Simplified Report Handbook
A Guide for Nunavut Prospectors
Introduction
Exploration and mining activities in Nunavut offer economic opportunities not only for exploration and mining companies, but also for local prospectors in Nunavut.
For this reason, it is important that both prospectors and exploration and mining companies be knowledgeable about the Nunavut Mining Regulations and how to properly maintain their mineral claims in Nunavut.
This handbook is a summary of how to complete and file Simplified Reports for work done on mineral claims on Crown Land. It contains three sections:
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Simplified Report Guide: How to write your report
- Sample of an approved Simplified Report
This handbook summarizes Sections 15 (2), 41 (1) and Schedule 2 of the Nunavut Mining Regulations, in plain language, in order to describe what is involved with preparing and submitting a Simplified Report. However, report authors should also refer to the regulations, online. Please contact the Mining Recorder's Office for interpretation on any matter related to the regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Simplifie Reports submitted?
When a claim is recorded on Crown Land, work to assess the mineral potential of that claim must be completed in order for its owner to keep it active. Sections 33 (5) and 39 (1) of the Nunavut Mining Regulations outline the duration of a claim and work requirements for claims:
S. 33 (5) Unless a recorded claim is leased under subsection 60 (5) or its recording is cancelled under subsection 50 (2) or 53 (3) or section 54 or 55, the duration of a recorded claim is 10 years, beginning on its recording date, plus any suspensions recorded under section 51 and any extension under subsection 60 (4).
S. 39 (1) The holder of a recorded claim must do work that incurs a cost of work that is equal to or greater than
- $10 per full or partial hectare in the claim during the two-year period following the day on which the claim is recorded; and
- $5 per full or partial hectare in the claim during each subsequent one-year period.
When you do work on your claim, you are required to report on the types of work you did and how much money you spent on each claim in a Simplified Report. Once a Simplified Report is approved, you are able to hold your mineral claim for another year, until the claim's next anniversary date. If the required work is not completed, your claim will not advance and may lapse.
All Simplified Reports that are submitted to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are reviewed by a geologist who uses Schedule 2 of the Nunavut Mining Regulations to determine if the report will be approved for its claimed technical worth. It is possible that a report will be approved for an amount less than what is claimed in the original statement of expenditures; this is usually only the case if expenses that do not meet the definition of 'cost of work' are submitted.
If a report does not meet the requirements of Schedule 2, the author will be contacted and given the opportunity to revise the report so it can be approved. Once the report is approved by a geologist, it goes to the Mining Recorder so that the amount can be applied to the claims.
When are Simplified Reports due?
When a claim is recorded, you have two years plus 90 days from the date that it is recorded to submit your first Simplified Report. After the first two year period, Simplified Reports are due every year by 90 days after the claim's anniversary date (the date the claim was recorded) OR on the anniversary date of the year that the last Simplified Report advanced the claim(s) to.
Example:
A claim is recorded on April 3, 2016. The first Simplified Report is due no later than July 2, 2018 (April 3, 2018 plus 90 days). If this report is submitted, and its costs are sufficient to maintain the tenure and are approved, the next report will be due July 2, 2019 (April 3, 2019 plus 90 days).
How much work is required?
The first Simplified Report is not required until the second year after a claim is recorded, and it must show that you have done a minimum of $5 per full or partial hectare's worth of work per year on each claim (for a total of $10 per hectare for the first two years), which will advance the claim to its third year. After this first Simplified Report is approved, the work requirement is a minimum of $5 per hectare in each subsequent year, for as long as the claim is held (up to a maximum of 10 years). If you have more than one claim, you need to ensure that enough work has been done on each claim. An exception to this is grouping, discussed below.
If you spend more than $5 per hectare, great! This means that you may not have to submit another report the next year (depending on how much extra work you did).
Example:
You have a claim that is 125 hectares in size, that requires $625 (125 ha x $5) worth of work each year. It is recorded on April 3, 2018. In March of 2019 you submit your first Simplified Report which is approved for the amount of $1,500. This is more than the minimum requirements of $10 per hectare (or a total of $1250 for this claim). The extra work you did on this claim is used to advance it to April 3, 2020. The remaining $250 is reserved as "excess credit" which you can apply as work to your next report). You have until July 2, 2020 to submit your next Simplified Report, and you will have to spend a minimum of $375 on work on the claim.
