The Québec government encourages the participation of the Aboriginal communities of the Middle and Far North in the development of the mineral potential of this vast unexplored territory.
The preferred approach is to foster the creation of mineral exploration funds in Aboriginal communities and to support mineral potential development, mineral exploration awareness, workforce training, and prospecting activities. and exploration, technical and financial assistance to prospectors and assistance with the creation of exploration companies.
The annual assistance offered covers the Middle and Far North regions and can reach $ 300,000 per fund. The Aboriginal community must also participate in the fund’s activities.
The Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund (NMEF) is a non-lucrative organization established in 1998 which mainly operates with financial agreement from the Ministère des RessourcesNaturelles du Québec, and also with the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) and the Makivik Corporation.
The specific mandates and objectives of the NMEF are:
- Promote the training of a local expertise
- Integrate Nunavik Inuit to various mineral exploration activities in progress in the region
- Foster over medium term the creation of Inuit-owned companies involved in the mineral exploration and mining sectors
- Promote thorough assessments of the region’s mineral potential through research and geological mapping surveys
These objectives are achieved through activities such as:
- Awareness among Nunavik communities to mineral resources with informative sessions and rock contests
- Promotion of the Nunavik region mineral potential at provincial, national and international levels
- Prospecting trainings dedicated to Inuit communities
- Assistance and support program to Inuit prospectors
- NMEF exploration projects and joint ventures with mineral exploration companies
Finally, the NMEF works closely with the industry active in the Nunavik region, facilitating communication channels between the companies and regional organizations, sharing local workforce references and carrying out services contracts within different exploration projects.
