Twitter

Canada Mining

The US Badly Needs Rare Minerals and Fresh Water. Guess Who Has Them? – by Christopher Pollon (The Walrus – June 3, 2025)

The Walrus

As China tightens its grip on critical resources, Trump eyes Canada’s riches

Rain fell for the first time on the highest point of the Greenland ice sheet in August 2021, seen by scientists as a foreboding precedent for sea level rise and the planet. But not everyone was alarmed. The melting of ice caps began exposing virgin ground for mining, including what has been touted as some of the largest deposits of rare earth elements, or REEs, in the world.

REEs are a group of seventeen metals with remarkable magnetic, electrochemical, and luminescent properties. They give a smartphone its computing power and electric cars their batteries. They are necessary to make powerful permanent magnets needed by both wind turbines to generate energy efficiently and laser-guided missile systems to stay on target.

Read more

Interview: Barrick CEO talks slimming gold portfolio – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – June 3, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

When Barrick Gold took over Randgold in 2019, its marketing dropped Gold from the name to reflect wider interests like copper and appeal to new investors. But it didn’t bother to change its registered moniker. Gradually, the Gold crept back in. Now, the Gold has been guillotined, like a statement Barrick Mining (TSX: ABX; NYSE: B) means business this time.

“Most of the gold companies sort of have grasped at the opportunity to talk about copper,” CEO Mark Bristow said in an interview with The Northern Miner in May. “But we actually pointedly said, ‘if you really want to be a big player in the gold business, it makes a whole lot of sense to focus on these big assets.’”

Read more

Pay attention: The world of mining is changing – by Don Duval (Canadian Mining Journal – May 28, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

The global mining industry continues to build momentum and prepares itself for what appears to be a remarkable technological transformation. Executives are facing unprecedented pressure to find sustainable and creative methods to drive shareholder value and enhance productivity while improving the safety of the workforce — all during a time of global political instability, low commodity prices, and a generation of new workers that are motivated by non-traditional incentives.

This transformation is not only reshaping the landscape of employment and skill requirements for mine workers, but also it is reframing the relationship between the external technology ecosystem and global mining operators.

Read more

Arctic Gateway Group says the Port of Churchill will help diversify Canada’s trade links to other countries – by Carlo Cantisani (Globe and Mail – June 2, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Less than a year into his new job as CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, Chris Avery is finding himself overseeing what is quickly emerging as a critical cog in fighting the Trump-era trade war.

AGG, which operates the Port of Churchill and the connecting Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) in northern Manitoba, strategically links Western Canada to Arctic waters and from there offers routes to Europe, South America and the Middle East.

The company is aiming to become a vital link between Canada and emerging Arctic routes to help boost interprovincial and overseas trade and to reduce reliance on the United States.

Read more

N.S. minister could override owners who don’t want uranium exploration on their land – by Taryn Grant (CBC News Nova Scotia – May 29, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Tory Rushton says negotiations between companies, landowners would have to happen before he’d intervene

If a Nova Scotia landowner doesn’t want uranium exploration to happen on their property, does no mean no? Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton has confirmed that he could step over property owners to let companies hunt for uranium, but he said he isn’t keen to do so.

“Right now we’re encouraging landowners and the researchers to have the conversations, that’s where it needs to start,” Rushton told reporters Thursday following a cabinet meeting in Halifax. Earlier this year, the Progressive Conservative government lifted a long-standing ban on uranium exploration and extraction.

Read more

Juniors due for comeback in next year or two, says Canadian mining legend – by Staff (Mining.com – May 22, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

While younger investors continue to pour money into crypto and tech, junior mining companies—which have quietly driven the discovery of the world’s minerals—are often left behind. The disconnect today between the modern investment thesis and a legacy sector responsible for the foundational pieces of the economy can be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity, according to Canadian mining legend Jacques Bonneau.

The former geologist recently sat down with CrashLabs host Denis Laviolette to explain the important role junior miners play within the commodity space, and why they’ve mostly been left behind by the new generation of investors over the past decade.

Read more

Wildsight says Alberta should learn from B.C.’s mining mistakes – by R McCormack (East Kootenay News – May 21, 2025)

Home Page

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) recently approved exploratory drilling for a controversial mining project in the Crowsnest Pass, and Wildsight says Alberta should have learned from B.C.’s struggles with mining pollution.

The Grassy Mountain mining project, owned by Northback Holdings, is an open-pit mine proposed to go ahead on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains at the site of a formerly abandoned coal mine. The project was originally rejected in 2021 due to widespread opposition and potential damage to agriculture, ecosystems and watersheds.

Read more

Opinion: Canada can fast-track critical minerals and dodge US tariffs – by Phillip Mackey (Northern Miner – May 21, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

This year’s Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual convention will be remembered not just for the discussions that took place in Toronto that first week of March. It also coincided with Canada’s unveiling of strong responses to United States President Donald Trump’s unfair tariffs on Canadian goods – including critical minerals.