You must include your expenditures for the project with your report; this can be a simple table or an Excel spreadsheet. There is an example in the sample report provided here, or if you prefer to use a spreadsheet, an Excel spreadsheet template is available.
What forms do I need to submit with my Simplified Report?
When you submit a Simplified Report, you need to include a completed Form 9 (Statement of Work). This is outlined in Section 41(3) of the Nunavut Mining Regulations. If you are having difficulties completing the form, you can contact the Nunavut Mining Recorder's Office for assistance. PDF copies of Form 9 and other forms related to claim staking and mineral tenure can be found online or you can contact the Mining Recorder's office for a copy.
What does it cost to submit a Simplified Report?
When a report is submitted, you must also send a filing fee equal to $0.25 per hectare on all claims you are applying new work to. This filing fee is listed in Schedule I of the Nunavut Mining Regulations (item 10). Please contact the Mining Recorder's Office directly for details on methods of payment; the office accepts credit cards, cheques, money orders, wire transfers, or cash (please note that mailing cash is not recommended).
Simplified Reports are not considered "received" by the Mining Recorder until all the necessary fees have been paid.
What is claim grouping?
Grouping allows work that was done on one claim to be applied to an adjacent claim. Grouping does not mean that the claims join together to become one claim. They are still separate claims. Grouping of claims is described in the Nunavut Mining Regulations under section 37.
In order to be grouped, the claims must be touching each other (side-by-side, one above the other, or corner-to-corner).The grouped area must not exceed 5,000 hectares. None of the claims may be leased.
Example:
Claims A and B share a boundary. You do $800 worth of work on claim A, and none on claim B. You need to apply work to claim B or it will lapse. You apply to have claims A and B grouped. When you submit your Simplified Report, you indicate on your Form 9 that you want $400 of the new work done applied to claim A and the other $400 applied to claim B.
If you want to group claims, you must fill out and submit a Form 7 (Notice to Group) to the Mining Recorder's Office. The cost of grouping claims is $10.00 per grouping.
When you are submitting a Simplified Report with claims that are grouped (or claims that you are applying to have grouped), the grouped claims must be listed on their own Form 9 separate from any other claims, or groups of claims, that are included in your Simplified Report.
Who can I ask for help when completing a Simplified Report?
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Regulatory Help:
Mining Recorder
Building 969
PO Box 2200
Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0
Phone: (867) 975-4281
Fax: (867) 975-4286
aandc.miningrecordersnms-registraireminierscn.aadnc@canada.ca
Technical Help:
District Geologist
Building 918
PO Box 100
Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0
Phone: (867) 975-4291 or (867) 975-4292
Fax: (867) 975-4276
aandc.mineralsnu-minerauxnu.aadnc@canada.ca
Department of Economic Development and Transportation, Government of Nunavut
Technical Help:
Resident Geologist (Arviat)
PO Box 120
Arviat, NU X0C 0E0
Phone: (867) 857-3165
MBeauregard@gov.nu.ca
Resident Geologist (Cambridge Bay)
PO Box 2420
Cambridge Bay, NU X0B 0C0
Phone: (867) 983-4224
Hmacisaac@GOV.NU.CA
Community Mining Advisor
PO Box 120
Arviat, NU X0C 0E0
Phone: (867) 857-3167
OTagalik@gov.nu.ca
Community Mining Advisor
PO Box 2420
Cambridge Bay, NU X0B 0C0
Phone: (867) 983-4160
HMaksagak@gov.nu.ca
What happens if I do not send in my Simplified Report by my claim's anniversary date?
When a claim reaches its anniversary date, you have 90 days after that date to submit your Simplified Report. If you know that you will be unable to meet this deadline, you should contact the Mining Recorder's Office immediately for assistance. If you need to verify your claim's anniversary date, the Mining Recorder's Office can assist with that as well.
If your report is not received by the anniversary date, it is possible that your mineral tenure could lapse.
Where do I send my Simplified Report and how should it look when it is done?
Reports must be typed; they cannot be hand written. They must also be in either English or French.
When you have completed your Simplified Report, you may submit it to the Mining Recorder as a paper copy, or in electronic format (on a CD, DVD, USB stick, etc.). When you have everything prepared, mail your report along with your completed Form 9 and a cheque or money order for the necessary filing fees to:
Mining Recorder's Office
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
PO Box 2200
Iqaluit, Nunavut
X0A 0H0
Phone: 867-975-4275
Fax: 867-975-4286
Payments can also be made by credit card by phone with MRO staff, or in person in cash. Please do not mail cash.
