TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Uranium mining in Quebec is not feasible for several years still, owing to the exceedingly negative perception mining of the radio active element has among the province’s inhabitants, as a result of “numerous unanswered” questions regarding human health and ecosystem integrity, a committee tasked with holding public consultations on the subject has found.

The public hearings office Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) committee reported that owing to scientific uncertainty and gaps in technological knowledge, uranium mining in the province was far from reaching social and political consensus.

The BAPE found that the Quebec government could decide to temporarily or permanently suspend the local uranium industry, but warned that the potential legal and economic ramifications of such a decision should not precipitate costly legal suits.

The committee had conducted province-wide consultations since Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks Yves-François Blanchet tasked BAPE chairperson Pierre Baril with forming a commission to undertake "an inquiry and a public hearing on the uranium industry,” on March 3, 2014.

However, should the Quebec government decide to open the door to the exploitation of uranium on its territory, it should satisfy three requirements. These were securing social acceptance, making sustained efforts to gain knowledge with the aim of closing scientific knowledge gaps and technological uncertainties and taking the time required to formulate and adopt a legal framework for uranium mining through harmonised rules with federal legislation as part of a federal/provincial agreement.

The BAPE pointed out that its requirements could not be met realistically for several years yet, resulting in it being unable to give the green light to uranium mining in Quebec in the current context.

DIVIDED ATTITUDES
The committee said several participants in the public hearings showed great apprehension and scepticism because of uncertainties, scientific and technological limitations and the potential effects of radioactivity on public health and the environment. These concerns also stemmed from the military use of uranium and nuclear disasters in the past.

Conversely, some participants spoke overwhelmingly in favour of uranium mining, mainly for economic reasons, the BAPE reported.

Canada was the second-largest uranium producer behind Kazakhstan and ahead of Australia. Output, derived from three mines in Saskatchewan, reached close to 9 000 t in 2013, about 16% of world output. The mines in Saskatchewan were distinguished by the exceptional grades of some of the deposits.

However, the BAPE said Quebec’s uranium reserves were marginal. According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the compliant uranium resources identified, to date, amounted to 8 800 t, representing less than 0.12% of the global resources identified in 2013.

BROKEN CONFIDENCE
Junior explorer Strateco Resources has received creditor protection from the Superior Court of Quebec after First Nation opposition to its Matoush uranium project, located on reserve lands in the province’s Otish mountains, had halted the company’s flagship project.

The Boucherville, Quebec-based firm was embroiled in a bitter dispute with the Quebec government over its refusal to grant the certificate of authorisation needed to proceed with underground exploration at the Matoush project. This had discouraged investor interest, rendering the company unable to meet its financial commitments in spite of its cost-reduction measures.

The Matoush project has been on standby for about two years, since a moratorium and commission of inquiry into Quebec's uranium industry was announced on March 28, 2013.

Strateco's main asset now remained its litigious claim against the provincial government, in which Strateco sought up to $190-million in damages to offset the loss of its investment in the Matoush project.