How to prepare for a NI 43-101.

• Position: THE "HOW TO" GUIDE

Successful mineral exploration in Canada often means seeking compliance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101), a complex process which can be smoothed out with the right preparation and a good mining consulting firm.

As a made-in-Canada means of instilling greater investor confidence, the NI 43-101 requires a qualified person to approve the scientific and technical information that public companies disclose about their mineral projects.

There is no singular, one-size-fits-all process involved in approving that information, as each project is different with widely varying geological and mineralogical features, problems and potential. However, there are some things companies can do to ensure that the process goes smoothly once the decision has been made to seek NI 43-101 compliance.

"Having a very proper, thorough understanding of the geology is important, but you also have to be able to back everything up with the appropriate documentation," says Sebastien Bernier, senior resource geologist with SRK Consulting Engineers and Scientists.

"Most people don't understand the extent of the work that they have to do on their side before they should even remotely consider a 43-101 report."

As the qualified person must extensively verify the drilling data, the need for the exploration firm to enact strict quality assurance and quality control measures is particularly important. Improperly prepared results, with mismatched assays and missing sample numbers, may erode the consultant's confidence in the drilling information, which could lead to a considerable loss of time and money. As such, the drillhole database should be in very tight order and clearly...