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INSTITUTDE LA STATISTIQUEDU QUÉBEC

Mining by the Numbers

ECONOMY

January 2019

Mineral production in Québec in 2016

Annual Census on Mineral ProductionQuébec’s Mining Statistics Program comprises two major components: mineral production and mining investment. It also includes a component on core drilling companies.

The Annual Census on Mineral Production took place in the first three quarters of 2017. Its objective was to collect final data for 2016. In total, 655 questionnaires were sent to mining establishments, to establishments that operate surface mineral extraction sites, and to certain primary manufacturing establishments that process subsurface minerals extracted in Québec. Among these establishments, 573 were active in 2016: 31 mining establishments (including extraction sites and ore processing plants), 13 primary processing plants, and 529 surface mineral operators.

The census that collected preliminary data for 2017 and intentions for 2018 was completed in January 2018. A total of 638 questionnaires were sent to the establishments targeted by the survey, of which 558 were active. The data col-lected in that survey are included in this report.

Certain definitions and explanatory notes are presented at the end of the document.

Mineral shipments

Since 2011, the value of shipments has remained above $8-billion, except in 2015, when it dropped 11.3% to $7.52 billion. In 2016, the value of shipments climbed back up over the $8-billion mark, reaching $8.11 billion, a 7.8% increase from 2015. The temporary decline in 2015 was mainly due to the combined effect of a drop in iron ore prices and iron ore shipments during that year, coupled with lower base metal prices over the same period. Based on the preliminary data for 2017, the value of shipments should continue to pick up, increasing by 10.9% from 2016 to $8.99 billion. As well, according to intentions for 2018, the value of shipments should rise 5.8% from 2017 to $9.52 billion (estimated based on average metal values in 2017).

Figure 1Distribution of the value of mineral shipments by administrative region, Québec, 2016

Nord-du-Québec$2,237 M (+4.7%)

Abitibi-Témiscamingue$2,068 M (+12.0%)

Côte-Nord$1,415 M (+5.7%)

Montérégie$1,254 M (+13.6%)

Other regions$1,135 M (+3.8%)

Total for 2016: $8,110 M (+7.8%)(+ –%): Change from 2015

27.6%

17.4%

15.5%

14.0%

25.5%

Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec, Annual Census of Mines, Quarries and Sand Pits.

[ 2 ] Mining by the Numbers | January 2019 Institut de la statistique du Québec

Region of origin of minerals extracted

In 2016, the minerals extracted in Québec came from 27 active mines, as well as from nearly 530 surface mineral extraction sites. The main metallic commodities extracted in Québec were, in descending order of shipment values: gold, iron, nickel, titanium, niobium, copper, and zinc. This is in addition to several secondary minerals such as palladium, silver, plat-inum, cobalt, rhodium, selenium, tellurium, ruthenium, cadmium, iridium, bismuth, and antimony. The non-metallic commodities extracted from Québec mines are salt, silica, mica, graphite, feldspar, as well as, since 2016, diamond. Surface mineral extraction sites provide stone, sand, gravel and peat, as well as the substances necessary for producing lime, cement, and clay products. In addition, Québec smelters and refineries recovered sulfur shipped in the form of sulfuric acid.

In 2016, Québec’s three main mining regions accounted for 70.5% of the total value of mineral shipments in Québec: 27.6% ($2.24 billion) for Nord-du-Québec, 25.5% ($2.07 bil-lion) for Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and 17.4% ($1.42 billion) for Côte-Nord. The Montérégie region, with its mineral processing plants, ranked fourth and represented 15.5% ($1.25 billion) of the total value of shipments (Figure 1).

Figure 2Trends in value of mineral shipments, Québec, 2000-20171

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

$B

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Metallic commodities Current $B Non-metallic commodities TotalMetallic commodities Constant 2010 $B Non-metallic commodities Total

1. 2000-2016: final data; 2017: preliminary dataSource: Institut de la statistique du Québec, Annual Census of Mines, Quarries and Sand Pits.

