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Update on top critical mining projects in Ontario – by Diane L.M. Cook (Canadian Mining Journal – March 5, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

The surging demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is breathing new life into Ontario’s mining industry. Several critical strategic mineral mines will produce the minerals required to manufacture EV batteries and renewable energy storage for the North American market. The following are the top critical strategic minerals’ (CSM) mining projects in the development phase:

Canada Nickel: Crawford nickel sulphide project

Canada Nickel is a Toronto-based company that is advancing the next generation of net-zero carbon nickel-cobalt projects with plans to supply the critical mineral to Canada’s EV battery industry. The company’s Crawford nickel sulphide project is the second largest nickel resource and reserve globally, with 3.8 million tonnes of proven and probable nickel contained.

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Doug Ford threatens to stop nickel shipments to U.S. on eve of trade war – by Chris Fox (CTV News Toronto – March 03, 2025)

https://www.ctvnews.ca/

Premier Doug Ford is threatening to stop the supply of nickel and electricity to the United States in response to 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods that are set to take effect tomorrow.

Ford made the comment during an interview with NBC News NOW on Monday afternoon. The interview came after U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed during a news conference that the tariffs would take effect on March 4.

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‘Serious lack of details’ in [Canada Nickel] nickel mine proposal concerns group – by Andrew Autio (Timmins Daily Press – February 17, 2025)

https://www.timminspress.com/

Carbon capture process ‘encourages dangerous emissions,’ says Ontario Rivers Alliance

The Ontario Rivers Alliance has submitted its concerns regarding Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford Project to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC).

The proposed Crawford Project, located 43 kilometres north of Timmins, would see an open-pit nickel cobalt mine, as well as an on-site processing mill. The mine would be capable of producing up to 275,000 tonnes of ore per day, and the project is expected to last approximately 43 years.

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Proposed bill would bar state permitting of copper-nickel mines near Boundary Waters – by Jimmy Lovrien (Duluth News Tribune – February 13, 2025)

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

Past federal protections against mining in the BWCAW watershed face challenges.

ST. PAUL — Minnesota legislators have introduced a bill to bar copper-nickel mines from developing within the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The bill seeks to ban mining on state-owned land within the Rainy River Watershed and bar the state from permitting any mining or mineral exploration in that watershed.

Mining is banned in the BWCAW, but environmentalists fear, and a federal government study released under President Joe Biden said, that tainted runoff from mining activities outside the wilderness’ boundaries but within the same watershed could harm the downstream wilderness area.

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Nickel Industries CEO Justin Werner warns of ‘challenging’ future for Australian mining – by Duncan Evans (News.com.au – February 9, 2025)

https://www.news.com.au/

The man behind a booming mining company in Indonesia has issued a stark warning about 10,000 Aussie jobs.

The shock collapse of Australia’s nickel mining sector has threatened 10,000 high-paying jobs as a leading ASX-listed nickel miner warns bluntly those jobs are probably never coming back. That’s the view of Nickel Industries managing director Justin Werner, who leads the rising $3.3bn company with vast mining and refining operations in Indonesia.

“It is certainly challenging (for Australia) in the foreseeable future,” he told NewsWire from his home in Bali in a wide-ranging interview this week. “Even if the nickel price goes up, it’s about having a sustained nickel price above $20,000 (per tonne).

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U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber reintroduces bill that would open copper nickel mining near Boundary Waters – by Sydney Kashiwagi and Chloe Johnson (Minnesota Star Tribune – February 6, 2025)

https://www.startribune.com/

Sen. Tina Smith plans to oppose the legislation if it reaches the Senate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican control in Washington could open the way for copper nickel mining efforts near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. GOP Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents northeastern Minnesota, has again introduced a bill that would reinstate mineral leases in the Superior National Forest.

With Republicans controlling the House and Senate, and President Donald Trump’s push to prioritize domestic mining, he likes his chances. Stauber said that “without question,” the president will sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

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Uncertainty and hope in Thompson as mine owner considers sale – by Sanuda Ranawake (CBC News Manitoba – February 01, 2025)

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

Vale says it has launched ‘strategic review’ of northern Manitoba operation, including potential sale

Ken Michaluk has lived in Thompson for decades. He worked at the mining operation in the northern Manitoba city, seeing it exchange hands several times, and undergo expansions and cuts. Now retired, he said things can’t get much worse for the operation, as Vale SA, a Brazilian company and the nickel operation’s owner, is considering a potential sale.

“Business is business,” said Michaluk. “They’ve laid off … pretty much all they can lay off. I don’t think that’s an issue. I don’t think they’re going to just shut it down. And it wouldn’t make much sense in that, that’s for sure.”

