INAC supports responsible resource development in the NWT and ensures the environment is protected.

MINING RECORDER'S OFFICE: provides information about and administers the Canada Mining Regulations (CMRs) and issues prospecting permits/mineral claims and leases, prospector licences, claim tags, maps, reports and much more.

MINERAL DEVELOPMENT DIVISION: provides information and advice on regulations and legislation, mineral, oil and gas rights, mineral exploration and mining activity. They are the liaison between INAC and the communities, boards, agencies and industry.

NWT GEOSCIENCE OFFICE: provides geology and mineral potential information and advice, to prospectors, communities, boards, exploration companies, industry, government and the general public.

Territorial Lands Act and the Territorial Land Use Regulations – including the land and water boards (Mackenzie Valley, Sahtu, Gwich'in, Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat, Wek'èezhii)

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA)

Canada Mining Regulations (CMRs)

NWT Waters Act

Do some research. Find out where permits/claims/leases exist and what land is available for permitting or staking. Learn about the geology of the area and which minerals and metals are most commonly discovered in that area.

A company or individual needs a prospector's licence to get a prospecting permit or to stake a claim. A prospecting permit is not required to stake a claim, however, the holder of a permit is the only person who can stake a claim within their permit area.

A claim can be staked without a prospecting permit, but a prospector's licence is required. Before staking, check with the Mining Recorder's Office in Yellowknife to make sure that the area of interest is open for staking and hasn't already been claimed or leased.

A prospector's licence, prospecting permits and claim tags are issued by the Mining Recorder's Office in Yellowknife. For a complete list of fees, please contact them at the number below.

In the NWT, the Crown (federal government) owns a majority of the underground (subsurface) mineral resources. Development of private subsurface mineral deposits, like those transferred in land claim agreements, require an agreement between the beneficiary (owner) and private industry.

To prospect or stake a mineral claim on leased or private property, authorization from the property holder for access, along with applications and sketches, are required and must be submitted to the Mining Recorder's Office or the mineral claim will not be recorded.

Prospecting permits or claims are not issued in national parks, cemeteries or burial grounds, private lands or those withdrawn for historic, cultural or environmentally sensitive purposes, or lands controlled by other federal departments.

For more information about working on the land, or to request copies of the publications shown above, please go to:
nwt-tno.inac-ainc.gc.ca.

Once a year the Mining Recorder's Office (MRO) issues prospecting permits and notifies communities, Aboriginal organizations, and other federal departments about applications for prospecting permits close to them. The input and concerns of First Nations and other stakeholders are very important and are taken into consideration before a permit is issued.

There are some areas in the NWT where prospecting permits cannot be issued under the Canada Mining Regulations, or because of land claims or interim land withdrawals.

The Mineral Development Division also works with industry and encourages companies to contact the First Nations and work with the community from the very beginning to keep community members informed and involved.

Protecting the environment is a priority, and the NWT has some of the strictest environmental assessment and monitoring procedures in Canada. Northern knowledge of the land, innovative exploration and technology, integrated land management plans and environmental monitoring programs have all reduced the impact of mineral exploration and development activities on the environment.

There are two assessment and regulatory processes in the NWT: the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA) which applies to all regions of the NWT except the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, where the process set out in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement applies.

As part of the permitting process, land and water boards conduct a preliminary screening of the project and determine whether or not a permit is issued at that time or if an environmental assessment is necessary. The settled regions have their own land and water boards and environmental review boards. In the unsettled regions, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board and the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB) do the reviews, make recommendations and determine whether or not to issue permits.

There are new rules in the NWT about mine closure and site remediation. Before a company can begin to develop a mine, it must put up enough money to cover the cost of the closure and clean up of the mine site. It must also have a plan that details how the mine will be closed and the land reclaimed. The land use permit requires that all buildings be removed and that the site be left as safe as possible for people or animals.

If a company has identified a potentially significant discovery at the advanced stage of exploration, an IBA will be negotiated privately between a company and the First Nations.

Mineral Development Division
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
6th Floor, Bellanca Building
4914-50th Street
P.O. Box 1500
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2R3
Tel: (867) 669-2571
Fax: (867) 669-2705

Mining Recorder's Office
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
5th Floor, Bellanca Building
4914-50th Street
P.O. Box 1500
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2R3
Tel: (867) 669-2691
Fax: (867) 669-2714
nwt-tno.inac-ainc.gc.ca

For geology information and reports:

Northwest Territories Geoscience Office
P.O. Box 1500
4601B-52nd Avenue
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2R3
Tel: (867) 669-2636
Fax: (867) 669-2725
Email: ntgo@gov.nt.ca
nwtgeoscience.ca  

QS-Y282-000-BB-A1
Catalogue No.R2-465/2007
ISBN 978-0-662-49967-1

Online version:
Catalogue: R2-465/2007E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-662-45459-5