S 068(A) DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ANNUAL REPORT 1961 -1962 DEPARTMENT of NATURAL RESOURCES ANNUAL REPORT 1961-1962 GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC S-68 Quebec, December 3rd, 1962 To His Excellency The Lieutenant-Governor Paul Comtois, P.C. Quebec Your Excellency: I have the honour to submit to you the report of the Department of Natural Resources for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 1962. Your respectful servant, René Lévesque, Minister of Natural Resources TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter of Introduction 1 Statement of Income and Expenditures 4 Chapter I : Administration Branch 9 Chapter II : Mines Branch 11 Chapter III : Waters Branch 37 Chapter IV : Planning Branch 48 Chapter V : Information Service 49 Appendix I : Scholarships 53 Appendix II : Participation by Employees in Scientific Societies and Publications 55 Appendix III: List of Patents Obtained or Applied for in Various Countries in the Name of the Laboratories for Mineralogical and Metallurgical Research 58 Annex I : Mining Industry in Quebec 60 Annex II : Summary of Hydroelectric Production in Quebec ,., 67 Quebec, December 3rd, 1962. Mr. René Lévesque, Minister of Natural Resources, Quebec. Sir: It is with pleasure that I present to you the report of the Department of Natural Resources, for the fiscal year of April 1st, 1961, to March 31st, 1962. It is, essentially, an account of the administrative work performed within the Department during that period, together with an annual review of the mining industry and the hydro- electric production in Quebec. The present report is the successor of the annual review published, in years past, by the former Department of Mines, in accord- ance with Section 229, Chapter 196 of the Quebec Mining Act. However, it presents entirely new aspects, as it is the first report of the Department of Natural Resources, which came into being on April 1st, 1961. In accordance with Statute 9-10, Elizabeth II, Chapter 48, establishing the Department of Natural Resources, this body combines the former Department of Mines and the former Department of Hydraulic Resources. The amalgamation of these two departments, together with the changes it entailed, constitutes the prevailing feature of our administrative work during the fiscal period of 1961-1962. The former departments of Mines and of Hydraulic Resources have now become, respectively, the Mines Branch and the Waters Branch in the Department of Natural Resources. The Mines Branch comprises two distinct divisions: the Mining Services and the Geological Services. The Laboratories and a Pilot-plant are also part of this Branch. Within the Mining Services have been co-ordinated and grouped those units of the former Department of Mines which dealt chiefly with the administration of the Quebec mining Act, namely: Mineral Rights Service, Mining Operations Service, Inspec- tion of Mines Service, Legal Service and Civil Engineering Service. - 2 - However, there have been far more extensive changes in the make-up of the former Department of Hydraulic Resources, now the Waters Branch of the Department of Natural Resources. The Hydraulic Services of the former Department and the old Quebec Streams Commission, which were scattered partly in Quebec and partly in Montreal, were reunited and reorganized in Quebec under two distinct divisions: the Hydraulic Services and the Hydrological Services. The creation of the Hydrological Services enables the Department of Natural Resources to shoulder the entire responsibility of gathering basic data on the waters of Quebec, instead of entrusting the major part of this task to consulting engi- neers, as was the practice under the former Department of Hydraulic Resources. During the reorganization of the two former Departments, now fused into the Department of Natural Resources, a new unit was established, namely: the Planning Branch. This body meets the requirements of the Act that instituted the Department of Natural Resources. In accordance with one of the goals assigned to the new Department, the Branch is engaged in conducting the studies and research necessary to the drafting of the policy and plans for the development of both the natural resources and the territory of the Province, to the benefit of Quebec's entire population. Moreover, the libraries, documentation, editing and distribution of publications have been grouped into an Information Service. Its function is to diffuse information, within and without the Department, and to acquaint the general public with the important role of the natural resources in the life of Quebec's population as a whole. Furthermore, all the services that play a part in the operation of the Department, be they concerned with its personnel, purchasing, accounting, mail, archives