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Canadian Media Resource Articles

Labrador stuck in ‘wait-and-see’ approach over looming impact of U.S. steel tariffs – by Elizabeth Whitten (CBC News Newfoundland-Labrador – February 14, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/

Labrador mines produce components used in steel manufacturing

In the wake of newly announced U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, one Labrador mayor says businesses in the mine-heavy region will have to wait and see how their bottom lines are impacted.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 30-day reprieve for tariffs on Canadian goods, only to announce he was slapping a 25 per cent tariff on all of the country’s steel and aluminum imports, scheduled to come into effect on March 12.

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Barrick considering redomiciling to the U.S. and Trump could make it happen faster, says CEO Mark Bristow – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – February 14, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold Corp. is considering redomiciling to the United States from Canada, and under a Donald Trump administration that could happen sooner rather than later, Barrick chief executive Mark Bristow told The Globe and Mail’s editorial board.

On Thursday, he mapped out several reasons why a move to the U.S. makes sense, including access to a more efficient marketplace, and the ability to attract a bigger pool of shareholders. Redomiciling to the U.S. could put Barrick in the S&P 500 index, which would attract automatic buying from scores of mutual funds and exchange traded funds that track indexes.

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Ecuador’s mining future uncertain as socialist party gains traction – by Staff (Mining.com – February 11, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Ecuador’s mining industry is bracing for potential changes as the nation’s main socialist party gains momentum in the presidential race.

Luisa González, a protégé of former President Rafael Correa, is leading a strong push fuelled by public discontent over a struggling economy, gang violence, and widespread blackouts. Her platform, which reflects the policies of the influential Citizen Revolution movement, could significantly reshape mining policies if she wins the runoff on April 13.

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Unlocking Canada’s mining potential – by David Hunter, Bernard Roth, and Mary Su (Canadian Mining Journal – February 12, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Strategies to attract investment in the sector

Canada is facing an investment and productivity crisis, and its onerous and lengthy regulatory approval processes are compounding the problem. There is a common misconception that shortening regulatory approval process timelines must come at the expense of environmental oversights and affected Indigenous groups.

Canadian regulatory approval processes can and should be implemented in a way that allows projects to proceed in a timely manner, without sacrificing necessary environmental requirements and Indigenous interests.

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Saskatchewan looks to run conventional coal for power well beyond Ottawa’s 2030 phaseout deadline – by Emma Graney (Globe and Mail – February 12, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Saskatchewan is looking to refurbish its fleet of coal-fired power stations, extending their lives well past a federal 2030 phase-out deadline and locking the province into decades of reliance on the fossil fuel.

Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for SaskPower, the Crown corporation that oversees electricity supply in the province, says the reliability and affordability of power are at the heart of the policy rethink.

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First Nation near Sudbury to grow its presence in the mining sector – by Staff (Sudbury Star – February 13, 2025)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek will receive $1 million from the federal government for two projects

A First Nation just west of Sudbury will receive a little more than $1 million in federal funding to strengthen its place in the mining industry and create new jobs.

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek will get $575,199 so its economic development corporation, Giyak Mashkawzid Shkagmikwe, can buy a new diamond drill. The drill will be owned by GMS and leased to its joint venture, Bagone’an JS Drilling Inc., for use in resource exploration and mine development.

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Arctic energy and mineral race heats up – by Maureen McCall (Troy Media – February 12, 2025)

https://troymedia.com/

Nations scramble for Arctic oil, gas and minerals amid rising global demand

“Go West, young man, go West… and grow up with the country” is a phrase  attributed to Horace Greeley from the New York Daily Tribune back in 1865.In 2025, the phrase might be updated to “Go North, young man, go North” as optimism rises about the potential of oil and gas and critical minerals in the Arctic.

Optimism about the size of the prize of Arctic hydrocarbons rose in 2012 when the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) assessed that the Arctic holds an estimated 13 per cent (90 billion barrels) of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil resources and 30 per cent of its undiscovered conventional natural gas resources. The EIA has estimated that the Arctic may hold most of the world’s remaining untapped oil and gas reserves.

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U.S. hurting itself, not Canadian uranium producers, with tariffs on energy – by Michael Joel-Hansen (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix – February 12, 2025)

https://thestarphoenix.com/

Canadian producers are in a good position to handle the tariffs, expert says

United States President Donald Trump is only biting the hand that feeds his country’s nuclear power system if he follows through on his threat to impose a 10 per cent tariff on uranium and other energy-related imports.

