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Mineral and placer leases

Last updated on January 3, 2024

A lease is the production tenure for mining. A claim allows the holder to explore and develop the mineral or placer mineral resource, and contains a production limit for mineral claims of 1,000 tonnes of ore in a year from each unit in a legacy claim or each cell in a cell claim, and for placer claims of 20,000 cubic metres of pay dirt from each legacy claim or a cell claim in a year. A bulk sample of up to 10,000 tonnes of ore may be extracted from a mineral claim not more than once every five years. Production beyond these limits requires a lease tenure.

Leases are issued according to a survey plan, and for a specific term.  A lease is maintained by payment of the annual rental of $20 per hectare for a mining lease and $20 per hectare for a placer lease. There are no work requirements on a lease, but the term of a lease will only be renewed if the lease is required for a mining activity.

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Application for lease

The recorded holder (or authorized agent) of a mineral claim may register an application for a mining lease online.  Similarly, the recorded holder of a placer claim may register an application for a placer lease online. There is a registration fee of $100 per application.

One or more adjoining claims may be taken to a lease, and the claims may be legacy, cell or a combination, provided they adjoin.

Upon registration of a lease application, Mineral Titles staff will contact the applicant respecting the type of survey that must be completed. Upon approval of the survey, the lease application must be advertised according to the requirements in section 42(2) of the Act for a mining lease, or section 18 of the Regulation for a placer lease. More detailed information may be obtained from Mineral Titles staff.

 

Payment of annual rental on a lease

A lease is maintained by payment of the annual rental of $20 per hectare for a mining lease or $20 per hectare for a surveyed placer lease. The recorded holder or authorized agent registers the payment online. If this is not done on or before the due anniversary date, Mineral Titles staff will send a notice requiring payment within 30 days.  If not paid, the Chief Gold Commissioner may order the forfeiture of the lease.

During the last year of the current lease term, the term extension must be registered prior to registering the annual rental.

 

Applying for a term extension of a lease

A lease may be issued for a specific term. The recorded holder of a lease may apply for a renewal of the lease term a term during the last year of an existing term. If no application is made to renew the lease term, the lease expires and is forfeited on the last day of the existing term.

Information must be provided to satisfy the Chief Gold Commissioner that the lease is required for a mining activity. It is therefore recommended that application for a term extension be registered early in the last anniversary year. Mineral Titles staff will contact the recorded holder following registration of the application for the term extension to obtain the information required to review the application.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applications of mining leases and placer leases under section 42 and section 45 of the Mineral Tenure Act, respectively, are made to the chief gold commissioner.