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OPINION: Germany looks past VW and Mercedes deals to deeper Canadian partnerships – by Andrew Willis (Globe and Mail – August 24, 2022)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The folks who revolutionized the auto industry when they rolled out the Beetle are now shaking up the way they make cars, to Canada’s benefit.

On Tuesday, Volkswagen AG revealed a new approach to its supply chain as the company prepares to fill the roads with electric vehicles. The German automaker said that for the first time, it plans to take direct stakes in mining companies – with a focus on investment in Canada – to ensure a reliable supply of critical minerals.

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Sask. projecting $1.04B surplus amid rising resource revenues – by Stefanie Davis and Brendan Ellis (CTV News Saskatchewan – August 23, 2022)

https://regina.ctvnews.ca/

Saskatchewan is projecting a $1.04 billion surplus for 2022-23, with a large bump from non-renewable resource revenues projected. That figure is a $1.51 billion improvement from budget forecasts, which projected a $463 million deficit for the year.

“A strong economy and higher resource prices have meant a significant improvement in the province’s finances. That means we can balance the budget, pay down debt and help Saskatchewan people with the rising cost of living,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said.

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Lithium Monopoly in the Making? Beijing Expands in the Lithium Triangle – by Daniel A. Peraza (Geopolitical Monitor – August 23, 2022)

https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/

China aims to expand its influence in the “Lithium Triangle” as a component of a broader campaign to construct a near-monopoly in the global lithium market. The Lithium Triangle, comprising Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, accounts for approximately 56% percent of global lithium supply.

Beijing’s acquisition of multiple Argentinian, Chilean, and Bolivia lithium mining operations enables China to dominate regional lithium operations. From 2018- 2020, China invested approximately $16 billion on mining projects in the Lithium Triangle and will likely continue to invest in the region.

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The gold exploration surge continues in Timmins – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – August 22, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Junior miners drilling and developing the next generation of gold mines in the Abitibi gold belt

Gold prices have slumped this month to below US$1,750 an ounce, but the Abitibi gold belt around Timmins continues to bustle with exploration activity this summer.

With more than 200 million ounces of historical production, this mineral-rich region remains a magnet for junior miners to make new discoveries or breathe new life into older ore bodies. In the West Timmins area, Galleon Gold is making preparations to begin test mining at its West Cache deposit in 2023.

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Ring of Fire Need for Critical Minerals Spurs Development – by Frank Giorno (Mining Life – August 23, 2022)

https://mininglifeonline.net/

With billions at stake and financial windfalls for First Nations communities within reach throughout Northern Ontario, the next four years will likely be the watershed era for the Ring of Fire.

The re-election of the Doug Ford government last June, elevated the Ring of Fire prominently as a major objective for Ford’s second term. Announcing his new Cabinet in late June 2022, Premier Ford reiterated his commitment to developing the Ring of Fire by bringing in his new cabinet ministers with the skills and experience to build the infrastructure necessary to unlock the full potential of Ontario’s economy and that includes highways, transit and the road to the Ring of Fire.

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OPINION: Canada’s moment with Germany won’t last long unless Ottawa now does the hard work – by Adam Radwanski (Globe and Mail – August 23, 2022)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

“If we want to seize the opportunities that are associated with the energy
transition, we need  to be more nimble,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “It cannot
take us 12 years to get new mines into production. It just can’t.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has done his part to light a fire under Canada so that it becomes a major clean-energy exporter.

Now, it’s up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his ministers and his provincial counterparts to prove they’re capable of overcoming this country’s inertia in building new industries – and fast enough to compete for the business of nations trying to secure a sustainable long-term energy supply.

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Electric vehicle industry prizes steel over aluminum, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO says – by Joe Deaux (Bloomberg News – August 22, 2022)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

A Detroit automaker and US steel producer sparred at an industry gathering this week on whether steel or aluminum is the preferred metal for electric-vehicle bodies.

The top executive of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the second largest US steelmaker, said that EV companies were preferring steel over aluminum. But an executive director from General Motors Co., the biggest US automaker, said there’s no broad brush.

