Residents of the Canadian town of Saint-Elie-de-Caxton are upset with an explosion in mining claims, including under their own homes. Photo: Genevieve Normand / AFP, but residents living atop the potential windfall are worried their backyards will be dug up -- and they won't get a dime.
In Quebec, it only takes a few clicks on a website and about Can$75 to stake a mining claim covering up to 100 hectares -- an opportunity open to locals and foreigners alike. "It's something out of the Wild West, this way of staking claims," she said, urging provincial authorities to protect inhabited lands from mining.