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Canada Weighs Export Taxes on Uranium, Oil If Trump Starts Trade War – by Brian Platt (Bloomberg News – December 12, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Canada is examining the use of export taxes on major commodities it exports to the US — including uranium, oil and potash — if incoming President Donald Trump carries out his threat to impose broad tariffs.

Export levies would be a last resort for Canada, according to officials familiar with the discussions inside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government. Retaliatory tariffs against US-made goods, and export controls on certain Canadian products, would be more likely to come first, said the people.

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London Symposium: ‘Mining must move at the pace of business, not bureaucracy,’ Ontario’s Pirie says – by Colin McClelland and Henry Lazenby (Canadian Mining Journal – December 11, 2024)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Ontario’s bid to lead in the critical minerals boom in Canada is fuelled with funding increases and deregulation goals in a new mining code. Yet the province must still widen education and mining’s appeal, industry leaders said last week in London.

This year saw Iamgold start the $3 billion-capex Côté mine followed by Equinox Gold’s 400,000-oz.-a-year Greenstone gold mine as Queens Park counted around $44 billion promised by car makers such as Toyota and Stellantis for new battery plants and assembly lines. The developments coincided with efforts to quicken permitting and feed northern minerals to southern factories.

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Lundin sells European mines for up to US$1.52-billion to fund South American copper ambitions – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 10, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Lundin Mining Corp. is selling two aging European mines for up to US$1.52-billion to Swedish mining company Boliden AB as it improves its balance sheet and raises cash to fund its South American copper growth strategy.

Vancouver-based Lundin is set to receive US$1.37-billion in cash when the deal closes, with an additional US$150-million to come if copper and zinc prices trade above certain levels over the next couple of years.

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Coalspur Vista Coal mine expansion at odds with federal coal commitment: environmental advocate – by Natasha Bulowski (CTV News Edmonton – December 11, 2024)

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s decision not to assess the impact of a massive thermal coal mine expansion is “cowardly” and “colossal backtracking” on Canada’s commitments to stop exporting this dirty fossil fuel, says an environmental advocate. On Dec. 6, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) decided Coalspur’s Vista Coal mine expansion in west-central Alberta will not be subject to a federal impact assessment.

“Over the last two years, we’ve seen zero progress on the thermal coal export ban, and now we’re seeing Canada move in the opposite direction by refusing to even assess the impacts of a major expansion of Canada’s largest thermal coal mine,” Julia Levin of Environmental Defence told Canada’s National Observer in a phone interview.

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The Indigenous Economy Is About to Take Off – by Carol Anne Hilton (MACLEAN’S Magazine – December 3, 2024)

https://macleans.ca/

Carol Anne Hilton is the CEO and founder of Indigenomics Institute.

Reconciliation is becoming Canada’s biggest business story—and its greatest economic opportunity

In 2025, Indigenous communities across Canada will gain more control over their land and resources, opening up new opportunities for development, profit and reinvestment. The result will be a virtuous cycle in the Indigenous economy that’s going to make Bay Street stand up and pay attention.

We’ve seen this trend begin to play out for the past few years. In 2021, for example, seven Mi’kmaw communities obtained a 50 per cent share in Nova Scotia–based Clearwater, one of the largest seafood companies in North America, for $1 billion. Last year, the Haisla Nation in B.C. became the majority owner of Cedar LNG, a natural-gas export terminal and the largest Indigenous-owned infrastructure project in Canada.

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Lithium Argentina picks Switzerland as another China-backed junior flees Canada – by Blair McBride (Northern Miner – November 29, 2024)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Lithium Argentina is seeking to redomicile to Switzerland and change its name to Lithium Argentina AG following a corporate review and a new agreement with investor Ganfeng Lithium, the company said Friday.

The company decided Switzerland was the best jurisdiction on strategic, commercial and legal grounds, would provide expanded financing flexibility, and support its long-term growth plans. It also aims to move the Lithium Argentina group of companies’ operational headquarters to Buenos Aires.

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Ontario judge dismisses case alleging human rights abuses against Barrick at Tanzanian mine – by Nial McGee (Globe and Mail – November 27, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

An Ontario court has dismissed a pair of civil suits against Barrick Gold Corp. that alleged it was responsible for human-rights abuses at a Tanzanian mine, with the judge ruling that any such court action should be tried in Tanzania.

The plaintiffs are a group of Indigenous Kurya from villages around the mine who were injured in 2021 and 2022 when the Tanzanian police force allegedly shot at them, as well as family members of victims who were killed during this period allegedly by the police.

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Crowsnest Pass voted for coal — other Alberta communities don’t all share the enthusiasm – by Joel Dryden (CBC News Calgary – November 26, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/

More than 70% of voters were in favour of Grassy Mountain mine

Crowsnest Pass residents voted decisively Monday in favour of bringing coal back, with more than 70 per cent of voters saying they’d support a nearby coal project. Though the vote is non-binding, Crowsnest Pass councillors say the vote in support will guide them in the months ahead as they lobby decision-makers to advance the proposed coking coal mine at Grassy Mountain.

