With only a prospector’s license, some wooden stakes and a pouch of metal tags, anybody over the age of 18 can stake a mineral claim in the Canadian North. More than 100 years after the first mining stakes were driven into Northern land, the free-entry staking system remains the primary catalyst for every scrap of metal pulled out of the North, be it from the Klondike Gold Rush, the Cantung Tungsten Mine or the Diavik Diamond Mine. In the words of Yukon prospector Shawn Ryan, “it all starts with a prospector banging a rock.”

By Brent Reaney In Yellowknife, you might have heard, the gold is paved with streets. And the Yukon was built on the stuff. Now Nunavut has its own

By Michael Ganley What’s being done to prepare us for the post-diamond economy?

By Michael Ganley -- The Supreme Court has told Ottawa to consult with aboriginals before allowing development on their lands.

By Katharine Sandiford -- For 100 years, prospectors have searched for but never found the beast that produced the Klondike’s placer gold.

By Darren Campbell -- Two years ago, not many had heard of Avalon Rare Metals

By Drew Hasselback -- Tungsten’s useful, China controls it, the NWT looks bad

By Darren Campbell -- With Jericho closed and the plans to build the Mary River iron ore mine stalled

By Darren Campbell -- Long considered a pariah, uranium mining is back in vogue and Nunavut’s Kivalliq region is an industry hot spot.

From exploration through reclamation, Susan Craig worked on the Brewery Creek gold mine near Dawson. Now, she’s moved on to Freegold