British Columbia to extend mineral exploration Notice of Work permits till end of 2021

Northern British Columbia landscape. (Image by werner22brigitte, Needpix).

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) announced Thursday that the Government of British Columbia is moving forward on one of AME's key recommendations related to the covid-19 outbreak - the extension of mineral exploration Notice of Work (NoW) permits to December 31, 2021.

Any permits with an active authorization which expires before December 31, 2021 will be considered for an extension to December 31, 2021.

This measure will assist AME members who have permits but are not able to get into the field in 2020, or will be undertaking a reduced field program, by allowing them to extend their field activities to the end of 2021 without having to seek a new permit.

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR) is working through the process on a permit-by-permit basis given the range of different permit conditions and the various protocols that exist between the province and Indigenous groups. AME expects permit extensions to be completed by June 30.