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Canada Nickel looking to build two processing facilities in Timmins – by Maija Hoggett (Northern Ontario Business – February 8, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Toronto mine developer looks to break ground on zero-emission project in mid-2025

A Toronto nickel company is seeking to position Timmins as a global source of clean critical minerals. Timmins MPP George Pirie, the provincial minister of mines, was in town Feb. 8 for Canada Nickel’s announcement that it’s developing two processing facilities — one for nickel and another for stainless-steel and alloy production.

The facilities would be the downstream processing element for its proposed Crawford open-pit nickel mine.When complete, Canada Nickel CEO Mark Selby said the nickel processing facility will be the largest in North America, while the stainless-steel and alloy production will be the largest in Canada.

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Opinion: Plan to co-manage public land with First Nations will close B.C. for business – by Niels Veldhuis and Jason Clemens (Financial Post – February 8, 2024)

https://financialpost.com/

Changes to province’s Land Act will be a death knell for investment

In a move that surprised both British Columbians and Canadians across the country, B.C.’s NDP government intends to change the province’s Land Act and essentially establish a co-management partnership with more than 200 First Nations, who will become joint landlords of more than 90 per cent of B.C. and own veto power over any land-use decisions.

The NDP, which holds 56 of 87 seats in the provincial legislature, plans to table the proposal in the spring. If passed, the revised act will represent a massive barrier to infrastructure projects in the province and a death knell for investment. That is the last thing the province needs.

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Zambia set to negotiate bigger stakes in new mining projects – by Felix Njini and Veronica Brown (Reuters – February 6, 2024)

https://www.reuters.com/

CAPE TOWN, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Zambia is keen to negotiate larger holdings in new mining projects in order to raise its revenue and boost spending by investors on social projects, mines minister Paul Kabuswe said. The push by Lusaka through state-owned ZCCM-IH, would apply to future agreements, but does not include existing mines and should not unnerve investors, Kabuswe told Reuters.

Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer after neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and ZCCM has interests of 10% to 20% in mines including those owned by Barrick Gold, Vedanta Resources and First Quantum Minerals.

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Lab Diamonds Are Too Perfect for Their Own Good – by Amanda Mull (The Atlantic – February 7, 2024)

https://www.theatlantic.com

The traditional diamond industry is thought to be under threat from lab-grown stones. But that’s not how luxury works.

Last year, a funny thing happened at Ring Concierge’s Manhattan showroom. A bride-to-be brought her engagement ring back to the popular jewelry store after wearing it for a few weeks and wanted to trade out her diamond for a worse one.

The woman was worried that the original rock was too clear, too bright, too perfect for its large size, Ring Concierge’s CEO, Nicole Wegman, told me. She wanted to replace it with a lower-quality stone of a similar size—something a little less bright white.

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Canadian miner plans US$1 billion nickel processing plant for EVs – by Jacob Lorinc (Bloomberg News – February 8, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

Mining firm Canada Nickel Co Inc. plans to develop a nickel processing plant in Ontario that would cost US$1 billion and be North America’s largest once completed.

The plant would have capacity to produce more than 80,000 tons of nickel annually, and should begin operations by the start of 2027, the Toronto-based miner said in a Thursday press release. The company also plans to build a stainless steel and alloy production plant to process nickel and chromium concentrate, which would cost an additional $2 billion, according to Chief Executive Officer Mark Selby.

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Northern Ontario mining supply and service sector gathers in Sudbury to learn from industry experts – by Kate Rutherford (CBC News Sudbury – February 07, 2024)

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

Participants will get insights into nine key domestic and international mining markets

The scene is set in Sudbury for a forum to prepare northern Ontario’s mining supply and services sector with the information they need to network effectively at next month’s Prospectors and Developers Association Conference in Toronto.

Marla Tremblay is co-chair of the Mining Supply and Services Export Forum 2024 to be held at the Northbury Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday, February 8. She is also executive director of Mineconnect which represents the mining supply and services sector.

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Crucial to combine agricultural development with mining, Indaba hears – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly – February 7, 2024)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

CAPE TOWN (miningweekly.com) – Africa is going to have a huge amount to do to help solve the world’s climate change problems, Toronto-listed Ivanhoe Mines executive chairperson Robert Friedland emphasised in his far-reaching thirtieth address to the thirtieth Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.

In those 30 consecutive Indaba presentations, Friedland has regularly highlighted the global need to combat climate change along with the critical role that young Africans will play in saving the planet, even though Africa has done the least to damage it.

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Australia to propose green mining standards amid slump in EV metals – by Ryohtaroh Satch (Nikkei Asia – February 7, 2024)

https://asia.nikkei.com/

Resources minister cites need to protect industry as Asian competition grows

TOKYO — Australia will propose setting up international standards for ethical and environmentally friendly mining in an attempt to command higher prices for its minerals amid a sluggish market and competition from countries like Indonesia.

