Twitter

How China Took Over the World’s Rare Earths Industry – by Keith Bradsher (New York Times – April 16, 2025)

https://www.nytimes.com/

China seized mines and built factories. Japan took note and invested in Australia. But the United States did little despite concerns about control of supplies.

China shook the world in 2010 when it imposed an embargo on exports of crucial rare earth metals to Japan. Panicked Japanese executives appeared on television to warn that they were running out of the critical raw materials.

The embargo, prompted by a territorial dispute, lasted only seven weeks. But it changed the global supply chain for these metals. When the embargo was over, China took forceful control of its mineral bounty. Top officials in Beijing rooted out corruption, crushed smugglers and consolidated the industry under state control.

Read more

Northwest ‘booming’ for mining – by Sandi Krasowski (The Chronicle-Journal – April 16, 2025)

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/

The Ontario Prospectors and Explorers Symposium is underway in Thunder Bay, where miners, prospectors, support and supply companies, laboratories and service companies have come together to network and share information and ideas.

Daniele Spethman, an exploration geologist and director of the Ontario Prospectors Association (OPA), is the co-ordinator of the conference that was hosted jointly by the OPA and the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association.

Read more

‘We celebrate President Trump’: Why Trump could be a boon for this controversial Canadian seabed-mining firm – by Allan Woods (Toronto Star – April 17, 2025)

https://www.thestar.com/

U.S. President Donald Trump penchant for tariffs has signalled doom and gloom for many a Canadian company relying on trade partners and customers south of the border. But things are suddenly looking up for a controversial Vancouver-based firm that wants to mine the depths of the ocean floor for a resource it likens to “a battery in a rock.”

For The Metals Company and its scruffy-chic chief executive, Gerard Barron, Trump could be the disruptive catalyst flashing a long-awaited green light to begin retrieving potato-sized “nodules” that scatter the seabed and contain critical minerals that could be key to a clean-energy future.

Read more

Opinion: B.C.’s critical mineral ambitions require focus and clearer policy – by Trish Jacques (Business In Vancouver – April 11, 2025)

https://www.biv.com/

With uncertainty clouding mineral claim processes, the B.C. government must address key issues to restore investor confidence in the critical minerals sector

British Columbia has introduced a framework for government to consult with First Nations before a mineral claim is issued—the very start of the mineral exploration process. The Mineral Claims Consultation Framework meets a deadline set by the B.C. Supreme Court in Gitxaala vs. British Columbia.

While its development took most of the 18 months set by the court, government eventually put forward a plan to consult First Nations for any impacts claim registration may have on their rights. This was a substantial effort, and the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) is grateful to government for listening to some of its members’ key concerns.

Read more

BHP warns of trade war fallout as it ramps up copper output (Bloomberg News – April 17, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

BHP Group Ltd. is warning U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff spree could trigger a global economic slowdown and challenge trade flows, as the world’s biggest miner posted a solid quarterly production performance for key commodities including copper and iron ore.

“Despite the limited direct impact of tariffs on BHP, the implication of slower economic growth and a fragmented trading environment could be more significant,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Henry said in a statement Thursday. “China’s ability to shift toward a consumption-led economy and for trade flows to adapt to the new environment will be key to sustaining the global outlook.”

Read more

Nickel production disruption in Indonesia raises supply concerns (Mining Technology – April 15, 2025)

https://www.mining-technology.com/

A landslide occurred in a tailings area associated with PT QMB New Energy Materials in Indonesia’s Morowali Industrial Park.

Indonesia’s Morowali Industrial Park, a nickel-producing hub on Sulawesi Island, is facing a production halt and intensified scrutiny over nickel extraction methods following a landslide last month, reported Bloomberg.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) methods used in nickel extraction and the future of a critical supply source for the battery industry. While HPAL is cost-effective and less carbon-intensive, it produces nearly twice the tailings, requiring careful waste management to avoid production disruptions.

Read more

Mining the Northwest: New federal leadership will make the Ring of Fire go, says Wyloo Canada CEO – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 17, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Kristan Straub senses political winds are shifting in favour of critical minerals mining

The Ring of Fire has been the garden of agony for mining companies ever since the discovery of nickel and chromite in the James Bay region in 2007-2008.

As glacial as the pace of progress has been, Wyloo Metals Canada CEO Kristan Straub said his company’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned for its Eagle’s Nest project. “We think this is probably one of the best times, if not the most prospective time we’ve seen yet, at least in my tenure here,” said Straub, who joined Wyloo from Glencore’s nickel exploration team in 2023.

Read more

Mali shuts Barrick office and issues threats to key mine in tax dispute – by Geoffrey York (Globe and Mail – April 15, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Mali’s military junta has closed Barrick Gold Corp.’s national office and threatened to seize control of one of its biggest gold mines in a further escalation of a protracted tax dispute, the Toronto-based company says.

Barrick says it negotiated an agreement with the Malian regime in February to resolve the dispute, but the deal has been blocked by a small group of individuals for “personal or political reasons.” The company’s long-term future in the West African country is now at risk, it said.

