Québec City, September 13, 2023 – After serving first as a member and then as chair of the board of directors of the Québec Mining Association (QMA), Vanessa Laplante has officially handed over to Jean-Baptiste Dromer, Director of Canadian Mining Operations at Windsor Salt Ltd., on July 18, 2023.

Mr. Dromer has been a member of the board of directors since 2019, previously acting as its secretary. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and has worked in the mining industry for over 20 years, developing expert knowledge of mining operations with Québec’s biggest salt producer, and also elsewhere in Canada and the United States. He holds degrees in mining engineering and environmental mining, and is heavily involved in promoting the mining industry to young people.

The QMA is pleased to be able to count on a stable board of directors with experienced and committed members. It thanks Mapi Mobwano, President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining Canada, who left recently, for his contributions and welcomes his replacement, Dominique Denicourt, Vice President, Human Resources at ArcelorMittal Mining Canada. It also welcomes Josée Plouffe, Director of Communications and External Relations, Québec, at Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. who will occupy the position left vacant by Vanessa Laplante, until recently Tax and Montreal Office Director at Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

The QMA also offers its warmest thanks to Ms. Laplante for her extensive involvement in the work of the board of directors over the last eight years, including two years as chair. As the second woman to chair the QMA board, Ms. Laplante helped advance and develop Québec’s mining industry.

The main mission of the QMA’s board of directors is to direct and guide the implementation of the new strategic plan for 2024-2026 while addressing the key challenges currently facing the mining industry.

The members of the QMA’s board of directors are as follows:

Chair
• Jean-Baptiste Dromer, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., Sr. Director of Canadian Mining Operations, Windsor Salt Ltd.
Vice Chair
• Hélène Cartier, Vice President, Environment and Sustainable Development, Falco Resources

Treasurer
• Jean-Simon Beaudry, Superintendent, Finances, Raglan mine, a Glencore company

Secretary
• Alexandre Belleau, Chief Operating Officer, Quebec Iron Ore

Directors
• Dominique Denicourt, Vice President, Human Resources, ArcelorMittal Mines Canada
• Sylvain Morissette, General Superintendent, Plant Processes, Hecla Québec, Mine Casa Berardi
• John Mullally, Senior Director Sustainability and External Relations, Newmont Canada
• Daniel Paré, Vice President Québec, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd
• Josée Plouffe, Director of Communications and External Relations, Québec, Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.
• Jean Quenneville, Director External Affairs – Québec, Rio Tinto
• Patrick Sévigny, Eng., President and Chief Operating Officer, Stornoway Diamonds Corporation
• Danny Tremblay, Commercial Director, North America and Philippines, Glencore Copper
• Guy Tremblay, Corporate Vice President, CMAC-Thyssen Mining Group

Non-voting members
• Hélène Lauzon, President, Conseil patronal de l’environnement du Québec
• Jean-Marc Lulin, President and CEO, AZIMUT Exploration
• Isabelle Verreault, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Quebec, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Quotes

“It has been an honour to contribute to the defence and ongoing improvement of the mining industry. I want to continue to work with the QMA to ensure a responsible approach to mineral resource development, based on the health and safety of all workers, that promotes social responsibility and environmental protection for the benefit of the community as a whole.”

Jean-Baptiste Dromer, Chair of the QMA board of directors3

“Given the issues facing the mining industry currently, we are proud to be able to rely on a board of directors that is involved and committed to a constantly evolving industry, and that works tirelessly to ensure the development of best social and environmental practices. Together, we want to work to ensure that Québec remains one of the world’s leading mining jurisdictions while we make a significant contribution to Québec’s socio-economic development.”

Josée Méthot, QMA President and CEO

About the Québec Mining Association
The Québec Mining Association (QMA) was founded in 1936 and speaks proactively for mining companies involved in exploration, extraction and processing, mining contractors and junior mining companies, along with suppliers, institutions, non-profit organizations and other mining sector partners. It is proud of the 48,187 jobs and activities totalling $11.7 billion generated by Québec’s mining industry in 2020. The QMA’s mission is to promote, support and proactively develop a responsible, committed and innovative mining industry in Québec.

