Prepare a closure plan for a mine site

The reclamation of a mine site for closure must be planned before the mine begins operation and updated throughout its life. The purpose of this planning is to identify and achieve objectives for satisfactory closure of a mine site and assess reclamation costs.

Refer to the Guidelines for preparing mine closure plans in Québec (in French only) (PDF 1.66 Mb) for full details and requirements.

The closure plan must be submitted and approved before a mining title is issued.

Plan content

The closure plan must be written in French. It must contain, among other things, the following elements:

• a description of the site and any mining activities carried out or to be carried out;
• a description of the planned reclamation work during operation (progressive reclamation) and upon completion of the mining activity;
• a backfill feasibility study, in the case of an open-pit mine;
• a schedule for completion of work;
• a detailed assessment of the estimated cost of the reclamation work to establish the amount of the financial guarantee.

Application submission

The closure plan must be sent in three hard copies and one electronic copy (PDF file) to one of the following addresses:

After analysis of the closure plan and consultation with the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) approves the closure plan and the amount of financial guarantee that must accompany it. During its analysis, it may require additional information or studies before approving the document.

The processing time for assessment and approval varies between 59 and 200 days depending on the type of mining project.

Refer to this document to learn more about the closure plan assessment and approval process (in French only) (PDF 440 Kb).

The closure plans that are filed and approved are made public. They are available in the Mining Title Management System (GESTIM) under the Mine Site tab.

The company with an approved closure plan must provide a financial guarantee to the MRNF. The amount of this guarantee is equal to the total estimated reclamation costs for the entire mine site.

The financial guarantee ensures that funds will be available to carry out the work set out in the closure plan should the MRNF have to carry out this work himself (company bankruptcy, etc.).

The guarantee must be provided in any of the following ways:

• a cheque made payable to the Minister of Finance of Québec;
• bonds issued or guaranteed by Canada, Québec, another Canadian province or a municipality of Canada;
• a guaranteed investment certificate or term deposit certificate;
• an irrevocable and unconditional letter of credit (PDF 65 Kb);
• a security or a guarantee policy (PDF 65 Kb) issued on behalf of the Gouvernement du Québec;
• a trust constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Code of Québec.
• an amount of money transferred by bank transfer.

In certain situations, the MRNF may require payment of the entire financial guarantee upon approval of the closure plan.

The MRNF may authorize the transfer of responsibility for reclaiming a mine site from one mining company to another.

The application must contain, among other things, the following elements:

• a letter from the applicant accompanied by a resolution of the board of directors authorizing the signatory to make the application for a release certificate on behalf of the mining company;
• a letter from the acquiring mining company accompanied by a resolution of the board of directors authorizing the signatory to make the application for transfer of liability and to agree to carry out the work set out in the closure plan and to file a financial guarantee equal to that currently held by the MRNF;
• a copy of the agreement between the two mining companies;
• a document that summarizes the financial position of the acquiring mining company.

Publication of transfers

In the interest of transparency, the MRNF publishes a list of transfers of liability (formerly known as release certification) and a list of companies that have been relieved of their obligations related to mine reclamation.

If you have any questions about the mine site closure plan, contact the Centre de services des mines.