Read more

Ukraine: What’s up with Europe’s largest lithium deposits – by Maryna Barba (DW.com – April 12, 2025)

https://www.dw.com/en/

Washington and Kyiv are still negotiating their rare earths agreement. But what do Ukrainians who live near potential mines think of it all?

In Polokhivske it’s as if time has stood still. Only a handful of people live here, its houses are abandoned and decrepit, stubbled fields as far as the eye can see. Things are no different in neighboring Kopanki, where nearly every house has been abandoned. The few people who live here tell DW that only one child was born in the village in 2024.

“I started working here in 1976,” says Volodymyr, a Kopanki retiree. “I was the four-hundredth worker in the collective and now there probably aren’t 100 people living here in the village. We only have funerals anymore, never any weddings, things aren’t like they used to be.”

Read more

Exclusive-Trump supporter Prince reaches deal with Congo to help secure mineral wealth – by Jessica Donati and Sonia Rolley (Reuters – April 17, 2025)

https://www.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – Prominent Trump supporter Erik Prince has agreed to help Democratic Republic of Congo secure and tax its vast mineral wealth, according to two sources close to the private security executive, a Congolese government official and two diplomats.

The agreement, aimed at reaping more revenue from an industry marred by smuggling and corruption, was reached before Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched a major offensive in January that has seen them seize eastern Congo’s two largest cities.

Read more

Throne speech ignites outcry over Ford’s environmental rollbacks – by Abdul Matin Sarfraz (National Observer/Penticton Herald – April 2025)

https://www.pentictonherald.ca/

Despite years of public outcry and widespread criticism from experts and advocates over weakened conservation laws, the Ford government doubled down on its first day back in power — vowing to slash environmental oversight to fast-track mineral and infrastructure projects.

Critics warn the plan will gut crucial environmental reviews, provoke legal battles, spark First Nations resistance and further weaken protections already under strain.

Read more

Rare earth stocks rally on signs Trump supports sector – by Matthew Griffin (Bloomberg News – April 17, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

U.S. stocks linked to rare earth metals and other critical minerals gained this week, getting a boost from signs that the Trump administration will favor a sector that’s become a flashpoint in the trade standoff between the U.S. and China.

Rare-earth magnet player USA Rare Earth Inc. has jumped 68 per cent this week as of 1:49 p.m. on Thursday. TMC The Metals Company Inc., a Vancouver-based company that’s seeking permission from the U.S. to gather critical metals at the bottom of the ocean, is up 55 per cent in the short trading week.

Read more

Ontario to designate Ring of Fire a region of strategic importance – by Gary Rinne (SN NewsWatch.com – April 15, 2025)

https://www.snnewswatch.com/

In the Speech from the Throne, the Ford government promised ‘significantly streamlined permitting and approvals’ for critical mineral extraction

QUEEN’S PARK — The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation allowing it to designate areas containing critical mineral deposits, including the Ring of Fire, as regions of strategic importance.The commitment was made in the Speech from the Throne opening the new session of the legislature on Tuesday.

The government said the legislation will give it the authority to support the province’s economy and security interests by offering “significantly streamlined permitting and approvals” to developers that meet high operating, safety and environmental standards. It also promised the constitutional duty to consult with First Nations will be met.

Read more

Ontario Throne Speech Ring of Fire Excerpts (April 15, 2025)

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

For the entire Ontario Speech From the Throne: https://surl.lu/gehpki

Ring of Fire Excerpts:

This includes Ontario’s vast supply of critical minerals.

The frontline in Canada’s battle against President Trump’s economic threats rests in the Ring of Fire. Covering approximately 5,000 square kilometers, the Ring of Fire contains the most promising mineral development opportunities in the world, representing billions in economic potential. The region includes reserves of chromite, copper, cobalt, nickel, platinum and every other mineral necessary for the growth of advanced economies.

As Ontario and Canada confront the challenge of President Trump’s economic disruption, there’s no better point of leverage on the world stage. Simply put, Ontario has the minerals the world needs.

To effectively seize this opportunity, however, we need to get our critical minerals out of the ground, processed and shipped to the factory floors, building for the future.

Read more

Ontario Throne Speech pledges to drop provincial trade barriers, speed up mines in face of U.S. trade war – by Jeff Gray and Laura Stone (Globe and Mail – April 15, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Ontario government is pledging to shore up the province in the face of the threat of U.S. tariffs by taking down barriers to interprovincial trade, speeding up approvals for new mines in the Northern Ring of Fire region – and doubling down on a promise to build a lengthy and costly tunnel under the Toronto-area stretch of Highway 401.

In its Throne Speech, the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford laid out its priorities after winning its third straight majority in the Feb. 27 election, saying its first two new pieces of legislation would lower Ontario’s interprovincial trade barriers and allow the designation of the Ring of Fire as a region of “strategic importance to the province’s economy and security interests.”

Read more