Institut de la statistique du Québec January 2019 | Mining by the Numbers [ 3 ]

Distribution of shipments by commodity

In 2016, metallic commodities accounted for 83.7% ($6.8 bil-lion) of total mineral shipments in Québec. These shipments were distributed as follows: 40.7% ($2.8 billion) for gold, 0.9% ($0.1 billion) for silver, 37.5% ($2.5 billion) for iron ore, iron (cast iron and steel), ilmenite, titanium (titanium dioxide) and niobium (ferroniobium), 17.6% ($1.2 billion) for base metals, and 3.3% ($0.2 billion) for other metallic commodities (anti-mony, bismuth, cadmium, cobalt, platinum-group elements, selenium and tellurium). These commodities were extracted from eleven gold mines, two zinc and copper mines, two nickel and copper mines, two iron mines (one mine complex and one additional pit), one ilmenite mine, and one niobium mine.

The value of non-metallic mineral shipments stood at $1.3 bil-lion, of which 72.6% ($959 million) was attributable to building materials (cement, stone, clay products, sand and gravel) and 11.2% ($149 million) to mineral mines (diamond, graphite, mica, salt and silica). Lime and sulfur accounted for 9.6% ($126 million) of total mineral shipments in Québec, while peat accounted for 6.6% ($87 million).

Mineral production by administrative region

The mineral resource extraction sector,1 which mainly focuses on mining and on operating sand pits, quarries and gravel pits, was extremely important for Québec’s three main mining regions in 2015. This sector accounted for 37.3% of gross domestic product in the Nord-du-Québec region, 16.6% in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and 20.7% in Côte-Nord.

On the other hand, the mineral resource extraction sector1 played a minor role in the economy of the Montérégie region, accounting for only 0.2% of its gross domestic product in 2015. In Montérégie, mineral shipments mostly consisted of primary subsurface mineral products.

Nord-du-Québec

In 2016, Nord-du-Québec ranked first among administrative regions in terms of mineral shipment value. Its shipments totalled $2.24 billion, or 27.6% of the total value of Québec mineral shipments ($8.11 billion). This represents a 4.7% increase from 2015. Based on the preliminary data reported by mining companies operating in that region, the value of ship-ments should reach $2.51 billion in 2017, up 12.3% from 2016. According to intentions for 2018, the value of shipments should increase 10.1% compared with 2017 to $2.77 billion (estimated based on average metal prices in 2017).

There were four gold mines in operation in the Nord-du-Québec region in 2016, including the Eleonore (Goldcorp), Bachelor Lake (Metanor Resources) and Vezza (Nottaway Resources) underground mines. The fourth gold mine is the Casa Berardi underground mine (Hecla Mining Company), active since 2013, where an open pit has also been in operation since 2016. The Sleeping Giant mill, acquired by Abcourt Mines, has been processing ore from the Elder gold mine since August 2016.

In 2016, the Nord-du-Québec region also had four base metal mines in operation, including two nickel and copper mines located in the north of the Ungava Peninsula: the Raglan mine (Glencore Canada Corporation), in operation since 1997, and the Nunavik Nickel mine (Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co), where copper shipments began at the end of 2013 (Canadian Royalties, news release, November 5, 2013).

Figure 3 Distribution of the value of mineral shipments by type of commodity, Québec, 2016

Minerals 1.8%

Peat 1.1%

Gold and silver34.8%

Iron ore, iron, ilmenite,titanium, niobium

31.4%

Base metals(copper, nickel

and zinc)14.7%

Other metals 2.8%

Lime and sulfur 1.6%

Buildingmaterials11.8%

Metallic$6,789 M

83.7%

Non-metallic$1,321 M

16.3%


1. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry, according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 21).


South of these mines are two zinc and copper mines. In the Matagami area, the Bracemac-McLeod underground mine (Glencore Canada Corporation) achieved commercial pro-duction in July 2013. The Langlois underground mine (Nystar Canada Resources), in the Lebel-sur-Quévillon area, was operated intermittently between 1996 and 2008. Operations at the mine resumed in 2012 (Nyrstar.com; Langlois fact sheet).

Several secondary commodities are extracted from these metal mines, such as silver, cadmium, cobalt, palladium, platinum, and rhodium.

Also located in the Nord-du-Québec region is the Renard mine (Stornoway Diamond Corporation), the first diamond mine in Québec, where commercial production began in December 2016.

Sand and gravel are also mined from sand and gravel pits in the Nord-du-Québec region.

