Assays & Prospector Assistance during the Fiscal Year

• There are fifteen assays done during the fiscal year, as long as those assays are made inside of the Yukon or Northwest Territory when an assay office is available to do so. In the event of prospectors working in the Arctic and Hudson Bay Mining District where it is easier to send assays to the laboratories in the east of Canada, the assaying cost will be charged against the program however the expense of sending the samples will be of full responsibility of the prospector. The fiscal year starts on the 1 of April and finishes on the 31 of March in the next year. Prospecting may be done at any time throughout the fiscal year for both lode and placer deposits.
• A prospector that is able to demonstrate to the Prospectors’ Assistance Board that he is able to get into the field on a prospecting venture might be able to apply for financial help under this program. Nonetheless, a gravel puncher will only obtain assistance in one of the two Territories in a fiscal year. Those applying need to be at least twenty one years old and must prove to the Board that they have sufficient knowledge regarding prospecting techniques and have knowledge on wilderness survival. The prospector might also have to pass a little test on identification of minerals. Besides that, individuals that are underage might get assistance provided as long as they are going to be working with an applicant that is experienced. The applications for assistance need to be done as quickly as possible after the start of the fiscal year, however they can also be accepted at any time of the throughout the fiscal year for which assistance is asked for. While it is true that the applications are approved on an individual basis, there is not any objection to two or more prospectors working as a team and helping each other out.