URANIUM: Commission says “not now” to uranium mining in Quebec

QUEBEC – Having finished public hearings on the subject, Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) committee says there are too many unanswered technical questions about uranium mining to allow it to proceed in the...

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QUEBEC – Having finished public hearings on the subject, Quebec's Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) committee says there are too many unanswered technical questions about uranium mining to allow it to proceed in the province at this time. The hearings made clear that there is no social or political consensus to encourage the sector.

The committee's report also noted that it is up to the provincial government to decided to encourage, discourage or ban outright uranium mining. And it noted that a decision should be made sooner rather than later to remove uncertainty from the sector.

One company, Strateco Resources of Montreal, would like to move forward on its Matoush exploration project in northern Quebec. But work at the site ground to a standstill two years ago when the provincial government declined to issue permits for uranium exploration pending until public consultations could be  held. The Quebec decision came at the end of the three-year moratorium on uranium exploration imposed by the Cree Nation in 2010.

Strateco asked the courts to set aside the government's refusal. At the same time it asked the Superior Court to issue authorization to proceed with underground exploration. Unable to secure the needed permit, Strateco closed its camp 275 km north of Chibougamau, QC, in June last year.

In December 2014, Strateco filed a claim seeking $190 million from the Quebec government for the loss of its investment in Matoush. The company reported spending about $20 per year at the site. Resource numbers at the end of 2012 included 586,000 indicated tonnes grading 0.954% U3O8, and 1.69 million inferred tonnes grading 0.442%. The categories contain an estimated 12.33 million lb and 16.55 million lb of uranium oxide, respectively.

Click here to read an English summary of the commission's report.

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