Table 1 Average price of mineral commodities extracted or produced in Québec, 2014-2016

Commodity Unit Average annual price

2014 2015 2016

$

Metallic1

Silver kg 677.92 646.17 733.94 Copper kg 7.61 7.04 6.45 Iron (cast iron, steel) t .. .. .. Ilmenite (FeTiO3) t .. .. .. Iron ore t 107.07 70.60 76.48 Nickel kg 18.65 15.13 12.71 Niobium (ferroniobium) kg .. .. .. Gold g 45.01 47.70 53.19 Titanium (TiO2) t .. .. .. Zinc kg 2.39 2.30 2.76

Non-metallic2

Lime t x x x Cement t 149.52 138.54 136.15 Diamond carat - - 105.95 Graphite t x x x Mica t x x x Stone t 11.58 11.84 11.99 Clay products brick x x x Sand and gravel t 5.73 5.92 6.71 Salt t x x x Silica t 33.18 47.46 40.05 Sulfur t x x x Peat bag3 8.38 6.94 9.03

1. Average annual prices on international markets. Values are translated into Canadian dollars using the average annual rates of exchange published by the Bank of Canada.

2. Average annual prices calculated based on the quantity and value of shipments provided by the surveyed establishments. 3. Expressed in bags of 170 dm3.Sources: Institut de la statistique du Québec, Annual Census of Mines, Quarries and Sand Pits; Metalprice.com; Indexmundi.com.


Abitibi-Témiscamingue

In 2016, the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region ranked second among administrative regions in terms of mineral shipment value. Its shipments totalled $2.07 billion, or 25.5% of the total value of Québec mineral shipments ($8.11 billion). This represents a 12.0% increase from 2015. Based on the pre-liminary data reported by mining companies in operation in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the value of shipments should stand at $2.24 billion in 2017, up 8.5% from 2016. According to inten-tions for 2018, the value of shipments is expected to remain at the same level as in 2017 (-0.3%), at $2.23 billion (estimated based on average metal values in 2017).

There were seven operating gold mines in Abitibi-Témiscamingue in 2016, including the following underground mines: LaRonde (Agnico Eagle Mines ), Westwood (IAMGOLD Corporation), Beaufor (Richmont Mines), Goldex and Lapa (Agnico Eagle Mines), and Elder (Abcourt Mines), which achieved commercial production on January 1, 2016. The Canadian Malartic open-pit mine, equally owned by Agnico Eagle Mines and Yamana Gold, is also located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

Table 2 Quantity and value of mineral shipments by commodity, Québec, 2016-20181

Commodity Unit Quantity Unit Value

2016 2017 2018 2016 2017 2018

Metallic ... ... ... $K 6,788,585 7,519,397 8,015,546 Silver g 82,549,645 86,488,486 74,870,316 $K 60,587 62,089 53,748 Copper kg 41,548,588 35,797,082 36,463,163 $K 267,781 286,305 291,632 Iron (cast iron, steel) t x x x $K x x x Ilmenite (FeTiO3) t x x x $K x x x Iron ore t x x x $K x x x Nickel kg x x x $K x x x Niobium (ferroniobium) kg x x x $K x x x Gold g 51,951,452 56,073,198 59,564,871 $K 2,763,350 2,965,543 3,150,207 Titanium (TiO2) t x x x $K x x x Zinc kg x x x $K x x x Other metallic commodities2 … ... ... ... $K 225,482 272,447 277,580

Non-metallic ... ... ... $K 1,321,166 1,473,483 1,499,789 Chaux t 628,075 617,262 600,905 $K 105,496 102,631 101,986 Cement t 2,418,338 2,614,320 2,555,674 $K 329,257 371,770 355,962 Diamond carat 370,245 1,523,699 1,629,904 $K 39,227 174,453 212,235 Graphite t x x x $K x x x Mica t x x x $K x x x Stone t 41,458,000 41,457,991 41,458,001 $K 496,947 496,846 496,871 Clay products brick x x - $K x x - Sand and gravel t 18,762,910 16,830,780 16,964,524 $K 125,881 103,164 104,725 Salt t x x x $K x x x Silica t 480,706 490,832 510,895 $K 19,254 33,604 34,483 Sulfur t x x x $K x x x Peat bag3 9,607,795 16,152,364 16,921,139 $K 86,764 91,246 98,666

Total ... ... ... ... $K 8,109,751 8,992,881 9 515 335

1. 2016: final data; 2017: preliminary data; 2018: intentions. 2. Antimony, bismuth, cadmium, cobalt, platinum-group elements, selenium and tellurium. 3. Expressed in bags of 170 dm3.Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec, Annual Census of Mines, Quarries and Sand Pits.


