Monitoring and inspection of mining titles

Anyone who contravenes any of the legal provisions on mining exploration and operations in Québec may obtain a sanction, such as suspension or revocation of their mining right.

A team is dedicated to verifying the compliance of activities related to mining titles and authorizations issued by the government. It also controls declarations for the extraction of surface mineral substances on public lands.

These interventions are carried out directly on site, including with drones. The team is also responsible for handling disclosures made by citizens concerning mining activities deemed to be of concern or non-compliant.

Using field observations and aerial imaging data collected during inspections, inspectors are able to monitor and track, among other things:

• mining exploration and operation work;
• compliance with lease boundaries and advancement of mining faces;
• reserves of extracted material and volumetric calculation;
• the presence of waste at mine sites;
• the identification of buildings, structures and mine openings;
• the removal of assets, dismantling or securing work at the end of a mining right.

In 2025-2026, 639 mining titles were inspected in 13 regions of Québec.

For the locations visited, we count:

• Around 230 sites of surface mineral substance mining;
• Around 10 notices of non-compliance issued;
• Around 15 disclosures processed.

Afzaal Pirzada carried out mining activities without prior notice to municipalities and landowners. Section 65 of the Mining Act provides that a holder of a mining title may only exercise their right of access in accordance with section 235 of the Mining Act. The latter section requires the holder of a mining right to obtain written authorization at least 30 days before accessing it. The holder must obtain consent from the owner of private land or the lessee of leased public land before proceeding with any work. Read the decision (in French only) (PDF 361 Kb).