As the Province of Quebec grapples with forest fires, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is cutting access to regions of the province where citizens can access public forests, heavily impacting the exploration activities of mining companies.
As of June 4, the Ministry has prohibited access to what is referred to as a “large part of Quebec,” with respect to the forest in lands in the domain of the province, while closing several roads for public interest at the same time. The changes are said to be a result of the “significant risk of re-ignition of fires and in order to facilitate the actions of the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU).”
Impacted regions are said to include portions of the administrative regions of Nord-Du-Quebec, Cote-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Mauricie, Outaouais, Larentides, and Lanaudiere.
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Those impacted are said to include Patriot Battery Metals (TSXV: PMET), whom issued a release last night indicating the province has requested exploration companies cease field activities as a result of the high risk for forest fires. The company had previously begun to conduct a summer-fall exploration program consisting of both drilling and surface work.
Drilling was to target the CV5 and CV13 pegmatites, along with four other pegmatite clusters. Surface work meanwhile was targeting the remaining prospective lithium trend, which is said to be in excess of 20 kilometres long. In the interim, Patriot has indicated it intends to process drill core while it awaits permission to return to exploration activities.
Archer Exploration (CSE: RCHR), whom also operates in the James Bay Region of Quebec indicated this morning it ha halted work at its Grasset Project, where it is looking to prove out nickel resources. The company indicated that it has evacuated all personnel from the region.
There is currently 153 active fires in Quebec, with the province saying this weekend that it is only able to attack between 20 to 30 fires at a time until gets reinforcements.
“We took charge of 35 fires today, compared to 21 yesterday. We chose specific fires to protect our critical infrastructures, but above all to protect our population. All our resources are concentrated on these fires,” commented Francois Bonnardel, Public Security Minister, on Sunday during a news conference.
It is estimated that 14,000 people have been forced to leave their homes so far as a result of the ongoing fires.
Information for this briefing was found via Sedar and the companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
