Table of Contents
Ontario’s new online Mining Lands Administration System (MLAS), part of the ministry’s work to modernize the Mining Act, was fully launched on April 10, 2018. It substantially impacts how clients file required documents and transact with the ministry on mining land matters, including exploration plans and permit processes.
Submissions and Instructions
The following submissions and instructions have been revised or introduced.
Exploration Plan
Who Submits an Exploration Plan and Why?
The early exploration proponent (claim holder or assigned agent) submits an exploration plan prior to carrying out any exploration plan activities as described in Regulation 308/12 Schedule 2.
Who Submits an Exploration Permit Application and Why?
The early exploration proponent (claim holder or assigned agent) must apply for and receive an exploration plan prior to carrying out any exploration permit activities as described in Regulation 308/12 Schedule 3. A proponent may also be required by the Director of Exploration to apply for a permit application for activities not prescribed in Schedule 3.
How to Submit an Exploration Plan or Exploration Permit Application in MLAS?
The applicant would submit an early exploration plan through MLAS under the Early Exploration Activities Menu. The applicant can also renew and update your submissions under this menu. The applicant can be the claim holder or an agent who can act on behalf of the claim holder(s). Agents will have to be given permissions from a claim holder to act on their behalf. This is done in MLAS in the Client Management Menu, under Manage Agents. There are specific permissions for Early Exploration that must be granted in order for Agents to be able to submit an early exploration plan or permit application for a proponent.
The Client ID number for the proponent will be required to start the submission. All tenure included in a submitted exploration plan or permit application must share a common boundary. A separate exploration plan or permit application will be required for any tenure that do not share a common boundary.
A draft project map will be created at the time you confirm the selected tenure in your submission. This map is for reference only. A regional scale and project scale map following the Map Submission Requirements for a Plan or Map Submission Requirements for Permit Applications must be completed and included with your submission. The submission will be considered incomplete without both of these maps. An Activity Details Report is also mandatory for a complete submission. The Activity Details Report form can be found in the Central Forms Repository.
You can save a draft submission for up to 180 days at any time of the submission process. You would then retrieve it under ‘Update Early Exploration Activities Submission’.
If an applicant checks off exploration plan and exploration permit activities in their submission the entire submission will be processes as a permit application.
In a situation where the Director of Exploration has required an exploration permit for exploration plan activities, the applicant will be required to enter a new submission and enter their plan activities and include the permit activity ‘other’ so that the system will allow ENDM to process the submission as a permit application.
This form is to be submitted online through MLAS.
Early Exploration Plan and Permit Activity Information Sheets (revised)
The activity information sheets combine all activities for plan submissions or permit applications into one comprehensive document (the activity information sheets that are being replaced are specific to each activity). The new sheet also lists the activities that require a plan or a permit to make a clear distinction between plan and permit activities.
As part of our efforts to improve outreach to Indigenous communities, the sheets are available in Cree, Oji-Cree and Ojibway to optimize community members’ understanding of early exploration activities proponents are seeking to undertake on the land.
Download a Sample of a Plans and Permits Revised Activity Sheet.