Online Map Selection

Written By Jen Hayward

February 2021

Nunavut Map Selection (NMS) is an online system allowing the acquisition of mineral claims and the administration of mining rights on Crown lands in Nunavut. This system replaces the practice of ground staking, which involved physically planting posts in the ground to mark the boundaries of a mineral claim and was labour intensive and costly. Mining jurisdictions in Canada are in competition to attract mineral exploration investment, and many already offer online mineral claim selection. Since exploration activities and mining operations in Nunavut face challenges including a lack of transportation infrastructure, high energy costs, short field seasons, and a harsh climate, the move to Map Selection allows Nunavut to remain competitive.

The NMS project was initiated in 2010, in response to feedback from the mineral industry. CIRNAC proactively engaged in consultations with industry, Inuit organizations, the Government of Nunavut, and Canada Lands Surveyors on both the online system and on the related amendments to the Nunavut Mining Regulations, which were required in order to establish a framework for implementation of the new system and its regulations.

Mineral claims are now composed of units selected using a pre-defined grid, and claim acquisition and related transactions are done online. This web-based system allows immediate recording and secure, indisputable ownership of mineral claims. NMS was developed by Pacific Geotech Systems, a firm that has previously developed online mineral claims acquisition systems in British Columbia and Ontario.

After the coming into force of the new regulations on November 1, 2020, a 90-day transitional period began during which claims could not be staked and applications for mineral leases could not be submitted. During this period, all existing ground-staked claims were converted to unit grid-based claims.

The Nunavut Map Selection system went live on January 30, 2021. From the launch date through March 21, 2021, 15 clients have selected 187 mineral claims with a combined area of 154,854 ha. This represents a 5.6% increase over the claimed area held as of January 29, 2021, and is 97% of the total area staked in 2019.

Claim duration has been increased from 10 to 30 years, to better reflect the time required to properly assess and develop the mineral potential of a claim until a lease of the claim would be needed to begin production. Mining lease rental payments have been standardized. Most administrative fees have been removed, and prospecting permits are being phased out. 

Mineral exploration work requirements are now based on the number of units in a claim, instead of its area in hectares, and they increase over time. These updated work requirements are more appropriate for the realities of conducting mineral exploration in Nunavut, and have been made through evaluation of costs of work required in other Canadian mining jurisdictions and consultation with mineral industry representatives doing business in Nunavut.

New mineral claims are acquired in NMS by selecting from available units, which can be viewed using the Nunavut Map Viewer. Units range in size from 15 to 25 hectares, with an average size of 18 hectares, and a claim is composed of between one and 100 contiguous units.

Online map selection eliminates disputes related to location and attribution of mineral claims by using the grid coordinate system as the official location of a claim. The grid system prevents the creation of small gaps between mineral claims or between claims and lands not available for selection, which could occur under ground staking. Applications and documents related to selecting claims are submitted by clients using NMS, except for reports of work and royalty-related documents. Payments can be made through the system using a credit or debit card.

A client must hold a valid License to Prospect in Nunavut, and can be either an individual person or a company. A company must designate one or more individual users to perform transactions in NMS on its behalf. Creation of a user account can be requested by contacting the Nunavut Mining Recorder’s Office. More information on Nunavut Map Selection and exploration on Crown land in Nunavut is available here. 

With the elimination of physical staking, disturbances caused to Nunavut wildlife by air traffic, particularly helicopters, and the use of fossil fuels and related emissions of greenhouse gases are reduced. Online claim selection also reduces the potential for workplace accidents and injuries that may occur during operations in remote areas and under harsh weather conditions. 

Nunavutgeoscience.ca is the authoritative portal for public geoscience information in the territory, with three key components: 

The NMPI was released in December 2020 to highlight previously explored projects not currently held under tenure as potential mineral investments, which can be acquired through NMS.

In addition, the annual Nunavut Mining, Mineral Exploration and Geoscience Overview magazine and map were released in January 2021 and can be found on the website of the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office (CNGO), Nunavut’s de facto geological survey, along with geoscience research publications about the territory. The Overview publication is produced by CIRNAC with contributions from the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation; Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s Department of Land and Resources; and the CNGO. 

Although Nunavut makes up 21% of Canada’s land mass and is rich in minerals, historically it represents only 10% of Canada’s total annual expenditures on mineral exploration. The new mineral regime is anticipated to improve this percentage by saving the mineral industry an estimated $62.9 million over the next 10 years, primarily through the change to online acquisition of mineral claims. The mineral industry can redirect resources previously spent on ground staking to actual mineral exploration on their claims, leading to increased mineral development and employment opportunities for Nunavut. NMS will help position Nunavut’s mining industry for a robust and resilient post-COVID recovery. The timing for the transition from ground staking to online claim selection could not have been better.

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Written by:
Dominique Quirion, Head, Mining Legislation, Petroleum & Mineral Resource Management Directorate;
Matthew Senkow, Manager, Mineral Resources, Lands Directorate, Nunavut Regional Office; and
Alia Bigio, District Geologist, Lands Directorate, Nunavut Regional Office

Jen Hayward
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