Mines and Minerals Division
The division has four branches:
Mines and Minerals Organizational Chart
The Mineral Development and Lands Branch
The Mineral Development and Lands Branch consists of the Mines Group and the Mining Lands Section:
Encourages, promotes and facilitates the sustained economic development of Ontario’s mineral resources in an environmentally responsible manner. It also administers Part VII of the Mining Act, which deals principally with the rehabilitation of mines and mining lands in the province of Ontario.
The Mines Group consists of
- Mineral Development and Commodities Program
- Mine Rehabilitation, Inspection and Compliance Program
- Financial Assurance
- Abandoned Mines Rehabilitation Program
Provides orderly and equitable processes that ensure public access to crown mineral rights for the exploration and potential development of mining lands.
- Provincial Recording Office
- Geoscience Assessment Office
- Dispositions Office
- Technical Services Office
The Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) is the Provincial Government organization mandated to describe the geology of Ontario.
The geology of Ontario includes
- the rocks, the sediments and soils which cover them
- the minerals that occur within the rocks
- the groundwater that occurs beneath the Earth’s surface
- the non-renewable energy sources that occur within the rocks geological materials
The Ontario Geological Survey consists of the following sections:
- Director’s Office
(Program co-ordination, OGS national and international representation)
- Precambrian Geoscience Section
(Precambrian geology, mineral deposits, regional geophysics)
- Sedimentary Geoscience Section
(Aggregate resources, industrial minerals, groundwater, Quaternary (surficial) geology, Paleozoic geology, surficial geochemistry)
- Resident Geologists Program
(Local expert geoscience service delivery, advice, exploration opportunities, local geological expertise, Mineral Deposit Inventory and assessment files, input to land-use planning)
- Geoscience Laboratories
(Inorganic geochemical analysis of rocks, minerals, waters and soils, and production of reference standards)
- Information and Marketing Services
(Publication sales, digital data distribution, cartography, scientific editing, sector statistics and analysis, reference library services, mineral investment promotion)
The Diamond Sector Unit provides leadership in developing key policies and the legislative/regulatory framework for Ontario's emerging diamond industry. The Unit operates the valuation process for Ontario diamonds including administrative processes for verifying and collecting royalties.
Working with the Northern Development Division, other provincial ministries and the diamond sector, the Unit pursues value-added opportunities and new exploration and investment in Ontario.
Staff establish and maintain positive working relationships with diamond explorationists, companies, industry associations, Aboriginal organizations, other levels of government and international jurisdictions. The Unit ensures that Ontario's diamond program is accessible, streamlined and technologically available worldwide.
The Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) is committed to meeting its duty to consult with Aboriginal communities and to ensuring that activities within its jurisdiction occur in a manner that is consistent with the Crown’s obligations concerning Aboriginal and treaty rights.
As outlined in Ontario’s Mineral Development Strategy, we are initiating discussions with the goal of developing improved consultation approaches that work for all of us—Aboriginal peoples, Ontario and the minerals industry.
A discussion paper that details our approach to engagement has been posted on this website and can be accessed in English, French, Ojibway, Cree and Oji Cree. As well, we have and will continue to post electronic newsletters on our website which will provide regular updates throughout the engagement process.
