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Junior Exploration Sector

JV Article: Archer’s Grasset nickel deposit is getting its ‘day in the sun’ – by Northern Miner Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – August 28, 2023)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

A multi-million-tonne nickel sulphide deposit discovered more than 10 years ago in the northern Abitibi region of Quebec is receiving fresh scrutiny

A multi-million-tonne nickel sulphide deposit discovered more than 10 years ago in the northern Abitibi region of Quebec is receiving fresh scrutiny from Archer Exploration (CSE: RCHR; US-OTC: RCHRF), the latest addition to Canada’s emerging league of battery material-focused junior exploration companies.

Grasset is one of the largest nickel sulphide deposits in Canada’s Abitibi region and the only North American nickel sulphide deposit with more than 50,000 contained tonnes of nickel and an average nickel-equivalent grade of over 1.5% that isn’t controlled by a major mining company.

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Ginoogaming First Nation removes prospectors from lawsuit – by Gary Rinne (SN News Watch – August 24, 2023)

https://www.snnewswatch.com/

‘We have been stripped of our right to defend our livelihood in court,’ says Michael Malouf

GREENSTONE — A Geraldton-based prospector is upset after being removed from a lawsuit by Ginoogaming FIrst Nation over mineral exploration in its traditional territory.

The First Nation unexpectedly served a Notice of Discontinuance last month to halt its court case against Michael Malouf and another area prospector, while continuing the same action against the Ontario government.

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Distributing securities to Canadian First Nations and the need to modernize NI45-106 – by Andrew Spencer, Robin Junger, Sasa Jarvis, and Cory Kent (Canadian Mining Journal – August 24, 2023)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

The management of mining projects in Canada must be aware of the unique rights of the Canadian Indigenous groups. These rights, which have their basis in the Canadian Constitution and in various treaties, are protected by a judicially constructed “duty to consult” whenever a government action of decision that may impact these rights is contemplated.

The duty to consult may be triggered by any number of decisions in the mining context and might include the issuance of a permit or the approval of an environmental assessment, as examples. While the duty to consult is owed by the government, and not a proponent, it is well-established that the government may delegate various procedural aspects of its consultation obligations to a third party, such as a mining company.

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First Nation calls mining stakes ‘unlawful, invalid’ as it challenges Ontario’s free-entry system – by Sarah Law (CBC News Thunder Bay – August 3, 2023)

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

Chief warns of legal action if community’s concerns aren’t addressed by province, Ottawa

A First Nation in northwestern Ontario has issued a public notice to warn mining prospectors away from its traditional territory, and says the province’s free mine staking system is putting a potential treaty settlement at risk.

The notice by Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (KZA), also known as Gull Bay First Nation, says it opposes recent mining claims made in its vicinity, and will “take all measures necessary to ensure that our interests in these lands are respected and protected,” which could include legal action. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek is an Anishinaabe community situated on the western shores of Lake Nipigon, about 175 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, and has about 1,500 members.

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Focus: Smaller miners’ hunger for cash grows as copper prices fall, sparking M&A bets – by Divya Rajagopal and Melanie Burton (Reuters – July 24, 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

A fall in copper prices is having an outsized impact on small and mid-sized miners, forcing many to cut output, and some are now open to raising funds from new investors to ride out the current downtrend, several company executives told Reuters.

Copper is set to play a crucial role in the transition to a greener economy and cashed-up bigger miners are seeking assets with longer mine life and high-quality grade ore to meet the growing demand for the red metal.

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Homegrown junior miner finds its footing in the Dryden gold camp – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 19, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Dryden Gold takes to the field to probe former mining camp for high-grade mineralization

The search is on for high-grade gold in the Dryden area by a new exploration player in the northwest. Dryden Gold, a privately-held company, plans to enter the market this fall with an initial public offering to raise money to drill a substantial land package, 30 kilometres east of the city near Dinorwic.

The Dryden-based junior miner holds a property package of almost 40,000 hectares on a promising greenstone belt with the potential to harbour high-grade gold. “We have the same kind of rocks you see in the Red Lake camp two hours away,” said company president Maura Kolb in a recent interview with Crux Investor.

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The lure of lithium creates an exploration boom in the Northwest – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business -July 12, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Developers with lithium deposits edge closer to construction while new explorers make inroads into the region

Northwestern Ontario is one of the one of the most active areas for lithium exploration in the world. Entering the height of the summer field season, the news flow emanating from junior mining firms is fast and furious. The projects range in progress from early-stage prospecting to more advanced mine-ready developments.

Lithium prices began booming in 2021, crashed through the first four months of this year, then finally stabilized in June. There are no lithium mines in Ontario.

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The Drift: Smaller is greener and cheaper for Sturgeon Falls-area palladium mine developer – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – July 5, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

New Age Metals rolls out revised economic assessment for its River Valley PGM project

The company that once hawked its River Valley project, east of Sudbury, as the “largest undeveloped primary PGM resource in North America” has come back with a revised mine plan.

