Mineral Titles News, Notices and Announcements
Last updated on September 19, 2024Latest news and announcements from the Mineral Titles office.
September 19, 2024 - Information Update No. 8
We have received several questions and concerns over changes to Information Update No. 8 that were posted in a notice dated May 2024. Specifically, in the information update, we clarified that a person conducting work on a claim for work registration requires a free miner certificate. As a result of the feedback, Mineral Titles Branch will review and pause the implementation of the following change to Information Update No. 8:
- Page 3: Work performed on a mineral title by someone with a suspended FMC, no FMC, or an expired FMC will not be eligible for work credits.
More information with implementation timelines will be shared in early 2025. Any questions or comments concerning this update may be directed to Andrew.Upper@gov.bc.ca.
Sep 11, 2024 – Mineral Titles Branch Office Relocation and Closure Update
Please disregard the message posted on September 5, 2024 regarding the relocation of the Mineral Titles Branch’s Vancouver location. The move has been postponed due to delays in finalizing the construction of the new location. The Mineral Titles branch will continue to be located at Suite 300, 865 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC until otherwise notified.
As stated within the previous messages the Mineral Titles Branch Vancouver Office will remain open to the public by appointment only starting September 16th, 2024. The reason for this closure is due to staffing availability. Appointments can be made by contacting the Mineral Titles Branch at Mineral.Titles@gov.bc.ca.
Aug 14, 2024 - ELUA / ELUC / Deferral Areas and related shapes now appearing in MTO Map Viewers
Mining related orders under the Environment and Land Use Act (ELUA) have been established in the Province. Each order has unique requirements that are in effect in a specified area during a defined time period.
Mining related ELUA orders may prevent the acquisition of new titles and/or may restrict existing title holders from engaging in mining activities, with exceptions allowed for reclamation, monitoring, protection, control, or treatment efforts. A list of the mining related ELUA orders can be found under ‘Other acts, regulations and orders related to mining activities/Environment and Land Use Act’ on Mining legislation page:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/mineral-exploration-mining/mining-legislation
In MTO, two new map layers are now being displayed in the CWM map viewers only. These new map layers contain shapes related to ELUA orders (mining related and others).
The new map layers are found under the “Administrative Boundaries” folder. The layers are called:
- FADM – Special Protection Area (turned on by default)
- This dataset contains information on areas of the Province with special protections/requirements defined by legislation. This dataset contains mining related ELUA orders and other shapes (eg. Great Bear Rainforest)
- FADM – Designated Areas.
- This layer defines areas protected from harvesting activities by Order-in-Council as per part 13 of the Forest Act.
The “FADM – Special Protection Area” shapes show up in gold/orange. When you identify information from this layer, the name of the area is displayed.
The “FADM – Designated Areas” shapes show up in a pink colour. When you identify information from this layer, you get the BC Regulation number of the Order that created the area.
For detailed instructions on viewing the mining related ELUA orders in MTO and BC Laws, please see (Viewing Environment and Land Use Orders in Mineral Titles Online)
Note: For large areas, you may have to zoom in to a larger scale in order to receive search results.
Aug 14, 2024 - Changes in MTO 4.1.0
On June 5th, 2024, MTO 4.1.0 was released. This release included several changes to MTO operations which are summarized below.
- Cell Management:
- A new cell status has been created called ‘Next Cell Release’. The cell status will be displayed for any cell that is to become available at a future date. This new status is displayed when using the identify tool on the MTO Grid layer in the map viewers.
- Map processes have been revised to improve performance of the system by reducing the number of cells stuck in a pending state.
- Claim Abandonment and Reduction events have been updated and are now available for recorded holders and agents to register the events themselves in MTO.
- Statement of Work events:
- The new Good to Date (GTD) field is no longer automatically filled by the system. Free miners must now enter the new GTD for each title.
- The Debited PAC Amount and Credited PAC Amount fields have been removed. Values in these fields were not linked to the actual PAC accounts and were therefore misleading. PAC accounts will be credited/debited based on approved report values. If you need to know your PAC account balance please email mineral.titles@gov.bc.ca.
- Miscellaneous text and formatting corrections throughout Mineral Titles Online.
Aug 12, 2024 - Mineral Titles Online planned outage on Aug 13, 2024
Mineral Titles Online will be unavailable on Aug 13th, 2024, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm for maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
July 11, 2024 – Amendment to Hay-na Mining Deferral Area and the Lax K’naga Sts’ool Mining Deferral Area.
On July 6, 2024 the mining deferral area orders under the Environment and Land Use Act for Ehattesaht Nation and Gitxaala Nation territories (Deferral Area) were replaced with new orders (Mining Deferral Area (Gitxaala Hay-na) Order and Mining Deferral Area (Ehattesaht Hay-na) Order).
The July orders continue all the limitations on mining activities that were contained in the March mining deferral area orders until February 21, 2029 (the Deferral Period). All mineral tenures that are entirely or partially within the Deferral Area in the July order are subject to the limitations on mining activities.