$926 MILLION IN MINING ROYALTIES PAID TO THE
QUÉBEC GOVERNMENT IN 2021

Québec City, March 31, 2023 – For the past several years, Québec’s mining industry has made a significant contribution to the provincial economy, and 2021 is no exception. The $926 million paid to the Québec government as mining royalties constitutes a record for the last ten years. In the view of the Québec Mining Association (QMA), the increase of 47% compared to 2020 highlights the vitality of this key sector of Québec’s economy.

According to the information released by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF), iron and gold mines are the biggest contributors, paying 87% of all mining royalties to the Québec government, followed by 12.5% for the critical and strategic minerals sector. Production of these minerals, which are needed for the energy transition, has increased substantially compared to 2020. Graphite production, in particular, has almost doubled from 6,568 tonnes to over 12,000 tonnes in 2021.

The record amount of mining royalties paid to the government provides a reminder of the industry’s total contribution to the Québec treasury. This amounted to over $1.8 billion, without counting corporation tax, according to the most recent report on the economic benefits generated by Québec’s mining industry for the year 2020.

The QMA sees a promising future for the mining industry. The budgets tabled by the federal and provincial governments reflect the importance they place on the development of critical and strategic minerals.

About the Québec Mining Association
The Québec Mining Association (QMA) was founded in 1936 and speaks proactively for mining companies involved in exploration, extraction and processing, mining contractors and junior mining companies, along with suppliers, institutions, non-profit organizations and other mining sector partners.
It is proud of the 48,187 jobs and activities totalling $11.7 billion generated by Québec’s mining industry in 2020. The QMA’s mission is to promote, support and proactively develop a responsible, committed and innovative mining industry in Québec.

MEASURES TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CRITICAL MINERALS VALUE CHAIN

Québec City, March 29, 2023 – The measures set out in the federal budget announced yesterday will support growth in the critical minerals value chain in Canada and Québec. The Québec Mining Association (QMA) welcomes all the proposals, which will affect the mining industry since extraction is the first link in the value chain.

Québec is seeking to establish a role as a world leader in the development of critical and strategic minerals, and the federal budget, combined with the measures in the latest provincial budget, matches the goal of the mining industry to be a key player in the fight against climate change.

The QMA therefore reacts positively to the measures that will support mineral development, including the refundable tax credit equal to 30% of the cost of investments in new machinery and equipment to extract, treat or recycle the critical minerals that play an essential role in clean technology supply chains: lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper and the rare earth minerals.

The QMA also welcomes the assignment of $1.5 billion in the Strategic Innovation Fund to support projects in sectors such as clean technologies, critical minerals and industrial transformation, as well as the establishment of an infrastructure fund for essential minerals totalling $1.5 billion, to be managed by Natural Resources Canada, for energy and transportation projects to unlock priority mineral deposits.
The federal government’s commitment to improving the efficiency of the impact assessment and authorization process for major projects by the end of 2023 and to extending federal-provincial cooperation to meet the “one project, one assessment” objective is well received by Québec’s mining industry. Both actions have been QMA demands for several years.

Support for Indigenous communities, in the form of loans to purchase a stake in major projects through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is also a step in the right direction that will promote economic development in communities and regions that are home to mining activities.

Quote

About the Québec Mining Association
The Québec Mining Association (QMA) was founded in 1936 and speaks proactively for mining companies involved in exploration, extraction and processing, mining contractors and junior mining companies, along with suppliers, institutions, non-profit organizations and other mining sector partners. It is proud of the 48,187 jobs and activities totalling $11.7 billion generated by Québec’s mining industry in 2020. The QMA’s mission is to promote, support and proactively develop a responsible, committed and innovative mining industry in Québec.