Several secondary minerals such as antimony, silver, bismuth, cadmium, copper and zinc were also extracted from gold mines in operation in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Moreover, the Horne smelter made selenium and tellurium shipments. The Horne smelter also produces sulfuric acid during ore process-ing. Stone, sand, gravel and peat are extracted from surface mineral extraction sites in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

The region is also home to the Québec Lithium mine, which has been in care and maintenance mode since October 2014, and is currently being restarted after being acquired by North American Lithium in June 2016.

Côte-Nord

The Côte-Nord region ranked third among administrative regions in terms of mineral shipment value in 2016. Its ship-ments totalled $1.42 billion, or 17.4% of the total value of Québec mineral shipments ($8.11 billion). Iron ore prices fell between 2014 and 2015. The average price of iron ore per dry metric tonne dropped from $139 (US$135) in 2013 to $71 (US$55) in 2015. Since then, iron ore prices have fluctu-ated from a low of $60 (US$42) in January 2016 to a high of $117 (US$89) in February 2017. In 2016, iron ore was worth $76 (US$58) on average per dry metric tonne (Indexmundi.com; Iron Ore 62% Fe, CFR China). Under these circum-stances, Côte-Nord saw a 46.1% decline in the value of its shipments, followed by a 5.7% increase in 2016. Based on the preliminary data reported by mining companies operat-ing in the Côte-Nord region, the value of shipments should total $1.85 billion in 2017, up 30.5% from 2016. According to intentions for 2018, the value of shipments should increase 13.1% from 2017 to $2.09 billion (estimated based on average metal values in 2017).

In 2016, there were three mines operating in the Côte-Nord region: the Mont-Wright iron mine and Fire Lake pit (ArcelorMittal Mines Canada), as well as the Tio Lake ilmenite mine (Rio Tinto Fer et Titane). Also located in the region are the Port-Cartier iron ore pellet plant and ArcelorMittal’s port facilities, as well as the Iron Ore Company of Canada’s port facilities, from where iron ore extracted in Labrador is shipped.

Early in 2016, after the liquidation of Cliffs Natural Resources’ assets, the Québec government acquired its railway, storage, pelletization and transshipment equipment and rights in the Pointe-Noire sector to offer multi-user access to the port of Sept-Îles (Québec government, news release, February 2, 2016). For its part, Champion Iron Limited acquired the Bloom Lake mine near Fermont, as well as the nearby railway facili-ties and Quinto iron deposit (Champion Iron Limited, news release, January 28, 2016). In November 2017, Champion Iron announced its decision to restart the mine (Champion Iron Limited, news release, November 15, 2017).

In addition to the iron ore and ilmenite extracted from Côte-Nord mines and the iron ore pellets produced at the Port-Cartier plant, stone, sand, gravel, silica and peat are extracted from surface mineral extraction sites in the Côte-Nord region.

Montérégie

In Montérégie, mineral shipments mainly consisted of products resulting from the primary processing of subsurface minerals. These products accounted for 85.1% of the total value of the regions’ mineral shipments. The remainder of shipments came from surface mineral extraction sites, i.e. quarries, sand pits, gravel pits and peat bogs located in the region.

Montérégie ranked fourth among administrative regions in terms of mineral shipment value in 2016. Its shipments totalled $1.25 billion, or 15.5% of the total value of Québec mineral shipments ($8.11 billion). This represents a 13.6% increase from 2015. Based on the preliminary data reported by com-panies that operate mineral processing plants in Montérégie, the value of shipments is expected to remain stable at about $1.25 billion in 2017 and 2018 (-0.5% in 2017 and -0.3% in 2018).

In 2016, there were two primary metal processing plants in Montérégie. The Sorel-Tracy metallurgical complex (Rio Tinto Group) produces cast iron, steel, and titanium dioxide. The CEZinc refinery (Glencore Canada Corporation / Noranda Income Fund) processes zinc concentrate from Canadian and foreign mines, and also produces sulfuric acid, a by-product of zinc concentrate processing.


The Montérégie region also had four non-metallic mineral prod-uct manufacturing plants, namely the Saint-Constant cement plant (Lafarge Canada), the Bedford lime plant (Graymont), the La Prairie brick (clay products) plant (Forterra Brick), and the Boucherville plant (Imerys Mica Suzorite), which processes ore from abroad as well as ore extracted intermittently from the Lac Letondal mica mine in the Mauricie region.

