Marginal note:Benefits plan

21. No work or activity on any frontier lands that are subject to an interest shall be commenced until the Minister has approved, or waived the requirement of approval of, a benefits plan in respect of the work or activity pursuant to subsection 5.2(2) of the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act.

Marginal note:Rights under exploration licences

22. An exploration licence confers, with respect to the frontier lands to which the licence applies,

• (a) the right to explore for, and the exclusive right to drill and test for, petroleum;

• (b) the exclusive right to develop those frontier lands in order to produce petroleum; and

• (c) the exclusive right, subject to compliance with the other provisions of this Act, to obtain a production licence.

Marginal note:Shares

23. A share in an exploration licence may, subject to any requirements that may be prescribed, be held with respect to a portion only of any frontier lands subject to the exploration licence.

Marginal note:Terms and conditions

• 24. (1) An exploration licence shall contain such terms and conditions as may be prescribed and may contain any other terms and conditions, not inconsistent with this Act or the regulations, as may be agreed on by the Minister and the interest owner of the licence.

• Marginal note:Regulations

  (2) The Governor in Council may make regulations prescribing terms and conditions required to be included in exploration licences issued in relation to all frontier lands or any portion thereof.

Marginal note:Amendment of exploration licence

• 25. (1) The Minister and the interest owner of an exploration licence may, by agreement, amend any provision of the exploration licence in any manner not inconsistent with this Act or the regulations and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, may, subject to subsection (2), amend the licence to include any other frontier lands.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (2) The Minister shall not amend an exploration licence to include frontier lands that, immediately prior to the inclusion, were Crown reserve lands unless the Minister would be able to issue an interest to that interest owner in relation to those lands under subsection 17(1) and a notice has been published in accordance with section 19 not later than ninety days before making the amendment, setting out the terms and conditions of the amendment.

• Marginal note:Consolidation of exploration licences

  (3) The Minister may, on the application of the interest owners of two or more exploration licences, consolidate those exploration licences into a single exploration licence, subject to any terms and conditions that may be agreed on by the Minister and those interest owners.