“The Crowsnest Pass has made a decisive decision and as mayor and council we will take your position forward to the upper levels of government and through the regulatory process,” Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter told The Canadian Press late Monday.

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Climate-obsessed Trudeau has put Canada at the mercy of Trump tariffs – by Geoff Russ (National Post – November 27, 2024)

https://nationalpost.com/

The Liberals have throttled the energy industry, leaving us vulnerable to protectionism

Donald Trump has threatened to slap punishing 25 per cent tariffs on “all” Canadian goods imported into the United States. This is expected to happen soon after the U.S.-president elect moves back into the White House in the new year. No Canadian, even pro-Trump conservatives, should fool themselves about the damage that these tariffs could impose on Canada.

Despite dealing with two protectionist administrations in Washington over the past nine years, the decisions made by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government have not put Canada in a strong position to deal with what could be an existential threat to many Canadian industries.

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‘Let’s do this’: Crowsnest Pass mayor wants proposed coal mine sooner than later – by Bill Graveland (CTV News Calgary – November 26,2024)

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/

A mayor in southwestern Alberta is hoping for an immediate meeting with Premier Danielle Smith to discuss a coal project his community has voted in favour of being built. “The sooner the better,” said Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter. “Let’s do this.”

Residents of the municipality, which saw its last coal mine close four decades ago, voted 72 per cent “yes” to a simple referendum question: “Do you support the development and operations of the metallurgical coal mine at Grassy Mountain?”

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Mountain View County selected for Alberta’s first commercial lithium facility – by Dan Singleton (The Albertan – November 21, 2024)

https://www.thealbertan.com/

MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Mountain View County has approved a request by Calgary-based E3 Lithium Ltd. for an option to purchase the land at the former Dyck Gravel Pit east of Highway 2.

In a news release issued Thursday, E3 Lithium Ltd. said the site southeast of Olds will be used for the company’s Clearwater Project’s Central Processing Facility. The property is “well situated for infrastructure, including accessible utilities and roadways, to support E3 Lithium’s development of the first commercial lithium facility in Western Canada.”

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Navigating ‘The Valley of Death’: Why Canada’s emerging critical minerals miners are struggling to survive and what can be done about it – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – November 22, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Martin Turenne, chief executive officer of FPX Nickel Corp. FPX-X is wired as an optimist. In the mining industry, you have to be, because the timelines are agonizingly long and the odds are often heavily stacked against you.

Mr. Turenne hopes to have a nickel mine and refinery in production at its Baptiste project in central British Columbia by the end of the decade. The grand plan is to supply nickel for Canada’s nascent electric vehicle battery industry. The early estimate to build what could eventually be a top 10 nickel operation globally is $2.6-billion.

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Mitsui places highest bid for stake in First Quantum’s Zambian copper mines (Mining Technology – November 21, 2024)

https://www.mining-technology.com/

The divestment of stakes may ease First Quantum’s financial strain after the closure of its Panamanian copper mine due to protests.

Japanese trading company Mitsui has placed the highest bid for around a 20% share in Canadian mining giant First Quantum Minerals‘ Zambian Sentinel and Kansanshi copper mines for roughly $2bn (Y308.82bn), reported Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The bid surpasses a competing offer from Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals Investment. The potential deal’s terms are still under negotiation. The company could opt for an alternative buyer or retain its assets.

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BHP CEO Mike Henry says Canada risks losing investments in critical minerals to global rivals if it doesn’t cut red tape – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – November 21, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

BHP Group Ltd. chief executive Mike Henry says Canada must speed up mine permitting, or it risks losing out to its global rivals in attracting investments in critical minerals. Melbourne-based BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, already has significant operations in Canada. It is building a massive new potash mine in Saskatchewan called Jansen with the total capital expenditure pegged at $20-billion.

Mr. Henry, who is Canadian, said in an interview that while BHP clearly already has an affinity for Canada, based on its investment track record, the slow pace of obtaining mining permits is a big problem.

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Crowsnest Pass residents divided as voting on mining at Grassy Mountain gets underway – by Karsen Marczuk (CTV News Calgary – November 20, 2024)

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/

Advance polls for Crowsnest Pass residents were held on Tuesday for a proposed coal mine at Grassy Mountain. In September, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass announced a non-binding referendum vote would take place asking, “Do you support the development and operations of a metallurgical mine at Grassy Mountain?”

The topic has caused a divide in the community. “Coal mining built the Crowsnest Pass,” said Bonnie Castellarin with Citizens Supportive of Crowsnest Coal. “At that time, it was a very thriving community and as the mines closed, it has definitely hurt our community.”

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