Other regions

In 2016, the value of mineral shipments from Québec’s three main mining regions (Nord-du-Québec, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Côte-Nord) totalled $5.72 billion, and shipments from Montérégie, $1.25 billion. The value of shipments from all other Québec regions was $1.14 billion, or 14.0% of the total value of Québec’s mineral shipments. These mineral ship-ments come from:

• the mining of minerals (33.5%) such as graphite, feldspar, mica, niobium, salt and silica;

• the operation of surface mineral extraction sites (42.8%) that provide stone, sand, gravel and peat; and

• the manufacturing of lime and cement (23.7%).

The Niobec mine (Magris Resources), located in the municip-ality of Saint-Honoré in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, produces between 8% and 10% of world’s annual volume of niobium in the form of ferroniobium (Niobec.com).

Imerys Graphite & Carbon operates the Lac-des-Îles graphite mine near Mont-Laurier, as well as a processing plant in Terrebonne. Imerys Mica Suzorite has been operating the Lac Letondal mine in Haute-Mauricie on an intermittent basis for nearly 50 years. The ore extracted supplies the company’s processing plant in Boucherville. K+S Windsor Salt extracts salt (halite) from the Seleine mine in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Near Buckingham, in the Outaouais region, Dentsply Canada sporadically extracts feldspar for dental ceramic purposes from the Othmer mine. One extraction operation usually provides enough feldspar for a few years.

In 2016, small establishments with fewer than 50 employees mined silica in several Québec regions for various purposes. In the Charlevoix municipality, high-purity silica for industrial applications is extracted from the Petit-Lac-Malbaie mine owned by Silicium Québec and Sitec Quartz. In the Laurentides region, silica is mined from the Saint-Canut (Unimin Canada) and Saint-Rémi-d’Amherst (Société minière Gerdin) quarries.

Figure 4Trends in value of mineral shipments by administrative region, Québec, 2000-20171

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

$B

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Nord-du-Québec Abitibi-Témiscamingue Côte-Nord Montérégie Other regions

1. 2000-2016: final data; 2017: preliminary data. Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec, Annual Census of Mines, Quarries and Sand Pits.


Table 3 Active mining establishments, Québec, 2016

Establishment name Owner Main commodity

Type of mine or establishment

Number of employees

01 Bas-Saint-Laurent Saint-Moïse plant Coopérative de producteurs de chaux du Bas-Saint-Laurent Lime Processing plant 1 to 19

02 Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Niobec mine Magris Resources Niobium Underground 200 to 499

03 Capitale-Nationale Petit-Lac-Malbaie mine Silicium Québec / SITEC Quartz Silica Open pit 1 to 19Gustave Papillon cement plant Ciment Québec Cement Processing plant 100 to 199

04 Mauricie Lac Letondal mine Imerys Mica Suzorite Mica Open pit 1 to 19

05 Estrie Marbleton plant Graymont Lime Processing plant 50 to 99

06 Montréal CCR refinery Glencore Canada Corporation Copper Processing plant 200 to 499

07 Outaouais Othmer mine Dentsply Canada Feldspar Open pit 1 to 19

08 Abitibi-Témiscamingue Beaufor mine Richmont Mines Gold Underground 100 to 199Canadian Malartic mine Agnico Eagle Mines / Yamana Gold Gold Open pit 500 to 999Elder mine Abcourt Mines Gold Underground 50 to 99Goldex mine Agnico Eagle Mines Gold Underground 200 to 499Lapa mine Agnico Eagle Mines Gold Underground 200 to 499LaRonde mine Agnico Eagle Mines Gold Underground 500 to 999Westwood mine IAMGOLD Corporation Gold Underground 500 to 999Camflo plant Richmont Mines Gold Concentrator 20 to 49Doyon plant IAMGOLD Corporation Gold Concentrator 20 to 49Horne smelter Glencore Canada Corporation Copper Smelter 500 to 999

09 Côte-Nord Fire Lake mine ArcelorMittal Mining Canada Iron ore Open pit Included in Mont-Wright mineMont-Wright mine ArcelorMittal Mining Canada Iron ore Open pit 1000 to 1499Tio Lake mine Rio Tinto Fer et Titane Ilmenite Open pit 200 to 499Port-Cartier plant ArcelorMittal Infrastructure Canada Iron ore pellets Pellet plant 200 to 499