“It’s a long-term project, but there’s no doubt there’s something I’ll be raising,” Minister for Resources Madeleine King told Nikkei Asia while visiting Tokyo last week. King said she will propose the idea at the PDAC 2024 Convention, a mineral industry trade event, in Canada in March.

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Canada’s dream of becoming a critical minerals powerhouse runs into crashing metals prices, delaying mine development – by Tim Kiladze (Globe and Mail – February 7, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Plummeting prices for metals such as lithium and nickel are dashing Canada’s dream of becoming a global juggernaut for critical minerals, with a market capitulation making it even more challenging to raise the money needed to build new mines.

The situation is growing so dire that some miners have started calling for heavy-handed government intervention, including the possibility of Ottawa directly funding new projects, because they worry that Canada will lose the race to produce these minerals to rivals such as China for good.

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Stop China’s neo-Marxist EV trade war – by Terence Corcoran (Financial Post – February 7, 2024)

https://financialpost.com/

If it’s really about fighting climate change, let cheap Chinese EVs into Canada

The website of the Toronto International AutoShow, which opens next week, boasts a section called Electric City, but don’t look for any of China’s low-cost electric brands there. As the world seems to be heading for a global electric vehicle trade war, one wonders whether we will ever see cheaper made-in-China EVs on the roads of Canada. Maybe not, if the current Canadian and global EV policy regimes remain in place.

The international auto market has never been a model of free trade perfection, but the current upheaval may turn out to be a major reversal in national and international trade policy and a threat to global stability. The main shift is the transformation of the auto industry into a major battleground for state economic intervention and control.

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Surat’s Shining Moment: India’s ‘DREAM’ Destination to Transform Surat into Global Diamond Trade Centre – by Shubhangi Sharma (News 18.com – February 7, 2024)

https://www.news18.com/

The business landscape of Surat, India’s Diamond City, is on the brink of a great leap forward steered by the colossal Surat Diamond Bourse and a new international airport. Already bustling with exceptionally vibrant business activity, Surat is gearing up to chart greater heights globally with its diamond prowess in focus.

Surat Airport in Gujarat was officially granted the status of an ‘International Airport’ after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 17. This development marks the third international airport in Gujarat, alongside Ahmedabad and Rajkot, and holds significant potential for India’s prominent diamond industry.

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Copper Giant Freeport-McMoRan Names Kathleen Quirk as CEO – by Kevin Orland (Bloomberg News – February 7, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Freeport-McMoRan Inc., the world’s largest listed copper producer, has named veteran Kathleen Quirk to succeed Richard Adkerson as chief executive officer, a shift set to signal continuity at the top at a time of industry consolidation and heightened focus on metal supply.

The change is effective June 11, the company said. Adkerson, an industry heavyweight who has been at the helm for more than two decades, will remain chairman.

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China’s refined nickel trade signals new production trends – by Andy Home (Reuters – February 6, 2024)

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) – China’s net imports of refined nickel fell to a near-decade low in 2023, capturing the tectonic shifts playing out in the global production chain. China’s call on Class I high-purity nickel has been waning for many months as the country ramps up imports of other forms of the metal from Indonesia.

Much of that Indonesian material has traditionally been nickel pig iron (NPI) heading for China’s stainless steel sector. More recently, trade flows have included rising amounts of matte and mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) destined for conversion into electric vehicle batteries.

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City of Whitehorse mulls mineral mining ban within municipal limits – by Katie Todd (CBC News North – February 6, 2024)

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

Council to debate 2 options next week: prohibit altogether, or require public input

The City of Whitehorse is considering a ban on mineral mining within city limits. The city is looking at proposed changes to its zoning bylaw, as well as the official community plan (OCP), to protect groundwater and reduce disturbance for residents.

One option is rewording both pieces of policy to prohibit mineral exploration and extraction within the entire city. Under current legislation, companies can’t stake new mining claims across most of Whitehorse. But the city’s planning services manager, Peter Duke, said there’s 72 historic claims, kept in good standing, that the city could issue a permit for.

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Glencore blocked from expanding McArthur River Mine port facility in High Court ruling – by Roxanne Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Byrne (Australian Broadcasting Corporation – February 7, 2024)

https://www.abc.net.au/

A group of native title holders from the McArthur River region in the Northern Territory has won a High Court battle to prevent the expansion of an open cut mine on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A dispute between three native title holders — Mr Friday, David Harvey and Thomas Simon — and Mount Isa Mines, a subsidiary of Glencore which operates the McArthur River Mine, began in 2013 when the mining giant applied for a mineral lease to construct a new dredge dumping area.

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