Latest news and announcements from the Mineral Titles office.
On May 10, 2024, the Province established an Environment and Land Use Act order, prohibiting jade mining activities on new tenures in Northwest B.C.
Current tenure holders listed in the Order will be able to continue jade mining for five years with enhanced reclamation requirements. The Order is limited to jade mining activities in Northwest B.C. and does not impact other mining operations in the region, nor does it affect existing or new jade tenures in other areas of B.C.
The cumulative impact of jade mining in Northwest B.C. is causing harmful effects to sensitive alpine environments and creating significant regulatory challenges for permitting, compliance and enforcement. The Order is needed to protect the area from further harm and disturbance.
For further information regarding the Order, please see the May 10, 2024 Information Bulletin.
The Order can be found on the BC Laws website.
Mineral Titles has developed and revised changes to Information Update No. 8.
Highlights include:
Any questions concerning this update may be directed to Mineral.Titles@gov.bc.ca.
Mineral Titles Branch is pleased to announce that the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation will be updating Mineral Titles Online (MTO) with more modern technology. Work to upgrade our technology is starting soon and more details will be provided as this work moves forward. MTO is the online registry of mineral, placer mineral and coal tenures in BC. For future announcements, please follow News, Notices and Announcements on the Mineral Titles Branch website.
Why is MTO being replaced?
As the online registry for mineral, placer, and coal tenures, the new MTO must:
For more information about Mineral Tenure Act modernization, please visit https://engage.gov.bc.ca/mtareform/
For information about the Mineral Titles Online system development, please visit News, Notices and Announcements
Donna Myketa
Chief Gold Commissioner and Executive Director
Mineral Titles Branch
On March 7, 2024, orders were made under the Environment and Land Use Act to establish a five-year moratorium on certain mining activities within the Ehattesaht Hay-na Mining Deferral Area and the Lax K’naga Sts’ool Mining Deferral Area, as well as an indefinite pause on the registration of new mineral and placer claims in those areas.
The moratorium restricts existing tenure and permit holders from engaging in mining activities, with exceptions allowed for reclamation, monitoring, protection, control, or treatment efforts.
For further information regarding the moratorium, please see the March 2024 press release.
For additional information on reforming the Mineral Tenure Act, please see the March 7, 2024, update.
Resources:
The ministry is introducing the Regional Mines Public Engagement Portal, which will provide a platform for sharing information and receiving feedback regarding Mines Act applications for regional mines and exploration activities.
The portal allows users to view Regional mine permit applications and determine which ones are open for public comment. The statutory decision maker retains the authority to determine which applications will be open for public comment, depending on the nature and complexity of the application.
The portal will improve public access to application information and will provide system links to other ministry databases. The platform includes an interactive map with user-friendly features, and it will support the submission of email comments directly to the appropriate regional mines office.
The portal was published on November 27, 2023 at the following location: www.gov.bc.ca/minesengagement
Any questions about the mines public engagement can be sent to any regional office.
In consultation with the Fraser Health Authority, signs have been installed at the Yale Recreational Panning Reserve stating that the subject area is closed until further notice. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has received a report from a member of the public who suspects they may have found mercury while hand panning at the site. Fraser Health in collaboration with other relevant agencies continue to review this matter.
Mercury is a heavy metal that may be present in the environment. Though levels of heavy metals in the environment are generally low in British Columbia, even small exposures can result in negative health effects. For more information about the hazards of mercury exposure please see the BC Centre for Disease Control site:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/prevention-public-health/lead-mercury
The Vancouver office of the Mineral Titles Branch will be closing to walk-in traffic on Fridays. Closures start on May 26, 2023 and will continue until further notice.
We will continue to provide phone and email support Monday - Friday between the hours of 8:30 am - 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm.
Contact us at:
email: mineral.titles@gov.bc.ca
Voice-mail: 1-866-616-4999
We encourage you to take advantage of self-serve resources in the MTO Help documents.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
An updated Recreational hand panning page has been posted. The updated page combines information from Information Update No. 2 - Recreational Hand Panning for Placer Minerals (PDF, 46.3KB) and offers an interactive map of the panning reserves.
On June 19, 2023, the Province approved a temporary moratorium on the registration of new mineral claims in the Southern Incomappleux area through an Environment and Land Use Act order for a period of two years, with the possibility of extension.
The two-year moratorium on the registration of new mineral claims will provide an opportunity for further engagement regarding the future stewardship of the area.
This moratorium does not impact current mineral tenure holders in the area from carrying out work or continuing to develop their tenures.
For further information regarding the Incomappleux Valley, please see the January 2023 press release.
If there are any questions, please reach out to Kathie Wagar, Regional Director (kathie.wagar@gov.bc.ca
As of Jun 22nd, 2023, MTO will only support one login per client number. Attempting to login to additional sessions using the same client number will result in the original session being logged out. This is to increase the fairness of claim acquisition within the province of BC.