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‘It’s shameful’: Critics slam Doug Ford’s plan to replace nuclear power with natural gas – by Rob Ferguson (Toronto Star – August 24, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/

Ontario’s plan to replace electricity generation when an aging nuclear plant closes in 2025 has critics saying the province didn’t get the memo on the growing dangers of climate change.

Of six new contracts announced by the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) on Tuesday, four are for power to be generated by burning natural gas, while the other two — for wind and energy storage — account for less than 10 per cent of the 764 megawatts under contract.

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Greenland’s Rare-Earth Election – by Robinson Meyer (The Atlantic – May 3, 2021)

https://www.theatlantic.com/

A vote last month answered an important question about the world’s largest island.

Tunulliarfik Fjord has always played an outsize role in global history. One thousand years ago, the Viking Erik the Red settled there, the last outpost in the Norse expansion into North America.

When the United States established a protectorate over Greenland during World War II, it built one of its first airports in what is now Narsarsuaq, a large town on the fjord. And now Tunulliarfik is the site of a mining project that has overturned politics on Greenland.

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Indigenous construction venture clears space for Kenora-area lithium pilot plant – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 22, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Avalon Advanced Materials looks to install demonstration-scale plant this fall for 2023 startup

A First Nations-participating construction consortium has been handed the job to do the site preparation for the pilot processing plant and haul road at a proposed northwestern Ontario lithium mine.

Toronto’s Avalon Advanced Materials said in a news release that SOW Construction Ltd. Partnership has been awarded the contract. In a project update of its Separation Rapids lithium project, north of Kenora, Avalon said the site work by SOW is underway and will be completed later this summer.

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Mind this deep sea mining – by Glenn Tucker (Jamaica Observer – August 22, 2022)

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/

It has been announced that deep sea mining is scheduled to start in Jamaican waters soon. There are some muted expressions of concern from the usual quarters. And with good reason.

Earth’s mass is 6.6 sextillion tonnes. Its volume is about 260 billion cubic miles. The total surface of the Earth is about 197 million square miles. About 71 per cent of our planet is covered by water and just 29 per cent by land. Only three per cent of this water is fresh water.

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Biden admin eyes funding Canadian mining – by Jael Holzman (E&E News.net – August 23, 2022)

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The Biden administration is looking at funding Canadian mining and metals companies, as the new climate law sends U.S. automakers scrambling to find new sources of raw materials for electric vehicles.

Manufacturing low-carbon energy and transportation products like electric vehicles can call for a set of unique raw minerals and materials that are often produced and processed in China, and are not mined in the U.S. at all. It’s an import imbalance that security hawks believe will be a strategic vulnerability in a decarbonizing world.

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Gold price could fall to $1,700 with U.S. dollar in an unstoppable rally – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – August 23, 2022)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – The gold market is trying to hold on to support around $1,750 an ounce. Analysts are warning investors that prices could drop back to last month’s lows around $1,700 as the U.S. dollar continues to see significant upside momentum.

The U.S. dollar index is trading at 109 points, testing July’s 20-year high. The greenback has pushed solidly above parity with the euro in what analysts have called an unstoppable rally.

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Ireland’s hidden ‘gold mines’ that people speculate could be hiding great riches – by Clare McCarthy (Irish Mirror – August 21, 2022)

https://www.irishmirror.ie/

Ireland may not be well known for mining precious metals but Irish gold mining history dates back for centuries and there’s still lots of gold to discover. In 2018, a huge discovery of gold worth €546million was found near the village of Clontribet in County Monaghan by a mining company, Conroy Gold and Natural Resources.

Gold has also been found at a number of locations in County Wicklow and County Tyrone and old Irish place names with ‘ór’ in them, meaning gold, could be clues to some ancient sources of gold.

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Glencore to invest $383 million to fix Horne smelter emissions – by Staff (Mining.com – August 22, 2022)

https://www.mining.com/

Glencore plans to invest more than C$500 million ($383m) in its Horne smelter located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, with the aim of improving air quality to reduce its arsenic emissions to 15 ng/m3 within the next five years.

“This transformative project shows that our number one priority is to ensure our teams’ safety et security, as well as that of our neighbouring communities,” said Claude Bélanger, COO of Glencore’s North American copper assets.

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