There’s $1 million in gold hidden somewhere in Canada. Here’s how to find it

In this file photo, the world's first 100-kg 99999 pure gold bullion coin, with a $1-million face value, at its unveiling at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa on May 3, 2007. (CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)

Canada has an honest-to-goodness treasure hunt on its hands.

Organized by the newspaper The Northern Miner, the Great Canadian Treasure Hunt is a cross-country contest pitting Canadians’ deductive skills against the holy grail of geographical guessing games: A weatherproof case with a code redeemable for $1 million in gold.

Here’s what to know about the treasure, and where it might be found:

The gold

The contest’s terms and conditions describe the grand prize as 217 one-ounce gold coins, which The Northern Miner says are “vault certified, physically held, and ready to claim.”

According to the organizers, additional bonus prizes of six coins each, or $25,000, will be awarded to contestants who find one of 12 codes hidden elsewhere in Canada, each with its own clues released monthly.

The number of coins per prize is set, meaning that should the price of gold go up or down in the meantime, so will the value of the treasures.

The rules

Before anyone gets carried away, there are a few ground rules to keep in mind.

First, in the interest of fair play, the locations of the treasures are tightly held -- so much so that only one of the organizers knows exactly where the grand prize is hidden. Also, none of those locations are within five kilometres of any home, workplace or property belonging to the organizers or their families.

Other important no-go zones include private property, underwater or underground in mines, caves or tunnels; in, under or on top of man-made structures; anywhere near gravesites, cemeteries or memorials; construction sites, hazardous waste dumps or in locations that require climbing gear or “risky stunts.”

No special equipment, vehicles or athletic ability will be required to find the treasure.

Even so, the contest’s safety page reminds treasure hunters to take precautions for the cold, heat and inclement weather, to bring a buddy and a fully charged phone, to beware of wildlife and to respect the environment, artifacts of Canadian heritage and their own wellbeing.

“Remember: the real treasure isn’t just the gold—it’s the adventure, the stories, and coming home safe to tell them,” it reads.

The clues

At the heart of the hunt is a 52-line poem, and its cryptic clues that hint at the prize’s location.

The contest’s website warns would-be seekers to “take nothing at face value,” to “think laterally,” and even suggests that mistakes in the text could be intentional.

“Typos aren’t clues…” the FAQ reads. “Or are they?”

Here are some potential hints hiding in the poem, and what they might mean:

Landforms

It’s a good idea to narrow down from Canada’s 10 million square kilometres by searching for signs of major landforms.

The most readily apparent is the Canadian Shield; a massive sheet of bedrock under parts of the territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, which earns a specific mention:

“The Shield bends low through sleeping trees … Where sunken whispers told of ease,” it reads.

Careful, though: Sometimes, the poem is describing where the treasure isn’t.

The second stanza mentions that “Gold sighs beneath the mountain’s strain,” and describes a place “beyond the clouds, where glaciers reign.”

Both details might bring to mind the Rocky Mountains, or perhaps the glacial coastlines from northern Labrador to Nunavut’s Ellesmere Island.

But in the very next line, that idea is thrown out the window, as “Yet peaks mislead with gilded hue … The path lies where the birch trees grew.”

Plant life

On a more organic note, the poem is littered with references to trees; ones that may hint at general areas of interest.

The white birch tree, like those mentioned above, are common in Canada, but don’t typically grow in the central Arctic. If you were planning an excursion to Baffin Island, you may want to save yourself the trouble.

Tantalizingly, a marker implied to be relevant to the treasure can be found near “pine,” though with 10 different species of pine trees scattered across Canada, that barely excludes any region.

Also mentioned are cedar trees, of which Canada has two major species. The western redcedar can be found along the west coast, as well as in the eastern B.C interior. Meanwhile, the eastern white-cedar covers a wide swath of Canada from the Manitoba-Ontario boundary to southwest Nova Scotia, and north to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.

Trees are also described as “sleeping,” with “brittle roots” and having grown in the past tense, which may match something like a petrified fossil forest. Alternatively, maybe “sleeping” just refers to how deciduous trees become dormant in the winter, which would favour Canada’s southern forests.

Water

The poem also makes frequent reference to bodies of water, like potentially oceanside “brine” and “salt air.” Rivers may also feature, as hinted by a “current,” and possibly even a waterfall.

At the same time, mention of a “mirror” and “silence” among water that “hums” suggests perhaps what you’re looking for is more like a calm lake, or pond.

Hunters are encouraged to look out for a marker of the treasure “by shore,” so keep an eye out for where the water meets the land, but bear in mind that anywhere underwater is off-limits, which could disqualify any place that would be submerged at high tide.

Metal and minerals

Gold isn’t the only mineral that makes an appearance.

Copper is evoked by the obscure Greek-derived name “chalco,” or with references to “red seams” and “verdigris” -- another name for copper oxide.

One line refers to “zinc-toned waters,” a location of note is described as “where iron sings,” and copper is said to have a “song” of its own.

In fact, gold mostly appears when the poem is talking about where the treasure isn’t hidden, such as in “gilded desks” and how what could be the hiding place is “not marked by gold but core alone.”

If you’re interested in digging deeper on metals, Natural Resources Canada maintains a map of regions notable for mining here.

Manmade landmarks

There’s no shortage of artificial markers mentioned, either.

“Flinty’s claim” makes an appearance, which all signs point to being a reference to Josiah Flintabattey Flonatin, the fictional prospector and namesake of Flin Flon, Man., where he is commemorated with a cartoonish statue.

Another proper noun is Bathurst, said to have a “deepest bell” ringing. That could refer to the major street in Toronto, but also the coastal zinc-mining community of the same name in northern New Brunswick, both of which home to at least one bell tower.

Midway through, the poem describes a “giant coin” that “reflects the sun.” Taken literally, that could mean Ontario landmarks like the Big Nickel in Sudbury, giant loonie in Echo Bay or the oversized toonie in Campbellford, though this may be another misdirection, as the coin’s “gleam” is ultimately described as a “siren’s light” warning that “No miner’s truth is held in sight.”

Another red herring to look out for: the poem name-drops a very specific location, Toronto’s Bay Street financial district, but treasure hunters shouldn’t be fooled, for “No gilded desk nor numbered share … Will point to where the birches stare.”

So, where’s the treasure?

It’s anyone’s guess, but the final two stanzas seem to offer a window into the hiding place itself.

“Step not in haste where paths align … But where the trail forgets design … Beyond the mark the tall grass grows … And buried speaks what no one knows,” reads the penultimate set of rhymes.

If you think you might be steps away from a million-dollar payday, search for a “sliver” resting in the overgrowth, hidden behind the brush.

All throughout the poem, words like “silence” and “whispers” bring to mind a quiet, secluded spot, just waiting to be found. Perhaps most mysterious of all, the very final line seems to suggest that the case containing the winning code could be magnetized; a sort of invisible X that marks the spot:

“The compass turns,” it reads. “And all is hush.”

Happy hunting, Canada.