10 Nord-du-Québec Renard mine Stornoway Diamond Corporation Diamond Open pit and underground 200 to 499Nunavik Nickel mine Jilin Jien Nickel Industry Co Nickel, copper Open pit 200 to 499Raglan mine Glencore Canada Corporation Nickel, copper Open pit and underground 500 to 999Casa Berardi mine Hecla Mining Company Gold Open-pit and underground 200 to 499Eleonore mine Goldcorp Gold Underground 200 to 499Bachelor Lake mine Metanor Resources Gold Underground 200 to 499Vezza mine Nottaway Resources Gold Underground 100 to 199Bracemac-McLeod mine Glencore Canada Corporation Zinc, copper Underground 200 to 499Langlois mine Nyrstar Canada Resources Zinc, copper Underground 200 to 499Sleeping Giant plant Abcourt Mines Gold Concentrator 50 to 99


Employment in the mining sector

In 2016, there were 16,071 jobs (person-years) related to the mining sector, which includes mineral extraction and primary mineral processing. The wage bill for these jobs totalled $1,632 million in 2016. Compared with 2015, the number of jobs was up by 2.5%, and the wage bill, by 2.3%. Of these 16,071 jobs, 60.7% (9,757 jobs) were in mineral extraction, 22.4% (3,603 jobs) in primary mineral processing, and 16.9% (2,711 jobs) in surface mineral extraction site operations (Figure 5). The average annual salary paid in the Québec mining sector was $101,573. The majority of mining jobs were in Québec’s three main mining regions (Nord-du-Québec, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Côte-Nord), which accounted for 60.6% of all mining jobs in the province (Table 4).

Nord-du-Québec

In 2016, the Nord-du-Québec region had 3,697 jobs (person-years) related to the mining sector, which includes mineral extraction and primary mineral processing. This number was up by 494 (+15.4%) from 2015. This increase in the number of jobs is attributable to the opening of a new diamond mine. The region accounted for 23.0% of the 16,071 mining jobs in the province, ranking first among Québec’s administrative regions. Base metal mining provided 1,733 jobs (46.9%), while gold mining provided 1,535 (41.5%).

The average annual salary paid to those working in the mining sector in Nord-du-Québec was $112,506 in 2016. The sum of all salaries paid by the mining industry in the Nord-du-Québec region stood at $416 million in 2016, up $49 million (+13.3%) from 2015.


In 2016, the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region had 3,603 jobs (person-years) related to the mining sector, which includes mineral extraction and primary mineral processing. This num-ber was up by 44 (1.2%) from 2015. The region accounted for 22.4% of the 16,071 mining jobs in the province, ranking second among Québec’s administrative regions, close behind the Nord-du-Québec region (3,697 jobs). The vast majority (83.0%) of mining jobs in Abitibi-Témiscamingue were related to gold extraction.

The average annual salary paid to those working in the mining sector in Abitibi-Témiscamingue was $107,481 in 2016. The sum of all salaries paid by the mining industry in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region stood at $387 million in 2016, up $16 million (+4.4%) from 2015.

Table 3 Active mining establishments, Québec, 2016

Establishment name Owner Main commodity

Type of mine or establishment

Number of employees

11 Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-MadeleineSeleine mine K+S Windsor Salt Salt Underground 100 to 199

14 LanaudièreJoliette cement plant CRH Canada Group Cement Processing plant 100 to 199Joliette plant Graymont Lime Processing plant 1 to 19

15 Laurentides Lac-des-Îles mine Imerys Graphite & Carbon Graphite Open pit 50 to 99Saint-Canut mine Unimin Canada Silica Open pit 1 to 19Saint-Rémi-d’Amherst mine Société minière Gerdin Silica Open pit 1 to 19Kilmar cement plant Colacem Canada Inc. Cement Processing plant 20 to 49

16 Montérégie CEZinc refinery Glencore Canada Corporation / Noranda Income Fund Zinc Refinery 500 to 999Saint-Constant cement plant Lafarge Canada Inc. Cement Processing plant 100 to 199Bedford plant Graymont Lime Processing plant 50 to 99Boucherville plant Imerys Mica Suzorite Mica Processing plant 20 to 49La Prairie plant Forterra Brick Clay products

(bricks)Processing plant 20 to 49

Sorel-Tracy plant Rio Tinto Group Titanium dioxide

Processing plant 1000 to 1499

(continued)


Côte-Nord

In 2016, the Côte-Nord region had 2,440 jobs (person-years) related to the mining sector, which includes mineral extraction and primary mineral processing. This number was down by 181 (-6.9%) from 2015. The region accounted for 15.2% of the 16,071 mining jobs in the province, ranking fourth among Québec’s administrative regions, close behind Montérégie, where the majority of all 2,645 jobs were in primary metal processing and non-metallic mineral product manufacturing. In the Côte-Nord region, the vast majority (96.0%) of mining jobs were in iron ore and ilmenite extraction, including iron ore pelletization and ore transshipment at the port of Sept-Îles.

