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Who owns the minerals?

The Crown owns the minerals, other than sand and stone on private property, however ownership of minerals can be complex and varies from title to title: It is the obligation of the land owner to determine mineral ownership if they believe the title grants them greater mineral ownership than just the category 3 minerals.

  • Under common law the Crown owns gold and silver.
  • By past legislation the Crown owns oil (which includes mineral oil, natural gas and solid bitumen), helium, atomic substances and geothermal substances.
  • Ownership of other minerals depends on the date of original land grant and the Act under which the land was granted.
  • Owners of land granted prior to 1 July 1996 always own sand and stone.