Mining
A wide variety of metals and minerals within easy reach
Did you know? One fifth of Canada’s mining output comes from Québec. The resources exploited there are the most diverse in Canada: 15 metals and 13 minerals are produced and upgraded there, including lithium, rare earths and apatite.
In 2016, minerals extracted in Québec came from 27 active mines and close to 530 surface mining sites (Institut de la statistique du Québec).The value of mineral shipments reached $8.11 billion, a 7.8% increase over 2015. The main metals mined are, in decreasing order of shipment value, gold, iron, nickel, titanium, niobium, copper and zinc.
In addition:
- Québec is one of the rare producers of niobium, titanium dioxide, cobalt and platinum in the world.
- The province is also Canada’s biggest producer of iron concentrate and zinc and its second-largest producer of gold.
- Its subsurface also contains a huge potential of such substances as graphite, lithium, diamond, rare earths and tantalum.
In addition to its huge mineral potential, Québec is highly attractive for resource exploration and exploitation, and its business environment is very favourable to mining investments
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
The Québec government granted $185 million to BlackRock Metals to support the construction of an open pit iron, vanadium and titanium mine near Chibougamau, in the Nord du Québec region. This financial assistance will also enable the company to open a secondary processing plant in Saguenay, where the ore will be processed and refined before being shipped to international markets. The project represents total investments of almost $1.3 billion. In addition to the jobs created during the construction phase, 200 permanent high-quality jobs will be created for the operation of this mine.
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
Nemaska Lithium has completed a $1.1-billion financing package for its project to develop a rich lithium spodumene deposit at the Whabouchi mine, in the Nord-du-Québec region. The mine should be commissioned by the end of 2019. The ore extracted from it will be processed in the company’s new electrochemical plant in Shawinigan, which will produce lithium hydroxide and carbonate. Investissement Québec has invested $80 million in this project, through its subsidiary Ressources Québec.
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
Québec junior mining company Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG) commissioned its demonstration plant in Saint-Michel-des-Saints in summer 2018. It will produce 2,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate over a two-year period. NMG has entered into an R&D partnership with Hydro-Québec, which should enable it to challenge the Asian monopoly on the worldwide production of spherical graphite and anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
Acquired in 2016 by Champion Iron, with the financial support of the Québec government, the Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine resumed operations in March 2018. With mineral reserves estimated at 411.7 million tonnes, this mine has the potential to become one of Nord-du-Québec’s leading long-life iron mines.
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steelmaker, is set to invest close to $500 million over the next four years to upgrade its facilities in Québec’s Côte-Nord region. The investment will enable the company to increase production at its Fire Lake mine, maintain current operations at the Mont Wright mining complex in Port-Cartier and consolidate its iron ore supply for related industries, including steelmaking.
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International mining giants have chosen to invest in Québec
Royal Nickel Corporation’s Dumont Nickel Project is one of the world’s largest undeveloped, permitted and shovel-ready nickel sulphide deposits. Dumont is a mammoth deposit located near the town of Amos, Québec. When in production, it is expected to rank as the fifth-largest nickel sulphide operation in the world by annual production.
The Plan Nord project: Gateway to a new world
Launched in 2011, the PlanNord is a vast project that opens up an incredibly resource-rich territory extending over 1.2 million km². The goal is to ensure sustainable, integrated development of the region’s economic potential—particularly its mineral resources—all with the greatest respect for First Nations and local communities.
Did you know?
- Mining investments increased by 18.7% ($3.05 billon) in Québec in 2017. This strong recovery, which began in 2016, should continue in 2018 with an estimated growth rate of 17.2%. (Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec)
- Québec holds sixth place in the Fraser Institute’s 2017 rankings of the world’s most attractive jurisdictions for mining investments.
- Mineral exploration rights have been assigned on only 5% of Québec's vast territory.
- In Québec, the combined tax rate for corporations is 26.6% in 2019, one of the lowest in North America. A minimum income tax calculated on the basis of the quantity of ore extracted or the mining company’s annual profit is also levied.
- Québec offers a number of competitive tax incentives created specifically for mineral producers. Taken together, Québec's refundable tax credits, deductions and allowances make for a very friendly business climate.
Other
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Productivité innovation website (in French only)
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