https://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Ken Coates is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a faculty member at Yukon University.
Mining has become one of Canada’s frontlines in terms of reconciliation. After feeling excluded from earlier resource booms, First Nations and Métis want in on the modern-day gold rush that is the quest for lithium, cobalt, uranium and other critical minerals, and are rightly demanding hard equity from lucrative resource projects on their traditional lands.
And the potential rewards are high. Globally, Chinese-based interests own or control many of these resources essential for manufacturing EV batteries, solar panels, smartphones and other products in a world hooked on technology.
As mining companies scour the planet for new deposits, seeking to bring more of these resources into production, it’s become a race where the first mines into production will secure large contracts. (The urgency sires many scenarios, from companies returning to reprocess old tailing ponds, to illegal mining that has devastated African landscapes.)
In Canada, such haste is not a common characteristic when it comes to economic development. Canadian firms are among the most technologically capable in the world, and Canada provides substantial financing for mining exploration and production, exporting both its expertise and its experience with community engagement.
For the rest of this column: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-how-a-mining-standoff-in-saskatchewan-can-be-a-boon-to-both/?utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links