Continuing tenure pause until Jan. 31, 2027
Press Release
June 3, 2026
VICTORIA
Summary
- Pause on new mineral claims in parts of northwestern and north-central B.C. will support ongoing land-use planning with First Nations and stakeholder and community engagement
- The land-use planning work will provide greater certainty for investors, First Nations and communities, outlining areas for conservation and clearly identifying areas where critical minerals may be developed going forward
The pause on new mineral and placer registrations in northwestern and north-central B.C. will continue until Jan. 31, 2027, to support continued land-use planning in partnership with First Nations and broad engagement with stakeholders and communities.
The orders under the Environment and Land Use Act scheduled to expire on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, are being extended to provide sufficient time to complete the work with the Tahltan First Nation, Taku River Tlingit First Nation and Kaska First Nations, including more meaningful engagement with industry, local governments and other interested parties.
The pause continues to apply to the same geographic area identified in the original orders. During this period:
- The registration of new mineral and placer claims, and the disposition of new coal licences will remain paused.
- Existing mineral and placer tenures are not affected, including the ability to carry out work and advance projects on those tenures.
The Province will continue to work collaboratively with First Nations and engage with industry and stakeholders throughout this process. Additional engagements and updates regarding the land-use planning processes will continue in the coming weeks and months.
Labour action in the B.C. Public Service in fall 2025 limited opportunities for land-use planning teams to lead technical engagement sessions with stakeholders and other planning partners, affecting their ability to complete the processes within the anticipated one-year time.
Engagement and the development of land-use planning recommendations are expected to conclude by December 2026, with the extended tenure pause providing time to finalize decisions.
Learn More:
- For more information about land-use planning happening in regions throughout B.C., visit: https://planninginpartnership.ca/
- For more information about the land-use planning initiatives:
- Tahltan-B.C. Land Stewardship Planning Project – Email TahltanBC_LUP_engage@gov.bc.ca or visit: https://www.planninginpartnership.ca/p/60ae88e7636b3e002209775a/project-details?currentPage=1&pageSize=10&keywords=&projectTypes=&sortBy=-dateAdded&ms=1780510445878
- Taku River Tlingit First Nation-B.C. Tlatsini Planning Project – Email TlatsiniPlanningProject@gov.bc.ca or visit: https://www.planninginpartnership.ca/p/66677e6d6b56900039b8e264/project-details?currentPage=1&pageSize=10&keywords=&projectTypes=&sortBy=-dateAdded&ms=1780510495655
- Kaska-B.C. Land Use Planning Project – Email kaska.LUP@gov.bc.ca or visit: https://www.planninginpartnership.ca/p/666b568a6b56900039b8f585/project-details?currentPage=1&pageSize=10&keywords=&projectTypes=&sortBy=-dateAdded&ms=1780510555308
Contact:
Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals
Media Relations
250-514-0510
ILR4
