Kestrel Economics · Bulletin Beta

This week / Ontario exploration permit

026-0778

Issued on 21 Oct 2026the day the decision was posted to the registry
91 daysfrom when it was posted on 22 Jul 2026 to the decision

The permit itself is dated 19 October 2026. Our forecasts are graded against 21 October 2026, the day the decision was posted to the registry.

How our forecast did

Our last forecast before the decision, made on 16 October 2026, put an 8 in 10 chance on a decision between 31 Oct 2026 and the furthest date the model looks ahead, with a middle date of 14 Apr 2027. It was issued on 21 October 2026, outside that range, before it began: 175 days earlier than the middle date.

Issued 21 Oct 2026
16 Oct 2026Dec 2026Oct 2027Oct 2028Oct 2030
Middle half of the chances (50%) 80% range

The curve is the forecast made 16 October 2026; the dark line is the real date. 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.

8 of 10 weekly forecasts of this application had the real date inside their 80% range.

The other questions that forecast answered

  • Not as we said

    On 16 October 2026 we gave a 63% chance that it would not be decided by 15 January 2027. It was issued before then.

  • As we said

    On 16 October 2026 we gave a 50% chance that it would be decided by 16 April 2027. It was issued before then.

  • As we said

    On 16 October 2026 we gave a 57% chance that it would not be put on hold first. It was issued without a hold.

  • As we said

    On 16 October 2026 we gave a 76% chance that it would be issued. It was issued.

How the forecast moved

Forecasts for this application side by side, up to the last one before the decision. Across: the Friday each was made. Up: the date. The wider a shape at a date, the likelier a decision then; the dark mark is that week's middle date, and the last is shaded darker. The dashed line across is the real date, 21 October 2026.

2027202820292030203120322033
14 AugFirst forecast28 AugPublic comment closed11 SepForecast moved18 SepForecast moved25 SepForecast moved9 OctForecast moved16 OctLast forecast
Issued 21 Oct 2026, the real date

Showing 7 of 10 Friday forecasts made before the decision: the first, the last, and the weeks it changed, when something happened to the application or the forecast moved more than its usual weekly wobble.

What pushed it earlier or later

In the last forecast before the decision, the named factors that moved 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) −58 days
The plan includes drilling +27 days
Applied in 2023 or later +16 days
How many decisions the ministry office made in the past six months −12 days
Holds placed on nearby applications in the past year −11 days
Outside the Treaty 9 area −9 days
Size of the application (50 mining claims) −6 days
Public comments received (count published with the decision) +3 days

Some factors about how the ministry handles the file are used but not shown here.

Not 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.

The application so far

10 Jul 202621 Oct 2026
Open for public comment Under review
  1. 10 Jul 2026 Application submitted to the ministry
  2. 12 days later
  3. 22 Jul 2026 Posted to the registry and opened for public comment
  4. 4 weeks later
  5. 21 Aug 2026 Public comment closed
  6. 9 weeks later
  7. 21 Oct 2026 Decided: approved

Dates are the ministry's own. Hover over or tap the strip for the dates and how long each stage took.

Where it is

2 km
Where in Ontario

The outlined area is the mining claims the application covers, 3,035 hectares in all.

What the application asks for

Activities
  • Mechanized drilling (drills over 150 kilograms)
Mining claims covered
50
Area of those claims
3,035 hectares

Surroundings

Holds within 50 kilometres in the past year
2 applications held for consultation with an Indigenous nation; none put on a temporary hold
Other exploration plans in circulation within 50 kilometres
12
Workload at the ministry office handling it
107 applications waiting; it decided 41 in the past six months
Applicant
An individual
The applicant’s earlier exploration permits
None before this one
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