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Northwestern Ontario’s Ring of Fire central in U.S.-Canada trade war: experts – by Michelle Allan (CBC News Thunder Bay – March 17, 2025)

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

How a remote peat bog became a key figure in a global political conflict

The Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario has become a key figure in the battle to control critical minerals, which experts say is the heart of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

While a remote Ontario peat bog may not be the stage that first comes to mind when picturing the geopolitical conflict, the critical minerals beneath it are essential to renewable energy and digital technology.

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Lefebvre to lead delegation in tour of Korea, Japan in support of mining – by Tyler Clarke (Sudbury.com – March 4, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

The trip has been in the planning stages since before the threat of U.S. tariffs, which took effect March 4, began looming

A delegation of approximately 10 local political and industry leaders have scheduled an April 7-11 tour of Korea and Japan, “to strengthen economic partnerships.” Mayor Paul Lefebvre announced the delegation during the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto on March 3.

“We were already planning this last year — this hasn’t happened overnight — but I think the timing couldn’t be better,” he told Sudbury.com on the eve of the United States imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports, which strengthens the need to diversify export markets. “It’s about diversifying.”

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Glencore overhauls embattled Canadian smelters as margins plunge – by Julian Luk and Thomas Biesheuvel (Bloomberg News – March 14, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

Glencore Plc is doubling down on a cost-cutting drive at its Canadian copper and zinc plants following job cuts last year, in a further overhaul of its global smelting business following a collapse in processing margins.

The company’s copper plants in Quebec — as well as several recycling sites in the US — will be absorbed into the miner’s global zinc smelting division, with the aim of increasing business synergies and operational efficiency, according to internal memos seen by Bloomberg.

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Eye on ‘net zero’, India makes big push to secure critical minerals – by Bhasker Tripathi (Reuters/Scroll India – March 17, 2025)

https://scroll.in/

The country fully imports several critical minerals used in green technologies including lithium, cobalt and nickel.

As the world rushes to secure minerals critical for rapidly-expanding clean energy technologies, India is joining the fray to try to meet its ambitious green energy goals.

India said in January the government and state mining companies would spend 343 billion Indian rupee ($3.94 billion) to boost local production, recycling and imports of critical minerals in a bid to secure enough for its energy transition, in an initiative coined the “National Critical Mineral Mission”.

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Critical minerals processing will be the equivalent of 19th-century oil refineries—at a Rockefeller moment – by Venkat Pacha (Fortune Magazine – March 17, 2025)

https://fortune.com/

In the 21st century, the most valuable assets aren’t oil wells, factories, data centers, or even AI large language models. The industries of the future require critical minerals. As the world seeks to generate massive amounts of energy, the real money isn’t in mining lithium, nickel, or rare earths—it’s in controlling how they move, process, and scale.

A new industrial empire is being built, and just like John D. Rockefeller’s pipelines in the 19th century, the infrastructure behind critical minerals will be an incredible wealth generator. While most companies race to secure mineral deposits—be they in Greenland, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Uzbekistan—the smartest players see a different opportunity: controlling the entire supply chain.

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Canada exempts Paladin’s PLS from non-resident ownership policy (Mining Weekly – March 17, 2025)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

Uranium miner and developer Paladin Energy has been granted an exemption from Canada’s Non-Resident Ownership Policy (NROP) for its Patterson Lake South (PLS) uranium project in Saskatchewan. The exemption allows Paladin, which is listed on the ASX and TSX, to maintain a 100% controlling interest in PLS as it moves toward commercial production.

The exemption was secured in connection with Paladin’s acquisition of Fission Uranium, which was completed in late December.

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Why does DRC want a Ukraine-like minerals deal with Trump, amid conflict? – by Shola Lawal (Al Jazeera – March 17, 2025)

https://www.aljazeera.com/

The DRC appears to be angling for the US to deploy boots on the ground, in a bid to contain armed conflict.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is having “daily exchanges” with the United States government with the aim of securing a minerals-for-security deal, Congolese officials have told the media.

The move comes amid escalating violence in the East African country. The rebel M23 armed group has seized territory in areas rich in gold and coltan, an important mineral used in the manufacturing of electronic gadgets. At least 7,000 people have been killed since January, according to the DRC government. Thousands more have been displaced.

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Barrick fined for releasing excessive cobalt into British Columbia river – by Staff (Mining.com – March 15, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Barrick Gold has been hit with a C$114,750 (approximately $79,800) fine for its repeated, excessive discharge of toxic materials from the now-decommissioned Nickel Plate gold mine located 3 km away from Hedley, BC.