If you are in Iqaluit and want to submit your Simplified Report in person, the Mining Recorder's Office is located in building 969, on the first floor.
Simplified Report Template: How to write your report
This section provides a guide on how to organize your information and write your report. This template is intended as an example only; although we recommend using this format, Simplified Reports do not need to follow this exact structure.
If you have specific questions regarding the format and content of your report, please contact a geologist with either the Government of Nunavut or Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, at the contact information on page 6.
A sample of an approved Simplified Report is available.
Project Name
Type of Work Conducted (e.g.: prospecting and sampling)
Claim Name(s)
Claim Number(s)
NTS Sheet(s) (e.g.: 55L/8)
UTM coordinates or latitude and longitude of corners of the property
e.g.: 65° 52' 30" N, -96° 37' 30" W
65° 52' 38" N, -96° 15' 51" W
65° 56' 55" N, -96° 14' 30" W
65° 57' 26" N, -96° 35' 26" W
Kivalliq region – Nunavut Territory
Work Period
e.g.: July 6 to July 13, 2016
and August 10 to August 14, 2016
Prepared by
M. C. Prospector
Date report submitted: September 18, 2016
Table of Contents
Summary
- 6.0 References
- Appendix 1 – Personnel List
- Appendix 2 – Detailed Expenditures for 2016
- Appendix 3 – Sample Descriptions and Locations
- Appendix 4 – Sample Results and Processing Methods
List of tables
- Table 1 – Mineral Claims
- Table 2 – Summary of Regional Geology
List of figure
- Figure 1 – General Locations Map
- Figure 2 – Claim Location Map
- Figure 3 – Regional Geology
- Figure 4 – Sample Locations
- Figure 5 – Sample Results
Sommary
State the number of claims and their location, the time period over which the work was conducted, type(s) of work conducted and number of people involved in the work. Provide a brief summary of any significant results and include whether or not you think further work is warranted. This summary generally does not need to be longer than 1-2 paragraphs.
1. Introduction
State the type(s) of work completed, by whom (name of prospector and other workers), on which claim(s), in what area of the territory (e.g. '75 km southeast of Kimmirut', or 'in the southwestern Kivalliq') and when it was completed (e.g. 2016 summer season). Also provide a map showing the location of claims. Indicate the date that the claims were recorded.
1.1 Location and Access
Provide the location of the claims in relation to nearest communities or commonly known geographic points (such as DEW line sites or hunting lodges).
Describe how access to the field area was achieved (float plane, helicopter, boat, ATV, etc.). Refer to freeze/thaw periods if relevant. If your camp was re-supplied with food, fuel, or other consumables, state how this was achieved (e.g. plane, helicopter, boat).
1.2 Climate and Physiography
Describe the general climate of the field area (e.g.: subarctic vs. arctic, temperature ranges, amount/type of precipitation, available from websites such as Climate Change and Environment Canada or estimates through your own knowledge of the area).
Outline the approximate timing of break-up/ice-thaw and freeze-up. State when rain, snow, or blizzards are common, if applicable, and suggest approximate wind conditions for the period work was conducted.
Describe the landscape of the area (if rugged, list elevations - topographic highs and lows, available on topographic maps; if lakes appear to be aligned in a particular orientation, specify). List any notable topographic features (lakes, rivers, cliffs, mountains, eskers, etc.). Estimate the depth to permafrost, if applicable.
Include a brief description of the type of vegetation found in the area (willows, heather, moss, grasses, flowering plants, berries, etc.) and which types are most common and which are rare. Estimate the percentage of outcrop versus vegetation versus till covering for the area.
2. Geology
2.1 Rock Types and Mineralization
Describe the geology of your samples as best as possible.
Describe any veins, faults, alteration zones (gossans or rusty patches, iron or copper staining, carbonate alteration, serpentinization, etc.). If you locate carving stone, note the location of the outcrop and include a description of the outcrop in your report.
2.2 Regional Geology (optional)
Summarize the types of rocks present, their ages, and outline the tectonic history (major events of regional deformation). Describe all rock types (granites, gneisses, volcanic rocks, iron formation, limestones, etc.), including colour, grain size, textures, and mineralogy. If you have information about or knowledge of the area's stratigraphy, you can include this information in your report.
