‘It’s all about connecting our critical mineral producers in the North’ with manufacturers in the South – Pirie
ST. THOMAS — Volkswagen’s announced plans to establish a battery cell plant in Southern Ontario is good news for Northern Ontario, says Mines Minister and Timmins MPP George Pirie. “If we’re going to secure our supply chain (for the electric vehicle industry) we have to get the minerals out of the ground in Northern Ontario,” Pirie told The Daily Press.
“Nickel is a critical mineral, copper, niobium, rare earths, lithium – we’ve got them all. There are four huge low-grade deposits in the Timmins vicinity including Canada Nickel … It’s a hugely exciting time.
“We’ve got rare earths that are 20 miles just west [of Timmins] and the rare earths that are included in that deposit are those that are required to build the magnets that are required to build the motors to drive the EV vehicles.”
Pirie said the provincial government’s mining strategy is “all about connecting our critical mineral producers in the North with our world-class manufacturing sector in the South. “And, of course, doing that will create jobs in every single community, including Indigenous communities.”
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