A junior exploration company proposes mechanized drilling, mechanized stripping, and pitting and trenching of bedrock on 1 mining claim covering 118 hectares in Mechita Lake Area and Pakeagama Lake Area, Kenora District, about 29 kilometres northwest of North Spirit Lake and about 51 kilometres south of Sandy Lake.
Waiting on a decisionstatus
198 dayswaiting since it was posted on 15 Apr 2026
When it is likely to be decided
The model puts an 8 in 10 chance on a decision between 29 Dec 2026 and the furthest date it looks ahead (our 80% credible interval, shortened elsewhere to the 80% range).
30 Oct 2026Dec 2026Oct 2027Oct 2028Oct 2030
Middle half of the chances (50%)80% range
Forecast made 30 October 2026. Dates are spaced so that the next few weeks and the next few years both fit: the distance from the forecast date grows with the square root of the days.
How it ends
Issued
59%
Refused or withdrawn
16%
Still undecided at the furthest date we look ahead
26%
Key dates
A 1 in 10 chance it is decided by29 Dec 2026
Even odds it is decided by25 Jul 2028
A under 1% chance it is still waiting on23 May 2032
Chance it is decided within 3 months, by 29 Jan 202716%
Chance it is decided within 6 months, by 30 Apr 202729%
Chance it is put on hold before a decision60%
What pushes it earlier or later
The named factors that move the middle date most for this application, in days, compared with an application that is typical on that factor: + means later, − means earlier. They are the largest pieces, not the whole account.
EarlierLater
Heavy drilling planned (drills over 150 kilograms)−99 days
The plan includes drilling+63 days
Applied in 2023 or later+39 days
How many decisions the ministry office made in the past six months−32 days
Outside the Treaty 9 area−19 days
Size of the application (1 mining claims)+17 days
Holds placed on nearby applications in the past year+10 days
Public comments received (count published with the decision)+7 days
The applicant’s earlier permits−2 days
Applications waiting at the same ministry office−1 day
Some factors about how the ministry handles the file are used but not shown here.
Not yet counted, because the model does not measure them yet: Indigenous nations affected; an impact and benefit agreement; an Indigenous-led assessment; a contested duty to consult; referral to the Minister.
How the forecast has moved
Forecasts for this application side by side. Across: the Friday each was made. Up: the date of the decision. The wider a shape at a date, the likelier a decision then; the dark mark is that week's middle date, and the newest is shaded darker.
Showing 6 of 12 Friday forecasts: the first, the latest, and the weeks it changed, when something happened to the application or the forecast moved more than its usual weekly wobble.
Questions already settled
As we said
On 24 July 2026 we gave a 71% chance that it would not be decided by 23 October 2026. It wasn’t.
Made before the calibration record began on 14 August 2026, so it is not counted in the record.
As we said
On 31 July 2026 we gave a 72% chance that it would not be decided by 30 October 2026. It wasn’t.
Made before the calibration record began on 14 August 2026, so it is not counted in the record.
The application so far
26 Mar 202630 Oct 2026
Open for public commentUnder review
26 Mar 2026Application submitted to the ministry
20 days later
15 Apr 2026Posted to the registry and opened for public comment
4 weeks later
15 May 2026Public comment closed
6 months later
30 Oct 2026Forecast made; still waiting
Dates are the ministry's own. Hover over or tap the strip for the dates and how long each stage took.
Where it is
The registry's own map places this application about 36 kilometres from the mining claims it lists. We cannot tell which place is right, so we show no map.
What the application asks for
Activities
Mechanized stripping (over 100 square metres within a 200 metre radius)
Pitting and trenching of bedrock (over 3 cubic metres within a 200 metre radius)
Mechanized drilling (drills over 150 kilograms)
Mining claims covered
1
Area of those claims
118 hectares
Surroundings
Holds within 50 kilometres in the past year
none held for consultation with an Indigenous nation; none put on a temporary hold
Other exploration plans in circulation within 50 kilometres
None
Workload at the ministry office handling it
102 applications waiting; it decided 43 in the past six months
Applicant
A junior exploration company
The applicant’s earlier exploration permits
None before this one
Published Mondays, noon Toronto timeKestrel EconomicsBULLETIN