Inflation and a number of other uncertainties forced New Age Metals to go back to the drawing board last spring to sketch out new plans for a potential platinum group metals mine in the West Nipissing-Sturgeon Falls area.

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Canada’s Top Ten base metals and uranium companies – by Blair McBride (Northern Miner – July 4, 2023)

https://www.northernminer.com/

As the push for green energy gathers more momentum, demand for the metals that go into zero-emission technologies is rising while uranium spot prices have seen a steady climb since January. Here’s a list of the top ten Canadian-headquartered base metal and uranium juniors with no production. The ranking is based on the companies’ market capitalization as of June 1, as compiled by Mining Intelligence.

1 Filo Mining – Market Cap: $2.6 billion

Filo Mining (TSXV: FIL) traded spots with NexGen Energy (TSX: NXE; NYSE: NXE) for the top spot this year even though Filo’s market cap fell by more than 11%. A member of the Lundin Group of companies, Filo’s flagship project is its Filo del Sol copper-gold project in South America. The high-sulphidation epithermal copper-gold-silver deposit is associated with a large porphyry copper-gold system.

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Junior exploration ‘absolutely critical’, Barrick’s Bristow tells London Indaba – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – June 27, 2023)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Junior exploration is an “absolutely critical” component of a sustainable mining industry, and “it is something that we neglect”, Barrick president and CEO Dr Mark Bristow has told the London Indaba.

“We are always engaged in exploration and we are always talking to the junior explorers,” said Bristow. The Africa-linked Randgold Resources that Bristow ran before merging it with Barrick four years ago had a highly successful discover and develop strategy that resulted in a discovered cost per ounce being considerably lower than the ounces other gold companies were acquiring through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

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DRIPA, mining and a glimmer of fool’s gold in British Columbia – by Merle Alexander (Business In Vancouver – June 22, 2023)

https://biv.com/

Merle Alexander is Heiltsuk-Tsimshian, and principal of the Indigenous law group at Miller Titerle + Co.

With the click of a button, any would-be millionaire takes their chance to strike it rich. The odds of success are extremely low, the wagers are typically made with other people’s credit and, seemingly, the house always wins.

The Crown is the house and greatest beneficiary, as they profit from highly taxed profit margins that ultimately exploit the gamer. The truth is, though, the Crown is dependent on the outcome and has itself become vested in gamers’ losses and successes.

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The Drift: Sudbury nickel, copper explorers making strides to turn projects into mines – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – June 9, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Magna Mining, SPC Nickel bring new ideas in finding new mineral zones around old mines

Two Sudbury junior miners are laying the groundwork for the next generation of nickel, copper and platinum group metal mines in the basin. Magna Mining is tapping the width and depth of a mineralized zone near the surface of its Crean Hill Project that could speed a former mine back into production.

The hometown junior miner sees open-ended potential in a footwall zone at the former Crean Hill Mine. The zone was originally discovered 15 years ago but never mined by a previous operator.

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Top Ten Australian juniors exploring in Canada – by Sarah Hahn (Northern Miner – June 5, 2023)

https://www.northernminer.com/

1 Winsome Resources – Market Cap: $257.6 million

Lithium explorer and developer Winsome Resources (ASX: WR1) is focused on advancing its flagship Cancet project, located in the James Bay region of Quebec, 155 km east of the town of Radisson.

To date, 5,216 metres have been drilled across 59 holes on the 200-sq.-km project. After conducting metallurgical test work, the company believes it can produce low-cost, low-impact concentrate at Cancet. Winsome plans to increase the project’s lithium tonnage by exploring additional targets identified to the east and west.

The company’s portfolio includes four other projects in Quebec: Adina and Sirmac-Clappier in the James Bay region, and Decelles and Mazarac near Val-d’Or.

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Ottawa drove China out of Canada’s lithium industry, but questions linger over costs – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – May 23, 2023)

https://financialpost.com/

Here’s what you need to know about the move’s impact on miners, critical minerals and even the TSX

Last November, the federal government ordered three Chinese companies to divest from three junior Canadian lithium explorers. The step was taken amidst an increasing demand for critical minerals such as lithium and copper that are expected to play a key role in the world’s shift away from fossil fuels.

The move seemed to be a part of a larger step taken by Western nations to offset China’s dominance in the critical minerals sector and divert supply chains towards friendlier countries. It’s been about half a year since Ottawa’s surprise announcement, and the three Canadian miners who were impacted have now managed to fill the gaps left by the ban on Chinese capital.

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Feeling left out: northern Ontario junior miners want more critical minerals funding (CBC Sudbury – May 23, 2023)

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

Provincial and federal governments are investing money to attract electric vehicle battery plants

Junior mining exploration companies in northern Ontario are feeling a little left out of government funding aimed at growing electric vehicle battery production. The federal and provincial governments recently announced they are investing billions of dollars in subsidies to attract and build electric vehicle battery plants in Ontario.

Ottawa is giving the Volkswagen St. Thomas, Ont. plant up to $13 billion in subsidies over the next decade alone. That’s about three times more money than what is being spent on the federal critical mineral strategy, which commits to spending $3.8 billion over the next eight years.

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