Saskatchewan launches 24/7 online mineral staking system

The Government of Saskatchewan launches Mineral Administration Registry Saskatchewan (MARS) Thursday, an online system for issuing mineral permits, claims and leases. These mineral dispositions allow the holder to explore for minerals such as uranium, diamonds, precious metals and base metals.

“The introduction of MARS is a major milestone in the history of Saskatchewan’s mining industry,” Energy and Resources Minister Tim McMillan said. “The project was prompted by the need to modernize the province’s approach to managing Crown minerals. The new system will enhance Saskatchewan’s already strong competitive position with other mining jurisdictions.”

The MARS system, which went live Thursday, uses electronic maps to define the location of mineral parcels in the surveyed and unsurveyed parts of the province.

MARS will allow users to identify lands available for staking and make a request online for the issuance of new minerals dispositions.

Pamela Schwann, executive director of the Saskatchewan Mining Association, welcomed the new system.

“The online system allows you to acquire and manage land 24/7, 365 days a year from wherever you are in the world,” Schwann said, adding there are companies and individuals from all over the world interested in exploration in the province.

“Having an online presence really facilitates that process.”

It also provides more accuracy.

“(Before) in Northern Sas- katchewan in the unsurveyed part of the province when you went to acquire ground, you’d have to physically go on the ground and put in claim posts a certain distance apart to acquire that mineral disposition,” Schwann said. “But you had limits on when you could get out, depending on freeze up and break up times.”

There was also the question of whether the posts were staked in the right spot.

“This provides additional certainty about the location and also confirms the ground you have paid for is the ground you are getting,” she said.

MARS was developed in collaboration with Information Services Corporation (ISC) and the Ministry of the Economy.

The MARS software will use mineral land information maintained by both ISC and the Ministry of the Economy.