do business at a reduced cost. There is a
substantial difference in cost when bring-
ing equipment to a developed area like Val-
d’Or compared to an undeveloped region
like Baie-James, said Mariage.
CHALLENGES: PRICES, TAXES
AND REGULATION
Challenges of the industry lie predominant-
ly with the global state of the economy and
markets. Although there has been some
activity in gold and lithium earlier this year,
the industry in general has suffered from
a significant decrease in the price of min-
erals. Access to capital continues to be a
challenge for the mining industry and the
dwindling number of investments carried
out in Québec is a reflection of this.
“We’ve essentially gone back 10 years in
terms of investments in the exploration
and development of projects,” Mariage
said, although he expects conditions to
improve. “The prices will go back up, but
it’s just a question of when. In terms of the
market and mining space, I think the worst
is behind us.”
In the midst of this scenario, it especially
does not help that mining companies are
heavily taxed by the government. There
exists a regulatory burden as well. Thirty
years ago, starting an exploration project,
defining your ore body, getting the permits
“Responsible and sustainable development and respect of the environment — those
are always core values we share with the government, but there has to be a way to
facilitate things.”
APRIL 2016
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