As you draw near Saint-Elie-de-Caxton, a town of 2,000 inhabitants located between Montreal and Quebec City, north of the St. Lawrence River, it's impossible to ignore that the local population is on a war footing in the winter of 2024: The main street is lined with large signs bearing the slogan "Saint-Elie, incompatible with mining activities."

Almost a year ago, in March 2023, local residents watched a helicopter fly overhead while dragging a large hoop. A few days later, they learned in the local newspaper Le Nouvelliste that the device was none other than an electromagnetic probe designed to map the metals present on their land; that the aircraft belonged to a mining company; and, "cherry on the sundae" as the Québécois expression goes, that most of their subsoil had passed, unbeknownst to them, into the hands of six of these companies.

One of them, British Columbia-based Lincoln Gold Mining, plans to open an open-pit nickel mine in nearby Saint-Boniface. Gilbert Guérin, a resident of Saint-Elie-de-Caxton, felt a sense of déjà-vu: Back in 2011, he had already been a whistleblower to counter the appetite of a first company and prevent it from pursuing its exploration work. Over a decade later, the active retiree is back on the offensive alongside elected representatives and other concerned citizens.

Wild West law

In Canada, the subsoil, which is located one meter under our feet, does not belong to the owners of the land or houses above, but to the Crown. In other words, to the provinces. The prevailing mining legislation dates back to 1864, at the height of the conquest of the Wild West. In the 19^th century, gold prospectors in Western Canada's Klondike only had to plant two posts and pay a few cents to acquire their claim, a title to mining property giving them the exclusive right to explore and exploit a possible vein. In Quebec, this free mining philosophy is still alive and well. It has even become easier: A simple click on the government website and the payment of 77 Canadian dollars (€52) allows anyone who dreams of stumbling across a large deposit to acquire 50 hectares of subsoil.

The frenzy for the critical minerals needed to fuel the "electric" shift in the energy transition that gripped mining companies across the world has descended on Quebec. The province's subsoil, rich in nickel, lithium, graphite, zinc and cobalt, whose stock prices have strong long-term upside potential, is attracting many suitors. In January, the province's map was covered with 352,852 claims, which are granted for a period of two years and are easily renewable in exchange for the promise of conducting some exploration work.

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