Word at the convention was that mining and metallurgy projects in gold, base metals and rare earths are starting to attract investor attention. The 2025 convention also put Canada in the spotlight, and the federal government took the opportunity to announce that the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC) would be extended for two years – great news for the mining industry.

Read more

Premier Danielle Smith says Alberta won’t allow open-pit mines, pleasing environmental groups – by Stephen Tipper (Calgary Herald – May 20, 2025)

https://calgaryherald.com/

Smith also said she hopes that people would have an open mind about mining

Two Alberta environmental groups are praising Premier Danielle Smith’s comments on banning open-pit mining, just days after the provincial energy regulator approved a coal exploration program for a contentious project in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies.

The premier said on her weekend radio program that the province has heard “loud and clear” that Albertans do not want mountaintop removal or strip mining. “They’re concerned that when you do that, it exposes the rock face to when it rains, selenium getting into the water system. So we’ve put a policy in place — you can’t do these things,” said Smith.

Read more

Scientists Found a Massive Copper Deposit That Could Change the Future of Energy – by Darren Orf (Popular Mechanics – May 19, 2025)

https://www.popularmechanics.com/

Located along the border of Chile and Argentina, the Filo del Sol copper deposit has been under investigation for years for potentially being one of the largest copper deposits in the world. And that makes sense, considering this deposit is nestled along the Atacama Desert—long known for its immense copper reserves due to its location in the Andes and its placement within the eastern portion of the Ring of Fire.

However, a new initial mineral resource estimate completed earlier this month suggests that the companies in charge of mining this area—the U.S.-based Lundin Mining and BHP—may have stumbled upon five times more metal than they bargained for. According to a statement from Lundin Mining, the new assessment estimates the presence of up to 13 million tonnes of copper, 907,000 kilograms (32 million ounces) of gold, and 18.6 million kilograms (659 million ounces) of silver.

Read more

Alberta regulator approves controversial coal exploration applications at Grassy Mountain – by Emma Graney (Globe and Mail – May 16, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Alberta Energy Regulator this week approved applications for coal exploration, drilling and water diversion at a site called Grassy Mountain in the south of the province – a decision some opponents vow to fight.

Thursday’s ruling by the AER is the latest development in a long-running battle over reviving the defunct metallurgical coal mining industry in the Crowsnest Pass, which has pitted neighbours and communities against one another. While approval to reopen an old mine on the site remains a long way off, this decision brings it one step closer.

Read more

‘A total surprise’: Municipalities unprepared for uranium exploration in their backyard – by Frances Willick (CBC News Nova Scotia – May 20, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Leaders say they need more information and education about the issue

Some municipal leaders are feeling unprepared and uninformed after learning their regions could become home to the first uranium exploration in Nova Scotia in almost 45 years.

On Wednesday, the Nova Scotia government issued a request for exploration proposals at three sites it believes have uranium deposits. The three sites include areas near Louisville in Pictou County, East Dalhousie in Annapolis County and Millet Brook in Hants County. “It’s a total surprise to us,” said Robert Parker, warden of Pictou County.

Read more

Uranium added to Nova Scotia critical minerals list as province seeks exploration – by Keith Doucette (Canadian Press/CBC Nova Scotia – May 14, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Potential exploration sites are in Pictou County, Annapolis County and Hants County

The Nova Scotia government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals on Wednesday and issued a request for exploration proposals at three sites the province says have known deposits of the heavy metal.

Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton says the government hopes to reap economic benefits from the exploration in the future, although a department official said any potential mining project could be “decades” away.

Read more

Canada could unlock C$1.1tr GDP boost by fast-tracking resource projects, think-tank says – by Staff (Mining Weekly – May 16, 2025)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

Canada could add as much as C$1.1-trillion to its economy by 2035 if it accelerates investment decisions on more than 500 energy, mining and infrastructure projects, according to a new report by the Public Policy Forum.

The ‘Build Big Things’ report, released on Thursday, offers a policy playbook aimed at boosting Canada’s sluggish productivity and countering global competition in critical minerals and energy. It calls for regulatory reform, streamlined permitting, expanded Indigenous participation and a national strategy to accelerate project approvals.

Read more

Could thorium be the world’s next great source of fuel? – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – May 16, 2025)

https://financialpost.com/

“Rabbits sometimes make mistakes or grow lazy. That’s when the tortoise seizes its chance.” That’s how a scientist from China recently described the Asian giant’s progress in using thorium — a silvery-white radioactive metal that’s more abundant in the earth’s crust than uranium — to generate power.

Xu Hongjie reportedly used the folklore saying in a closed-door meeting at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in April to suggest China had overtaken the United States in this specific field, according to the South China Morning Post. But could thorium really be used as a viable source for fuel in the near future or even replace uranium in nuclear reactors? Here’s what you need to know.

Read more