Devan Mescall, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business, said the uranium industry is better positioned to deal with tariffs in the short term than other industries, in part because there are no available alternatives.

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Mining industry warns critical minerals stockpiles useless without processing plants – by Darius Snieckus (National Observer – February 13, 2025)

https://www.nationalobserver.com/

Government-backed strategic reserves of lithium, nickel, copper and other minerals and metals seen as key to Canada’s national security and its energy transition would be a non-starter without a cross-country network of processing facilities, mining sector executives said Tuesday.

Calls for an emergency stockpile of 34 critical minerals in Canada have grown in recent weeks as a way to reduce investment risk for mine developers and leverage against U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to annex the country for its wealth of natural resources.

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Barrick CEO says he has ‘no doubt’ gold miner will resolve conflict in Mali – by Jordan Fleguel (Bloomberg News – February 12, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

The head of Barrick Gold Corp. says he’s confident that a resolution will be reached between his company and the Malian government, currently embroiled in a dispute over revenue distribution from one of the largest gold mines in Africa.

In an interview with BNN Bloomberg on Wednesday, Barrick’s CEO Mark Bristow said despite recent reports that talks between the company and Malian authorities had broken down, both sides continue to communicate with the aim of reaching an agreement.

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Almost half of my generation wants Canada to join the U.S. Here’s why – by Élie Cantin-Nantel (The Hub – February 13, 2025)

Home

In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to become America’s 51st state. The proposition, understandably controversial and borderline farcical, has been overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of Canadians—with one exception: younger Canadians. That includes Gen Z Canadians and younger Millennials.

A recent Ipsos poll found that 43 percent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 would vote to become American if they were guaranteed U.S. citizenship and that their assets would be converted to USD. Just 33 percent of those aged 34 to 54 and 17 percent of those 55 and older said the same.

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In Saguenay, Canada’s aluminum valley, anxiety over planned U.S. tariffs is palpable – by Frédérik-Xavier D. Plante (Globe and Mail – February 12, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Jean-Marc Crevier, a municipal councillor in Saguenay, Que., can feel his constituents’ anxiety. Mr. Crevier’s district encompasses Rio Tinto’s sprawling, century-old Arvida aluminum smelter. It is one of four such facilities – in addition to one refinery – in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, which produces a third of all Canadian aluminum thanks to abundant, cheap hydroelectric power.

In Saguenay, U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, starting on March 12, is the talk of the town. “When I go to the grocery store, I take almost twice the time just talking with my people,” Mr. Crevier said in an interview. “Everyone talks about it.”

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Trump slaps 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports ‘without exceptions’ – by Darren Major and Catharine Tunney (CBC News Politics – February 10, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/

President said ‘I don’t mind,’ when asked about countries retaliating

U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on recent threats Monday evening and signed orders imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports — including from Canada.

The tariffs are scheduled to take effect March 12. This guarantees a frantic few weeks as Canada and other countries scramble to be exempted from a series of trade penalties threatened by Trump — including the economy-wide tariffs he has paused but is still threatening to reimpose across North America.

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Trump promises 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports — including from Canada – by Benjamin Lopez Steven (CBC News Politics – February 09, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/

Ontario, Quebec premiers criticize U.S. president for creating economic uncertainty

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will announce on Monday that the United States will impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada and Mexico — a move that prompted sharp criticism from some provincial premiers.

“Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25 per cent tariff,” he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One as he flew from Florida to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. When asked about aluminum, he responded, “aluminum, too” will be subject to the trade penalties.

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Copper price to remain elevated due to increasing demand for electricity and supply challenges – by Richard (Rick) Mills (Kitco News Opinion – February 10, 2025)

https://www.kitco.com/

“As we look towards 2050, we foresee global copper demand increasing by 70% to reach 50 million tonnes annually. This will be driven by copper’s role in both current and emerging technologies, as well as the world’s decarbonization goals,” says BHP’s chief commercial officer Rag Udd.

The largest mining company in the world expects that by 2050 the energy transition sector will represent 23% of copper demand compared to the current 7%. The digital sector including data centers, 5G and AI is projected to rise from 1% today to 6%. Transportation’s share of copper demand is expected to climb from about 11% in 2021 to 20% by 2040, thanks to the EV rollout.

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