Mining exploration: NioBay acquires drilling concession in Charlevoix

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry authorizes NioBay Mining Company to drill deep in the Terres du Seminaire, north of Saint-Urbain, where the company expects to find significant concentrations of titanium in the Charlevoix subsoil.

Radio-Canada received confirmation on September 11 that Quebec had issued an Authorization for Impact Exploration Work (AIC).

The minister's green light affects only one of Vior Mining Company's five mining claim blocks, for which NioBay is continuing exploration work under a purchase option signed last winter.

The block is located east of Swan Lake and north of the municipality of Saint-Urbain on private lands belonging to the Séminaire de Québec. called Sector 1 As part of a project called feetThis area is subject to exploratory work during the summer.

Niobe confirmed and collected the samples High levels of titanium dioxide in massive ilmenite blocksThe company announced in June.

Titanium is on Canada's Critical Minerals list. Concentrations found by these preliminary surveys ranged between 35% and 40% and were found mainly in the Lac aux Bleuets sector.

Deep drilling operations are now required to determine the potential of the titanium deposit and further stages of exploration should continue if the results confirm economically interesting concentrations. According to Niobe, a publicly traded company, the discovery of blocks containing 45% rutile (titanium dioxide) concentrations is enough to go further.

The presence of titanium in the Saint-Arbain region has been known for almost 300 years, and mines were occasionally exploited in the 19th and 20th centuries. A rare rock formation called anorthosite explains the presence of this metal in the region.

After the hunt

Contacted on Thursday, Jean-Sebastien David, president and CEO of Métaux NioBay, confirmed the receipt of authorization by Quebec. The mining company would have liked to have started its work sooner, he admitted. The drilling team is waiting for ministerial approval, which was filed 60 days ago.

The delays will now force NioBay to wait until late October before starting work, he said. The company, Mr. David pointed out, is committed not to disrupt the hunting season that is about to begin in Quebec. Drilling operations are planned for four weeks, the manager estimates.

Finding titanium dioxide deposits at depth does not mean mining in the short term, Mr. David said. He reminds us that we must count At least 15 years Before actually thinking about extracting the mineral from underground, the niobium concentrations would be interesting.

Then the project is subject to environmental assessments.

A sector Super promising is on hold

Niobay has not only requested authorizations for impact works in Sector 1.

Sector 3 – Super promisingMr. According to David – also under analysis at the Ministry of Natural Resources. However, Quebec has not yet issued authorization for drilling and stripping work for these other claims.

Sector 3 is located in the ZEC des Martes, not far from the Grands-Jardins National Park. The territory was targeted by a pilot project to protect woodland caribou led by the Legault government. The Charlevoix herd targeted by the pilot project is currently living on artificial respiration in an enclosure, with around thirty individuals still alive.

This population is also targeted by an emergency decree from the federal government. In both cases, consultations are still ongoing and the modes of economic activity allowed are yet to be clarified.

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A mining company wants to know if mining is allowed in deer habitat before investing more money in its exploration work, which requires helicopter travel in the field.

NioBay still requested ministerial authorization to consider the titanium concentrations discovered this summer, but does not plan to drill this year. Nothing is worse than uncertaintyJean-Sebastien David confirmed that he expects quick answers from both governments.