The average annual salary paid to those working in the mining sector in Côte-Nord was $147,092 in 2016. The sum of all salaries paid by the mining industry in the Côte-Nord region stood at $359 million in 2016, down $24 million (-6.2%) from 2015.

Montérégie

In 2016, the Montérégie region had 2,645 jobs (person-years) related to the mining sector, which includes mineral extraction and primary mineral processing. This number was down by 132 (-4.8%) from 2015. The region accounted for 16.5% of the 16,071 mining jobs in the province, ranking third among Québec’s administrative regions. The vast majority (77.7%) of mining jobs in Montérégie were in primary metal processing and non-metallic mineral product manufacturing.

The average annual salary paid to those working in the mining sector in Montérégie was $82,689 in 2016. The sum of all salaries paid by the mining industry in the Montérégie region stood at $219 million in 2016, down $9 million (-3.9%) from 2015.

Figure 5 Number and percentage of mining-related jobs by industry, Québec, 2016

Surface mineralextraction

16.9%

Mining60.7%

Primary processing22.4%

Base metal mines1,733

Iron and ilmenite mines2,343

Gold mines4,52428.2%

Other types of mines1,163

Quarries, sand pitsand gravel pits

2,175

Peat bogs530

Smelters, refineries andmetallurgical plants

2,943

Lime, clay productand cement plants

660

4.1%

18.3%

3.3%

13.5%

7.2% 10.8%

14.6%



Figure 6 Number and percentage of mining-related jobs by administrative region, Québec, 2016

Capitale-Nationale 3.1%501

Bas-Saint-Laurent 2.9%459

Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean 3.7%591

Montréal and Laval 4.0%646

4.1% Other regions 664

Laurentides 2.1%337

Lanaudière 1.6%263

1.4% Estrie 225

Nord-du-Québec 3 69723.0%


3 60322.4%

Montérégie 2 64516.5%

Côte-Nord 2 44015.2%


Table 4Person-years and average annual salary, administrative regions and all of Québec, 2015-2016

Administrative region Person-years Average annual salary

2015 2016 Change2016/2015

2015 2016 Change2016/2015

n % $ %

Nord-du-Québec 3 203 3 697 15,4 114 605 112 506 – 1,8Abitibi-Témiscamingue 3 559 3 603 1,2 104 266 107 481 3,1Montérégie 2 777 2 645 – 4,8 81 964 82 689 0,9Côte-Nord 2 621 2 440 – 6,9 145 932 147 092 0,8Other regions 3 522 3 686 4,7 70 055 68 253 – 2,6

All of Québec 15 682 16 071 2,5 101 709 101 573 – 0,1



Mine openings and closures in 2016

The year 2016 marked the opening of the first diamond mine in Québec. Pre-commercial production at the Renard mine (Stornoway Diamond Corporation) started in July 2016, and com-mercial production, in December of the same year (Stornoway Diamond Corporation, news release, December 22, 2016).

In 2015, Nottaway Resources became the owner of the Vezza gold mine and resumed commercial production in August 2016. In November 2014, the mine’s previous owner had decided to stop production after a few months of operations (Maudore Minerals, news release, November 7, 2014).

The Elder gold mine (Abcourt Mines) was operated non-commercially as of 2013, then achieved commercial production on January 1, 2016 (Abcourt Mines, news releases, May 21, 2013 and March 1, 2016).

Mineral reserves

In terms of quantity, gold mine reserves increased from 331 tonnes of gold in 2007 to a high of 742 tonnes of gold in 2010. Gold reserves then declined gradually to 566 tonnes of gold in 2016. Over that 10-year period, the number of active gold mines in Québec fluctuated between 10 and 13 mines.

The mineral reserves of active base metal mines in Québec followed a downward trend between 2007 and 2016, decreasing from 2,771 Mt of copper, nickel and zinc in 2007 to 1,256 Mt in 2016. Zinc was mainly behind this decline, as its reserves diminished significantly over the period. For their part, copper and nickel reserves remained stable. Between 2007 and 2016, the number of active base metal mines varied between 4 and 5 mines.