If you wish, you may use geological literature to summarize the bedrock geology of the area. This information is available through Geological Survey of Canada databases.
Geologists with the Government of Nunavut and with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada may also be able to assist with this section.
2.3 Exploration History (optional)
Summarize which companies/prospectors have worked in the area before, with references to their work reports, and briefly describe their findings.
This can require obtaining publically released geological information from Simplified Reports and Assessment Reports that are accessible through CIRNAC's Geology Archives (see the NUMIN database or email nunavutarchives@aandc-aadnc.gc.ca). A table could be useful – it should summarize the company name, when work was conducted, type of work (geophysics, geochemistry, geology, prospecting), and results for each company to have worked in the area.
2.4 Claim Groupings (if any)
If you are grouping claims, indicate which claims are to be grouped.
3. Sample analysis
3.1 Methodology
Describe the nature of the field work conducted and specify over what time frame it was done.
Indicate the number and type of samples taken (grab sample, chip sample - over what distance, soil sample, till sample, stream sediment sample) and describe the sampling method (hammer, chisel, double bagging, specific soil horizon). This section requires a map showing the location of each and every sample collected, regardless of results (Figure 4).
3.2 Results
Summarize the results of the program.
Indicate the number of samples out of the total with notable finds and give specifics for each claim, e.g.: "Five out of ten samples collected from Claim F22222 have greater than 500 ppb gold.". A map should be provided that shows the highlights of the results. Use dots of increasing size to represent higher assay values; use different colours to indicate different commodities; use pie graphs to represent results for multiple parameters, such as various kimberlite indicator minerals or an array of elemental commodities.
These maps require geographic co-ordinates that are appropriate for the scale of the map in UTMs or latitude/longitude, a scale and north arrow, and should show the outlines of any topographic or hydrologic features, nearby communities, airstrips, or other features.
4. Conclusions and recommendations
Summarize the results of your work.
Based on your results, discuss the economic potential for your claims, e.g. if some are thought to be uneconomic and may be dropped while other claims are to be retained for further assessment. Outline what methods of work would best help you gain insight into the economic potential of your claim (through geophysics, further sampling, soil sampling, geological mapping, etc.).
5. Statement of qualifications
Include a statement of your qualifications as a prospector, as follows.
I, (prospector's name), do hereby certify that:
- I am a resident of the community of (Hamlet name) and have lived there for ____ years.
- I have taken a Nunavut Prospecting course (if applicable; specify date of course completion and hamlet in which the course was offered).
- I have been prospecting in Nunavut for ____ years.
- I conducted the prospecting and sampling work outlined in this report.
- I am the author of this report.
- I received help preparing this report from (name of person/people who helped you, what their job title(s) is (are), and where they live).
Date: ________________
Signature: _____________________________
(type your name beneath your signature)
6. References
Give full details for all references cited in your document. This should include any government reports which you used to write your section on Regional Geology, and any Simplified Reports or Assessment Reports used to outline the exploration history for your area.
Appendices
Appendix 1 – List of personnel (assistants/partners etc.) and their current address.
Appendix 2 – Statement of expenditures – include details and a table as indicated below.
Appendix 3 – Sample descriptions (colour, grain size, textures; a copy of your field notes may be adequate); include UTM or latitude and longitude co-ordinates of sample locations.
Appendix 4 – attach sample results and analytical methods as outlined by the laboratory.
Sampling - collection costs
Transportation costs (helicopter, Twin Otter, ATV, and/or boat rental)
Fuel
Freight (to have samples shipped to a laboratory
Salaries*
= $ total
= $ total
= $ total
= $ total
*your wages and the wages of any assistant(s), multiplied by the number of days prospecting and sampling; dollars per day for # days)
Note: If you are applying for the Prospector's Program grant from the Government of Nunavut, you cannot pay yourself wages out of the grant money.
Analytical costs (per sample) – amount paid to the laboratory for analysis
= $ per sample
Food/fuel/other consumables cost
Communications (SBX-11 radio, satellite phone, GPS, etc.)
= $ total
= $ total
Preparatory work and reporting costs
Preparation of maps, reports, figures, etc.
Sample bags, other supplies if applicable
Report costs
= $ total
= $ total
= $ total
* this can include: time spent writing, printer paper, cost of getting report printed, etc.
| Claim | # samples | $/sample | Collection costs | Analytical costs | Camps costs | Report costs | Other costs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Grand total (for report and fieldwork)
$ Total Spent