At the beginning of October, the Village of North Hatley held a public consultation before making a decision on the actions to be taken regarding a mining claim that had been received in May and directly concerned the North Hatley community and surrounding region.

The municipality called upon a representative of the Ministry for the Natural resources and Fauna/Mining Sector, Rock Gaudreau to speak on the issue before Council. Gaudreau was able to explain the meaning of ‘a mining claim’; what the civil rights are for those who hold the title to the land as well as the rights of the municipality regarding this issue. As the action largely overflows the limits of the Village of North Hatley, citizens and elected officials of the surrounding areas also took part in the assembly, with North Hatley acting as a catalyst. Mayor Michael Page (North Hatley) was very satisfied with the participation of the citizens.

The information transmitted by the Ministry caused a great deal of discussion around the table. The current legal framework was explained and Gaudreau also gave a broad outline of Bill 14 -- “Law on the development of the mineral resources with respect to the principles of the durable development”. 

Out of the discussions came the fact that it was currently the landowners on which there was a mining claim that had the capacity to block any exploration. The Law regarding any mining efforts is dependent on the property owners’ permission for access to his land. Landowners who were present at the assembly strongly declared their opposition to the mining exploration and stated their intention to refuse access. A letter would be circulated to this fact. It became clear that there was a unanimous agreement that the municipalities around Lake Massawippi must protect the environmental framework of the lake and the quality of its water. Both Mayor Demers and Mayor Page are committed to carrying out this mandate.

At the end of the assembly, Mayor Page declared that the next actions should be coordinated with the region involved.