 29. Interview with Vanadium Corp 30. Interview with Nouveau Monde Graphite 84. Engineering and consulting 32. Interviews with Commerce Resources and GéoMéga Resources 85. Interview with SGS Atlantic 33. Interviews with Critical Elements and Veolia 86. Interview with G Mining Services 88. Interviews with Manulift and Meglab Ocean 89. Interview with Seneca Precious Metals 90. Interview with Ausenco 91. Interview with HydroTech Mining 36. Time to reinvest and replenish 92. Interview with Micomine Canada 37. Interview with Hecla Mining 93. Interview with Met-Chem Saguenay 38. Interview with Osisko Mining 94. Interview with G4 Drilling Canada 39. Map: Current Mining Projects of Québec 96. Interview with CMAC-Thyssen 40. Interview with Eldorado Gold 98. Interview with Location MSN 41. Interview with XPLOR Mining Congress 100. Interview with Fednav Québec 43. Interview with Eastmain Resources 102. Interview with Air Inuit 45. Interview with Sirios Resources 104. Interview with Nolinor Aviation Trois-Rivières 47. Interview with TomaGold 105. Interviews with Sirius Wilderness Medicine and Sprung Structures Saint-Jérôme 48. Interview with Cartier Resources Sherbrooke 50. Interview with Canadian Overseas Resources Montréal 51. Interview with Stornoway Diamond Concluding Thoughts Ottawa 108. Conclusion Iron Ore and Base Metals 110. Thoughts 54. Premium quality iron ore in high demand 112. Company Directory 0 75 150 Kilometers 56. Interview with Tata Steel Minerals Canada (TSMC) 114. Credits 0 75 150 Miles 57. Interview with Alderon Iron Ore Arctic Ocean N Pacic Ocean Canada C National Capital B E Province Capital Q U É Atlantic Ocean Saguenay Québec QUÉBEC MINING 2019 Trois-Rivières Industry Explorations Global Business Reports Saint-Jérôme Sherbrooke This research has been conducted by Montréal Lina Jafari, Carl-johan Karlsson Ottawa and Ben Cherrington Edited by Lindsay Davis and Mungo Smith Graphic design by Gonzalo Da Cunha A Global Business Reports Publication For updated industry news from our 0 75 150 Kilometers on-the-ground teams around the world, please visit our website at gbreports.com, 0 75 150 Miles subscribe to our newsletter by signing up to our VIP list through our website, or follow us on Twitter: @GBReports “Québec’s geology is rich and diversified and the government is doing a lot of work exploring the landscape in order to provide information relating to the geological potential of the province. Québec has political stability, and the new mining and tax acts have been implemented for over three years now, so are clearly understood by the industry.” - Josée Méthot, President & CEO, Québec Mining Association (QMA) Image courtesy of Stornoway Diamonds GBR • Industry Explorations • QUÉBEC MINING 2019 EDITORIAL Global Business Reports Introduction to Mining in Québec Balancing sustainability and permitting Québec’s mining history can be traced back been fundamental to the development of ‘La organizations stimulating resource develop- as far as the discovery of North America, Belle Province.’ ment (La Caisse de dépôt et placement du when Jacques Cartier discovered quartz Today, mining remains the foundation of Québec, Ressources Québec, SOQUEM, and pyrite on the slopes of Cap Diamant. Québec’s economy, and the industry itself, SIDEX and BMO Capital Markets), Québec Since the discovery of lead in 1686 in the on the back of strong institutional support, has the knowledge, means and geological Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, followed by remains in an enviable position, not just on endowment to prosper as global market con- Québec’s first gold rush in the 1840s after a national level, but as a world-class mi- ditions improve. the discovery of a gold nugget in the Beauce ning jurisdiction. From mining-related as- region by Clothilde Gilbert, mining has sociations (QMA and QMEA) to financial Balancing sustainability and permitting In 2014 the Québec Mining Association (QMA) entered into an agreement with the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) for a four-year mandate to ensure that all mining installations implement the Towards Sus- tainable Mining (TSM) initiative – a perfor- mance system that helps mining companies evaluate and manage their environmental and social responsibilities. Having already achieved 92% of this target by Q3 2018, Josée Méthot, QMA’s president and CEO, spoke of the willingness of the Québec mi- ning community to demonstrate its commit- ment to sustainability: “[Mining companies] took the challenge head-on, therefore we did not have to implement tactics to influence them, they simply agreed to the process.” Despite its numerous advantages as a mature Your great-great-great-great-great-great-great- and predictable jurisdiction, the challenges great-grandfather would have loved metal. of advancing an exploration project to pro-