The decision follows an inspection by provincial inspectors who found that the former underground and open pit mine had been releasing mine waste containing high concentrations of cobalt into Hedley Creek, which flows into the Similkameen River. This occurred on 17 separate occasions between 2021 and 2023, the inspectors found.

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Botswana targets rich young Americans with big, natural diamonds – by Antony Sguazzin, William Clowes and Mbongeni Mguni (Bloomberg News – March 15, 2025)

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Botswana, the world’s largest diamond producer, is betting that selling big gems to rich young Americans will ease its economic woe and it is trying to catch their eye via Instagram and TikTok.

That gamble saw it dip a toe into the world of luxury advertising last week, wining and dining social media influencers at a Michelin star restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village to pitch affluent 20- and 30-somethings on natural rocks over lab-grown rivals.

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Coal mining reversal a double betrayal, says Mountain View County resident – by Simon Ducatel (The Albertan – March 16, 2025)

https://www.thealbertan.com/

Paltry royalty revenue not worth risk to environment and health, Robert Bueck

MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – The provincial government’s plans to allow coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in any shape or form after previously back peddling and pledging not to due to public backlash just a few years ago is a double betrayal, says a Sundre-area resident.

“I think they have betrayed Albertans,” said Robert Bueck, who lives in the McDougal Flats area. “They betrayed them the first time when they rescinded the coal mining policy in May of 2020, and I think the second time now after they had said that they were not going to go ahead and do it.”

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In a world rattled by Trump, Greenland’s election finds itself in a curious place: centre stage – by Paul Waldie (Globe and Mail – March 10, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

It’s hard to imagine that a regional election involving 41,000 voters selecting 31 MPs would merit much international attention. But all eyes will be on Greenland on Tuesday when voters across the island elect a new parliament and grapple with the question of sovereignty.

Ever since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, Greenland’s future has been thrown into question. Mr. Trump has demanded that the U.S. annex the ice-covered territory, which has been part of Denmark for centuries.

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Indigenous Services minister says economic reconciliation essential amid Canada-U.S. trade war – by Sarah Law (CBC News Thunder Bay – March 17, 2025)

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

Education, training for Indigenous people key to closing productivity gap: Hajdu

As the new federal government grapples with how to tackle the growing trade war between Canada and the U.S., Patty Hajdu says a key opportunity to strengthen domestic economies lies with reconciliation.

While more than a dozen positions have been cut in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s lean 24-person cabinet — down from 39 members under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — Hajdu has maintained her role as minister of Indigenous Services.

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Gold price breaks $3,000 price barrier: What’s driving the rally and what’s next? – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – March 14, 2025)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – The gold market has hit another major milestone on Friday morning with the spot market briefly breaking above $3,000 an ounce to set a new all-time high of $3,005.04 just as many North American traders had their first cup of coffee.

Gold’s breakout started late Thursday after consolidating around $2,900 for the last three weeks. Overnight, the yellow metal traded in a narrow range but hit a high of $2,999.99. While gold is down from its session highs, it is still holding on to modest gains. Spot gold last traded at $2,999.10 an ounce, up 0.35% on the day.

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Tariffs, uncertainty, driving nations to tighten grip on critical minerals – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – March 14, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Tariffs and markets swings are pushing developing countries rich in critical minerals such as cobalt, copper, gold, and lithium, to tighten their grip on their resources more than ever before, a new analysis from risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft shows.

This trend, which has accelerated over the past five years, poses major challenges for mining companies and coincides with intensifying geopolitical competition for raw materials essential to global industries.

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Forget about rare earth minerals. We need more copper – by Scott Neuman (National Public Radio.org – March 16, 2025)

https://www.npr.org/

In recent weeks, you’ve likely heard a lot about rare-earth substances, thanks to President Trump’s stalled efforts to secure a minerals deal with Ukraine and his talk of annexing Greenland. These vital substances fuel the growing renewables and electric-vehicle industries. However, many experts warn that the shortage of another crucial metal, used in electronics, wiring and even plumbing could be just as concerning.

Copper may be even more crucial to the nation’s shift toward a greener, more efficient economy than rare elements like neodymium or praseodymium. While copper has been mined for thousands of years, the demand for it has surged in the past two decades, driving its price up nearly 75% since 2020.

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