The July order continues the ability of claim holders, by means of notice to the chief gold commissioner at least 7 days and no more than 30 days before the expiry date of a claim, to be granted a one-year extension to the expiry date of the claim.
In addition, the July order contains the following new provisions that deal with concerns raised by claim holders that the March mining deferral area order negatively affected the condition of their claims at the end of the Deferral Period. These new provisions ensure that
- The anniversary year of a claim at the end of the deferral will be the same as it was entering into the Deferral Period, and
- The period of time before a claim expires at the end of the deferral will be the same as it was entering into the Deferral Period plus 6 months.
For more information and links to the previous orders, please see the March 8, 2024 notice.
July 11, 2024 – Notice to Tenure Holders: Mineral Deferral Area (North Coast) Order
Effective July 6th, 2024, the Mineral Deferral Area (North Coast) Order under the Environment and Land Use Act has established a three-year pause on the registration of new mineral and placer claims in the North Coast Mineral Deferral Area.
July 3, 2024 - Abandonment and Reduction Events Are Now Available in MTO
Please note that these events are now available for users in MTO. You may now abandon or reduce your claims without assistance from the Mineral Titles Branch. If assistance is required please send a request to mineral.titles@gov.bc.ca for further help.
July 3, 2024 - Mineral Titles Online planned outage on July 5, 2024
Mineral Titles Online will be unavailable on July 5th, 2024, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am for maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
June 13, 2024 - Next Cell Release Scheduled for July 4, 2024 at 1:00 PM PDT
Below are links to the mineral and placer lists of cells key ID’s that will be released. The cells contained on these lists may be from titles where:
- A title forfeited due to the expiry of a time extension before the title was brought into good standing;
- A title forfeited because an exploration and development work event was reduced or cancelled (section 33 orders) and the resulting amount of maintenance was insufficient to keep the title in good standing; or
- A cell being made available due to a previous incorrect status.
Please note that these lists of cell key ID’s are subject to change.
June 10, 2024 – Yale Panning Reserve Reopened
The Yale Panning Reserve was closed in September 2023 due to a reported sighting of a silvery metallic liquid at the site suspected to be mercury. Since then, Fraser Health Authority has worked with BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the Mineral Titles Branch to collect soil and sediment samples on the site to inform a human health risk assessment. No visible mercury was identified during the sampling visits. Analysis of the soil and sediment samples found levels of mercury contamination to be low and within Canadian guideline limits. The assessment suggests that the risk of potential adverse health effects for individuals visiting the site for recreation is low. As a result of the assessment, the Yale Panning Reserve is now open for the public to use for recreational hand panning. The reserve is one of fourteen sites designated for the public to use for recreational hand panning. For more information about panning reserves and recreational panning, please visit:
Elemental or metallic mercury is a shiny, silver-white metal that is liquid at room temperature. It may be present in the environment. Although levels of heavy metals in the environment are generally low in British Columbia, even exposures to low levels can result in negative health effects. For more information about the hazards of mercury exposure please see the BCCDC site:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/prevention-public-health/lead-mercury
If you observe any substance that you suspect could be mercury, do not touch it. Please immediately report it to the Mineral Titles Branch, Mineral.titles@gov.bc.ca or if outside a panning reserve, to Fraser Health Authority.
May 13, 2024 - Transitioning Period Set for Jade Mining in Northwestern B.C.
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.
March 18, 2024 - Mineral Titles Online
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?
- MTO was implemented in 2005. Over the years, as technology has advanced, users have complained that the system has not kept up accordingly.
- In spring of 2023, Mineral Titles Branch hired EY Canada to complete a service design project assessing MTO. The findings of the project confirmed that “the application has limited functionality and utility, with no capacity for improvement or innovation”.
- In the Declaration Act Action Plan released in 2022, the Province committed to modernize the Mineral Tenure Act in consultation and cooperation with First Nations and First Nations organizations. Changes to MTO are needed so that the digital system is to be ready to implement future legislative changes.
- On September 26, 2023, the British Columbia Supreme Court (in Gitxaala v British Columbia) declared that the provincial Crown’s conduct in establishing an online system allowing automatic registration of mineral claims without creating a system for consultation breaches the obligations of the Crown to First Nations.
- The ruling requires the Province to establish a consultation regime (or for the province to amend legislation) within 18 months.
As the online registry for mineral, placer, and coal tenures, the new MTO must:
- Continue to provide a reliable and trusted registry for mineral, placer and coal claims, leases and notices. This is foundational to ensuring a responsible mining exploration and development industry in the province.
- Contain the functionality and capability to respond to future needs, including changes to the MTA developed through consultation and collaboration with First Nations, and engagement with Industry.
- Support reconciliation and strengthen government-to-government relationships with First Nations.
- Meet the needs of users now and in the future. MTO users will be engaged in the system replacement.
- Improve transparency, confidence, and user satisfaction.
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
March 8, 2024 - Moratorium in the Ehattesaht Hay-na Mining Deferral Area and the Lax K’naga Sts’ool Mining Deferral Area.
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.
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