or equipment, have been placed under the Administration Branch. The fact remains that the dispersal of the Departmentls offices throughout seven or eight separate buildings in different parts of the city of Quebec is not conducive to a convenient interchange of dealings and communication between the various sections of the organ- ization. The recent purchase of the former University buildings on Boulevard de l'Entente, aimed at reuniting everybody under one roof, will soon eliminate the deterrent and promote administrative efficiency. Of the tasks performed during the fiscal year 1961-1962, one especially should be brought into perspective: the dynamic role - 3 - played by the Department of Natural Resources in the organization of the congress of specialists in renewable resources, which congregated in Montreal from October 23rd to 28th, 1961. The meeting's theme was: "Resources for To-morrow". It should be recalled that this congress was organized with the joint support of the eleven Canadian govern- ments, the ten provincial bodies and the federal authorities. Although the groundwork dated back to the end of 1958, Quebec did not give deci- sive assistance until late in the year 1960. This delay might have prevented Quebec's voice from being heard effectively, had it not been for the whole-hearted collaboration of the Department's high-ranking officers, specially those of the Planning Branch and of the Waters Branch, and the impressive contribution made by Quebec specialists during the study sessions in Montreal. The countless references to these proceedings made by the public information media - newspapers, radio and television - were instrumental in giving the population a better understanding of the importance of Quebec's renewable resources and of the problems arising out of their co-ordinated development with- in the framework of an integrated economy. Mention must be made also of the prime role played by the Department of Natural Resources in the establishment of the Center for Northern Studies, at Université Laval, in July 1961. This took the form of a grant of $25,000 towards the creation of the first French-Canadian organization dedicated to the collection of data and the conducting of scientific research on northern Quebec. Finally, during the year, many high-ranking officers of the Department contributed to the examination and review of the project sub- mitted by the Commission for the Study of Quebec Mining Laws in view of a revision of the Mining Act. The present report does not deal with the activities of the organizations related to the Department of Natural Resources such as those of the Rural Electrification Bureau, Electricity and Gas Board, and Hydro-Quebec. The first two have no special budget distinct from that of the Department; the last is a State entreprise endowed with an autonomous administration. The first reports to the Minister of Finance; the second, to the Lieutenant-Governor through the Minister of Natural Resources. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your faithful servant, P.-E. Auger Deputy Minister of Natural Resources - 4 - STATEMENT OF INCOM Fiscal Year 1961--1962 Licenses, dues, sales, leases or rentals collected under the provisions of the Acts governing the management of mineral and hydraulic resources Miner's certificates $ 118,759.50 Development licenses 669,896.25 Mineral exploration licenses 200,029.26 Wrought metal sales licenses 8.00 Sales of lots in mining villages 9,326.92 Rentals of lots in mining villages 1,933.09 Dues on annual profits 4,772,704.10 Tax on mining concessions 4,011.20 Sales of mining concessions 75,660.51 Various rentals on lots etc. 11,928.41 Registration of transfer of mining properties 38,050.00 Operation license (10 Geo.VI Chap. 42) • 1 - Special license (S.3) 6,000.00 2 - Annual rental (S.11) 100,000.00 Hydraulic Services (fees for approval of plans and estimates) 9,695.00 Electricity and Gas Board 599,966.52 Water storage reservoirs 1,621,636.74 Hydraulic power 5,791,911.48 Beach lots 35,549.57 Logging dams 26,805.96 Education fund 6,060,268.27 Power lines 3,871.77 Sales of lots 7,508.50 Interest 98,339.06 Quebec Pulp 6 Paper Corporation 17,724.32 TOTAL 520,231,584.43 - 5 - STATEMENT OF EXPENDITURES* Fiscal Year 1961-1962 Ordinary expenditures Administration (salaries and material) $ 2,874,229.15 Account receivable 67,899.27 $ 2,806,329.88 Mine s a) Geological, mineralogical and metallurgical research 762,594.93 h) Mining roads and villages 727,489.84 c) Mine rescue training plan 22,551.92 $ 1,512,636.69 Account receivable 32,006.77 $ 1,480,629.92 Hydraulic resources a) River studies and works 2,061,221.25 b)Equipment and storage 32,999.49 $ 2,094,220.74 Account receivable 20,830.14 $ 2,073,390.60 Electricity and Gas Board 210,409.70 Rural Electrification Bureau 2,268,350.89