Republic of Mining

“The Narrative About Lab-Grown Diamonds Is Changing” – by Victoria Gomelsky (JCK Online.com – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

JCK.com

After years of growth driven by retailers hooked on enormous margins, the lab-grown diamond market may be at an inflection point, says Paul Zimnisky, a diamond industry analyst who’s closely followed the lab-grown sector for more than a decade.

“I can definitely feel the narrative changing,” Zimnisky tells JCK. “There’s been this incessant narrative that lab-grown diamonds are God’s greatest gift. There’s nothing wrong with them, but I think the industry is putting itself in a difficult position given how heavily it’s promoting lab-grown.

Restart date for White River mine remains in the vault – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Vault Minerals charts a new mine plan, eyes more ounces at Sugar Zone

The cone of silence prevails on a possible restart date of the Sugar Zone mine, north of White River. Vault Minerals, however, is shedding some light on how things will come together to resume production at the mothballed underground operation based on some details in a February news release and an investor presentation this month.

Vault is a merged entity of two Australian mining companies, consisting of Silver Lake Resources, which originally acquired Sugar Zone in 2022, and Red 5. The companies rebranded to its current name last June.

Nickel in 2040: A supply crisis in the making – by Nilanjan Banik (Time of India – March 21, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Hazarding a guess on the future demand-supply situation, especially for the metal and mining sector, is an exercise fraught with dangers. A fast- changing world order, disruption in global supply chains, the crippling effect of climate change, untimely closure of mines, changed government regulations, wars, changing demand-supply equations can suddenly change the contours of the industry, and with it, the most detailed projections. Not to forget the serious impact of technology costs and innovations.

However, given its growing significance and importance of nickel in different applications like construction, petrochemicals, automobiles, fabrication and welding, transportation, electronics, water sector as well as in low- carbon technologies, it is important to assess its availability and affordability in the near and long-terms as the demand for the critical metal mounts.

Poilievre criticized for pledging to fast-track Ring of Fire without Indigenous consultation – by Rajpreet Sahota, Faith Greco, Kate Rutherford (CBC News Canada – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

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

Conservative leader’s ‘proposed shortcuts ignore our rights and our connection to the land’: Alvin Fiddler

Pierre Poilievre’s pledge on Wednesday that a Conservative government would fast-track development of the Ring of Fire has been criticized by Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s (NAN) grand chief, who accused the federal party leader of ignoring First Nations’ rights.

Alvin Fiddler was among those responding to Poilievre’s comments on the mineral-rich area of northwestern Ontario during his visit to Sudbury. NAN is a political organization representing 51 First Nation communities across Treaty 9 and Treaty 5 areas of northern Ontario.

UK watchdog fines London Metal Exchange over handling of 2022 nickel crisis – by Polina Devitt, Eric Onstad (Reuters/MSM.com – March 20, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://www.msn.com/

Britain’s financial regulator fined the London Metal Exchange on Thursday for allowing nickel prices to surge out of control three years ago in the first ever enforcement action against a UK exchange.

The Financial Conduct Authority imposed a penalty of 9.2 million pounds ($11.9 million) on the world’s oldest and largest market for industrial metals after an investigation found multiple failures to deal with severe market stress.

Deep-sea miners are set to dig for critical minerals, even if rules aren’t done – by Todd Woody (Bloomberg News – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/

As companies seek to extract critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies from the deep sea, a showdown is underway over when and whether to allow mining of untouched, biodiverse ecosystems.

For more than a decade, delegates from the United Nations-affiliated International Seabed Authority (ISA) have been negotiating regulations to allow deep-sea mining as required by a 1982 UN treaty. Those deliberations are continuing this week during a meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, in advance of a July deadline to finish the job.

It’s time for Canadians to challenge the American domination of the LNG space – by Susan McArthur(Financial Post – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://financialpost.com/

Canada is now among the top 10 countries with natural gas reserves. It’s time to take advantage of that

Canadians are starting to understand the Americans ate our breakfast, lunch and dinner when it comes to selling liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the global market while simultaneously undermining our national security.

They are finally waking up to the importance of the urgent request by oil and gas CEOs to all federal party leaders calling for the removal of legislation and regulation impeding and capping the development of our resources.

Pierre Poilievre blasted over pledge to fast-track Ring of Fire permits – by Alex Ballingall and Raisa Patel (Toronto Star – March 19, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://www.thestar.com/

The grand chief of a group of northern Ontario First Nations is blasting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over his promise to fast-track approvals and pump money into the Ring of Fire mineral region.

OTTAWA — The grand chief of a group of northern Ontario First Nations is blasting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over his promise to fast-track approvals and pump money into the Ring of Fire mineral region.