Table 5Mine openings and closures, Québec, 2016

Mine Owner Region Commodity Month

Opening(s)Vezza Nottaway Resources Nord-du-Québec Gold AugustRenard Stornoway Diamond Corporation Nord-du-Québec Diamond July

Closure(s)– – – – –


Figure 7Trends in gold shipments and reserves, Québec, 2007-2016

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

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2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Shipments and reserves (t)

Shipments Reserves Reserves trendline



Gold mine reserves have been following a similar trend in terms of both value and quantity. Regarding base metal mine reserves, however, rising nickel and copper values compen-sated for the drop in zinc reserves, therefore flattening out the curve showing the value of base metal reserves (Figure 9).

Figure 8Trends in base metal shipments and reserves, Québec, 2007-2016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Shipments and reserves (kt)Base metals (copper, nickel and zinc)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Shipments and reserves (kt)Copper

0

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1,000

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2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Shipments and reserves (kt)Zinc

050

100150200250300350400450500550

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Shipments and reserves (kt)Nickel

Shipments Reserves Reserves trendline



Concepts and definitions

Mineral production

Québec’s mineral production only comprises mineral com-modities extracted in Québec. It excludes minerals from other Canadian provinces and abroad. It also excludes recycled minerals as well as oil and gas.

Quantity shipped

For most metals, the quantity shipped corresponds to the weight of the metals that can be recovered from the product (gold brick, concentrate, or other) shipped by the mining establishment. For mining establishments that ship finished products or ore, the quantity shipped corresponds to their gross weight.

Value of shipments

The value of shipments for a mineral commodity is calculated based on its average annual price on international markets for the year surveyed. Values are translated into Canadian dollars using the average annual rates of exchange published by the Bank of Canada. When market prices are unavailable, the value of shipments is calculated based on the price of the mineral commodity provided by the establishment.

Mining jobs

Data on mining jobs include mines and surface mineral extrac-tion sites operated in Québec. They also comprise certain primary metal processing plants and non-metallic mineral product manufacturing plants that are active in Québec and process commodities extracted in the province. These data exclude mineral exploration companies, as well as mines under construction or in care and maintenance mode that did not report any shipments during the year surveyed.

The number of jobs is estimated based on the number of paid hours reported by each company in the Annual Census on Mineral Production. For statistical reasons, one job is equivalent to a full-time employee working 40 to 60 paid and reported hours per week.

Figure 9State of gold mine and base metal mine reserves, Québec, 2007-2016

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$M, based on 2010 metal prices n = number of mines

Gold minesPrecious metals (Au, Ag) Base metals (Cu, Zn)

Base metal mines Precious metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd) Base metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Co)



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This bulletin was prepared by: Louis Madore, Senior Mining Statistics Analyst Geneviève Caron, Mining Statistics Project Manager Direction des statistiques sectorielles et du développement durable

Direction générale adjointe aux statistiques et à l’analyse économiques : Pierre Cauchon, Assistant Director General

With the participation of: Bruno Verreault, Statistics Technician Direction des statistiques sectorielles et du développement durable

Isabelle Jacques, Graphic Designer Émilie Granger, Translator Maxime Keith, Cartographer Direction de la diffusion et des communications

Guillaume Rousseau, Survey Manager Data collection team: Carl Beaulieu Isabelle Demers Carole Dubé Lyne Gagnon Direction de la gestion de la collecte

For more information: Louis Madore Direction des statistiques sectorielles et du développement durable Institut de la statistique du Québec 200, chemin Sainte-Foy, 3e étage Québec (Québec) G1R 5T4 Telephone: 418-691-2411 (ext. 3254) Fax: 418-643-4129 E-mail: [email protected]

Legal deposit Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec First quarter 2019 ISSN 2292-1818 (online)

© Gouvernement du Québec, Institut de la statistique du Québec, 2013

Any reproduction other than for personal use is prohibited without the authorization of the Gouvernement du Québec. www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/droits_auteur_an.htm

Suggested citation

MADORE, Louis, and Geneviève CARON (2019, January). “Mineral production in Québec in 2016”, Mining by the Numbers, Institut de la statistique du Québec, 16 p. Retrieved from [www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/statistiques/mines/mines-chiffres-2018_an.pdf].

www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/statistiques/mines/mines-chiffres-2018_an.pdf

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