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Ontario says First Nations key to Ring of Fire development despite Bill 5 opposition – by Fraser Needham (APTN News – May 22, 2025)

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Ontario’s minister of Indigenous relations insists development in what is known as the Ring of Fire area will not move ahead without major involvement from affected First Nations. “These projects cannot go ahead until or unless there is significant, substantial participation by First Nations communities and First Nations businesses,” Greg Rickford said this week on Nation to Nation.

But not all First Nations in Ontario are on board with Ring of Fire development and say the government has failed to properly consult them before making plans to open up the area in northern Ontario to mining companies.

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Seafood magnate John Risley leads venture to build infrastructure in Canada’s Arctic – by Nicolas Van Praet (Globe and Mail – May 23, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Nova Scotia billionaire John Risley says Canada has neglected the Arctic for far too long, which has undermined the country’s economic prospects and put its sovereignty at risk. He’s betting he can light a fire for change.

Mr. Risley, who made his fortune with Clearwater Seafoods before turning to investments in MDA Space and green energy, has launched a new company called Arctic Economic Development Corp. (AECD). It’s aiming to spur large-scale growth in Canada‘s North, primarily north of the 60th parallel, by marshalling a wave of new capital, private-sector expertise, and partnerships with government and Indigenous Peoples such as the Inuit.

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Gold is the safe-haven of choice with U.S. debt back in focus – by Daid Erfle (Kitco News – May 23, 2025)

https://www.kitco.com/

Late last Friday, Moody’s Investment Service joined all the other credit rating agencies in downgrading U.S. debt from Aaa to Aa1, limiting some super-safe money funds from investing in America. The move also signals the formerly risk-free U.S. debt market is no longer risk-free, and that gold is now the lone safe-haven of choice.

Following a healthy 11% correction from an extreme overbought all-time high at $3500, Gold Futures reacted in kind this week, moving above initial resistance at $3300. Geopolitical concerns, a growing sovereign debt crisis, and evidence of stagflation setting in during an ongoing trade war have been the principal drivers for gold becoming the safe-haven of choice.

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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.

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First Nations leaders in Ontario’s Ring of Fire region demand Bill 5 be struck down – by Sarah Law (CBC News Thunder Bay – May 23, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

Proposed provincial legislation aims to fast-track mining development

Rudy Turtle says the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation will never stop defending the land. In the case of Ontario’s Bill 5 — proposed legislation aimed at expediting development — he says “we’re not going to back down.”

“We need to continue to protect our environment and make sure that things are done properly,” said Turtle, former chief of Grassy Narrows. “Any changes that are made at any time, we have to really look at the pros and cons.”

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As ‘smallest town in Canada’ empties out, former residents recall its vibrant past – by Sarah Smellie (Canadian Press/CTV News – May 22, 2025)

https://www.ctvnews.ca/

ST. JOHN’S — A Newfoundland community that bills itself as the smallest town in Canada will soon be empty, and former residents say they’ll never forget their joyful years living there. Tilt Cove, N.L., was once home to a thriving copper mine that attracted workers and their families from all over Canada. Now the community is home to just four people, all of whom agreed earlier this year to relocate.

Shirley Severance was born in 1941 and grew up in Tilt Cove. She watched the town grow when the Maritime Mining operation reopened in 1957, and she watched it shrink again in 1967 when the mine shut down for good.

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Canada needs an Arctic empire no matter the cost – by Geoff Russ (National Post – March 24, 2025)

https://nationalpost.com/

The region is coveted by the U.S., Russia and China

The Arctic is no longer a distant place of cold and danger, visited by few but mythologized by many. It is a vital front in the world of modern geopolitics and a prize that major world powers now hunger for.

Canada has one option and that is to build an Arctic empire and fully integrate the region into the country. The resources, land, and strategic importance of the vast area cannot be passively surrendered without an effort to secure it for Canada.

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First Nations leaders warn of confrontation over Ontario’s ‘special economic zones’ in omnibus bill – by Jeff Gray (Globe and Mail – May 23, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

First Nations leaders are warning the Ontario government that passing a bill allowing it to designate “special economic zones” where mining or other development could be exempted from any provincial law will result in confrontations with Indigenous people.

Indigenous drumming and singing echoed through the corridors of Queen‘s Park on Thursday, as the Progressive Conservative government’s Bill 5 went before a legislative committee. First Nations chiefs and spokespeople from as many as 1,500-kilometres away in Ontario’s North told MPPs that they had not been consulted on the bill and warned it would trample on their treaty rights.

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Friedland’s Ivanhoe Atlantic urges US to list iron ore as critical mineral – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com -May 21, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Mining billionaire Robert Friedland’s latest venture, Ivanhoe Atlantic, is reportedly lobbying the US government to add high-grade iron ore to the country’s list of critical minerals. The move aims to align with Washington’s broader push to secure materials essential for military manufacturing, as part of a national strategy to boost defence capabilities.

The company’s flagship project, Nimba in Guinea, is expected to churn out 2 to 5 million tonnes of high-grade iron ore late this year. Production is set to scale up to 25 million tonnes annually within seven years.

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Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm to be replaced in a surprise move – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – May 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Rio Tinto PLC chief executive Jakob Stausholm is stepping down earlier than expected, with little explanation from the British-Australian mining giant about what motivated the decision.

London-based Rio is one of the world’s biggest mining companies with a market value of roughly US$106.5-billion. The company also has a significant footprint in Canada stemming from its acquisition of aluminum producer Alcan Ltd. in 2008.

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

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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.

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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.

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Mining claims in Ring of Fire up 66 per cent over past 3 years: environmental group – by Liam Casey (Canadian Press/APTN News – May 21, 2025)

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Mining claims in the Ring of Fire region are up 66 per cent over the last three years and now total an area 14 times the size of Toronto, an environmental group said Wednesday after compiling the data. There are now more than 43,000 claims in the region that is some 450 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., said Anna Baggio, the conservation director of Wildlands League.

“The claims are exploding, so that’s a problem,” said Baggio, who extracted the data from the Ontario Geological Survey site. “The problem is that much like the rest of Canada, this is all happening under a free entry system where anyone can register a claim as long as they have a prospector’s licence and do the Mining Act course.”

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The political climate on climate has changed – by Bjorn Lomborg (Financial Post – May 21, 2025)

https://financialpost.com/

The era of being cheered for every green promise has ended. Now it’s time for business leaders to get back to business

Over the past decade, the leaders of corporate and international organizations became used to being lauded for making grand but ultimately empty green promises on stages in Davos and at climate summits. How quickly things have changed! Fear of being called out by the Trump administration is forcing many leaders to change course — at least in their rhetoric.

World Bank president Ajay Banga’s first move taking over the institution in 2023 was to extend its mission from ending poverty to dealing with climate change and making the planet “livable.” And last November, as he headed to the COP summit in Azerbaijan, Mr. Banga graced the cover of Time Magazine’s “climate issue,” warning that climate change was “intertwined” with every challenge.

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Ontario launches $3.1-billion critical minerals plan – by Abdul Matin Sarfraz (Canada’s National Observer/Penticton Herald – May 22, 2025)

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/

Ontario’s new $3.1-billion plan for a critical minerals supply chain created in partnership with First Nations is raising concerns about weakened environmental protections and inadequate Indigenous consultation.

Announced Wednesday, the provincial initiative will create a “made-in-Ontario” supply chain and boost First Nations equity, according to the government. But critics say environmental protections and First Nations consultation will be sidelined in the rush to develop the Ring of Fire — a vast region about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

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