Gates-Backed Explorer Makes Play for Congo Lithium Deposit – by Michael J. Kavanagh and William Clowes (Financial Post/Bloomberg – March 21, 2025)

March 21, 2025

https://financialpost.com/

KoBold Metals Co., backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, has told the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo it wants to develop one of the world’s biggest hard rock lithium deposits.

(Bloomberg) — KoBold Metals Co., backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, has told the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo it wants to develop one of the world’s biggest hard rock lithium deposits.

It’s the first major offer by a large US mining company to invest in the central African nation amid early-stage conversations about a potential minerals and security partnership between the two countries.

NEWS RELEASE: Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations Welcome Commitment to Advance Ring of Fire Infrastructure (March 19, 2025)

March 19, 2025

Project Location & Study Area (CNW Group/Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation)

A HOME PAGE

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Webequie First Nation and Marten Falls First Nation welcome Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s commitment to invest $1 billion in road infrastructure to the Ring of Fire and to improve the federal permitting process.

This investment responds directly to requests made by both First Nations for funding and aligns with their longstanding efforts to lead the development of sustainable infrastructure that will connect our communities, unlock critical resources, and create long-term economic opportunities. The promise to share tax revenues at the federal level is also a welcomed new commitment and pathway to economic reconciliation.

The Northern Road Link, a project led by Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations, is a crucial component of the broader effort to connect remote First Nations to the provincial highway network. By securing reliable infrastructure, the all-season roads will enable safe transportation, increase access to essential services, and support responsible resource development in the Ring of Fire region.

Conservative leader vows action on Ring of Fire within six months – by Darren MacDonald (CTV News Northern Ontario – March 19, 2025)

March 19, 2025

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

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced Wednesday that within six months of taking power, he would green-light all federal permits for the Ring of Fire and commit $1 billion to build new roads.

Poilievre, who is holding a rally in Greater Sudbury on Wednesday evening, said progress on the Ring of Fire is key to “unlocking billions of dollars in resources and taking back control of our economy from the Americans.” The long-delayed mineral project 500 kilometres east of Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario includes large deposits of high-grade chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper and platinum.

New urgency over Arctic defence can’t come soon enough for major gold miner – by Gabriel Friedman (Financial Post – March 18, 2025)

March 19, 2025

https://financialpost.com/

Northern development could ultimately unlock big growth for Agnico Eagle

Warming temperatures are opening the Northwest Passage as a shipping lane and raising so many concerns about who controls the Arctic that one of Mark Carney’s first trips as Canada’s new prime minister was to Iqaluit on Tuesday as part of an effort “to reassert Canada’s sovereignty in the North.”

It followed a visit over the weekend by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who also talked about shoring up Arctic sovereignty in the face of threats from United States President Donald Trump. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also visited last September to make his own remarks on the same subject.

Federal Conservative leader stops in Sudbury with promises of ‘unlocking’ Ring of Fire – by Faith Greco and Kate Rutherford (CBC News Sudbury – March 19, 2025)

March 19, 2025

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

Pierre Poilievre vowed to approve all federal permits in Ring of Fire within 6 months

The federal Conservative leader is in Sudbury today making promises, if elected, to unlock access to critical minerals in the Ring of Fire and build a new road into the remote mining camp in northwestern Ontario.

“[The Ring of Fire] could make Canada very rich. It would be life changing for northern Ontario towns, galvanizing thousands of paycheques and modern infrastructure,” Pierre Poilievre said at a news conference Wednesday.

Putin Allies Woo Trump with Rare Earth Mineral Deposits – by Brendan Cole and John Feng (Newsweek Magazine – March 19, 2025)

March 19, 2025

https://www.newsweek.com/

Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin has said he is wants to ramp up exploration of rare earth reserves in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine, hinting that “foreign partners” may be brought into the fold amid the Trump-drive thaw.

Potanin, who owns the metallurgical giant Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) and like most oligarchs in Russia, has close links with President Vladimir Putin, said there are many resources in Russia which remain unexplored.

European bismuth prices rocket to record highs on China export curbs – by Ashitha Shivaprasad, Anmol Choubey and Amy Lv (Reuters – March 19, 2025)

March 19, 2025

https://www.reuters.com/

Bismuth prices in Europe have surged to all-time highs as China’s export controls squeeze supplies of the mineral used in atomic research, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, according to traders and experts.

Prices of bismuth have jumped to $40 a lb on the European spot market, an all-time high, up from $6 per lb in late January, a more than six-fold rise. In the United States, bismuth prices are even higher – at $55 a lb compared with $6.5-$7 before China’s export curbs.