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NEWS RELEASE: Vale Base Metals launches strategic review for Thompson mine as part of global optimization (January 23, 2025)

TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ – Vale Base Metals has launched a strategic review to explore and evaluate a range of alternatives, including the potential sale, for its mining and exploration assets in Thompson, Manitoba, the Canadian-based subsidiary of Vale SA (NYSE: Vale) announced today.

The Thompson review is part of a process to optimize Vale Base Metals’ global mining portfolio to enable copper growth in the Carajas region and ensure the competitiveness of its vertically integrated nickel portfolio to create long-term value for its shareholders and stakeholders. Vale Base Metals has engaged an external advisor to lead the Thompson review, which is expected to conclude in 2H 2025.

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Vale Base Metals considering selling its mining and exploration assets in Thompson, Manitoba – by John Barker (Soundings – January 23, 2025)

https://soundingsjohnbarker.wordpress.com/

Vale Base Metals said Jan. 23 it is considering selling its mining and exploration assets in Thompson, Manitoba. Vale Base Metals is the Canadian Toronto-based subsidiary of Vale SA. Vale Base Metals has launched a strategic review of its options for its Thompson assets, include two mines and an adjacent mill along with other exploration opportunities, Vale said.

The strategic review is expected to be completed later this year, the company said. The strategic review is part of a process to optimize Vale’s global portfolio to enable copper growth in the Carajas region in Brazil. Vale Base Metals has engaged an external advisor to lead the Thompson strategic review.

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Province announces funding for Timmins critical minerals companies – by Lydia Chubak (CTV News Nothern Ontario – January 15, 2025)

https://www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/

As Ontario braces for U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff order expected next week, it’s ramping up its investment in the critical minerals sector. It’s funneling more than $7 million through the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund to 17 projects.

“Our natural resources are essential to the execution of the AM CAN Plan,” said Stephen Crawford, associate minister of mines. “That is another reason why the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund is so important.”

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FPX Nickel releases optimistic economic impact numbers for its Baptiste project – by Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – January 13, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

FPX Nickel released an economic impact study for its Baptiste nickel project in central British Columbia. The company engaged Mansfield Consulting to assess the potential regional, provincial, and national economic impact of the Baptiste Nickel Project.

The impact study is based on the findings of FPX Nickel’s pre-feasibility study from September 2023. Company studies indicate the mine has a life of over 30 years.

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Magna Mining forks over a dollar for 30,000 hectares of Sudbury base metal properties – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 18, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Local mine developer swings its second major land acquisition deal in 2024

Sudbury’s newest and boldest miner, Magna Mining, continues to expand its footprint in the Sudbury basin. The junior mine developer has signed an asset acquisition agreement with NorthX Nickel to pick up a raft of former mine and exploration properties that hold some promising base metal potential.

And it’s a pretty sweet cash deal for Magna. One dollar. The properties, scattered all over the corners of the Sudbury basin, amount to about 30,000 hectares that Magna believes have significant upside based on the geology and the record of high-grade hits from drilling programs carried out by previous companies.

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Nickel executives raise alarm over potential flood of Indonesian imports stemming from free trade agreement – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 22, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s new free-trade agreement with Indonesia is causing an uproar in the nickel industry, with some executives saying that Ottawa should be clamping down on the Southeast Asian country, instead of opening up the domestic market to a flood of cheap supply produced at questionable environmental standards.

Earlier this month, International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will see tariffs phased out on many goods between the two countries as of 2026. The trade deal had been in the works for several years. Canada already has no tariffs on imports of nickel from Indonesia.

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Opinion: Canada needs swift reforms to lift its troubled mining sector – by Mark Selby (Globe and Mail – December 16, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Mark Selby is the founder and CEO of Canada Nickel Co.

Canada’s mining industry must overcome significant obstacles to unlock vast reserves of critical minerals essential to our modern economy. From securing development financing to navigating regulatory bottlenecks while competing against well-funded global players like China, bringing Canadian resources to market has never been so challenging.

The Canadian mining sector is teeming with projects stuck in the “Valley of Death” – the precarious stage between initial exploration success and full-scale production where many promising ventures fail to secure the backing needed to fund the years of permitting and engineering work required to begin production.

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Grid Metals, Teck Resources team up to explore nickel sulphide project in Manitoba – by Staff (Mining.com – December 12, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

Battery metals explorer Grid Metals (TSXV: GRDM) will team up with Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A/TECK.B) to advance the Mawka nickel-copper-PGM (platinum group metals) project in southeastern Manitoba.

Under an option agreement entered on Thursday, Teck can acquire up to a 70% interest in the project by spending C$15.7 million on the project and making staged cash payments totalling C$1.6 million to Grid Metals.

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