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Premier wants critical minerals production accelerated – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 14, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Ford promotes more robust cross-border trade with U.S. as threat of tariffs loom

Expect a major announcement on the north-south road to the Ring of Fire during the PDAC mining convention in March.That was the word from Premier Doug Ford and Mines Minister George Pirie during a Jan. 13 press conference in Toronto to promote Fortress Am-Can, touted as a new strategic alliance between Canada and the U.S. that involves a plan to fast-track critical minerals production.

Critical minerals and the untapped potential of the Ring of Fire received frequent mention by Ford, Pirie and Northern Development and Indigenous Minister Greg Rickford.

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Canadian Mining Hall of Fame adds Boyd, Giustra, MacLean, Sheahan – by Colin McClelland (Nothern Miner – January 13, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

Sean Boyd, the chair of Agnico Eagle Mines recalled when the company’s performance prompted CNN’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer to eat a crow sandwich on air. Boyd’s mother was watching. “That man wasn’t very nice to you today,” she said.

Cramer was recanting his conviction after only a poor quarter. Boyd never wavered in his commitment and actually booked the TV appearance to avoid accusations of ducking out when times were tough. “The producer said ‘Well, thanks for coming on, at least you got to give your side of the story,’” Boyd recounted. “And I said, ‘Remember: I called you,’ and he said, ‘That’s why you’re coming on again.’”

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Gold price struggles as U.S. producers see costs rise sharply in 2024 – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – January 14, 2025)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Weaker producer inflation pressures are introducing fresh volatility to the gold market, as some economists suggest the data may not be sufficient to support expectations for additional monetary policy easing from the Federal Reserve.

The headline Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.2% in December, following November’s 0.4% increase, the U.S. Labor Department announced on Tuesday. The latest inflation data came in slightly weaker than expected, as economists had anticipated another 0.4% increase.

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FPX Nickel releases optimistic economic impact numbers for its Baptiste project – by Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – January 13, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

FPX Nickel released an economic impact study for its Baptiste nickel project in central British Columbia. The company engaged Mansfield Consulting to assess the potential regional, provincial, and national economic impact of the Baptiste Nickel Project.

The impact study is based on the findings of FPX Nickel’s pre-feasibility study from September 2023. Company studies indicate the mine has a life of over 30 years.

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Korean market embraces lab-grown diamonds – by Back Byung-yeul (Korea Times – January 13, 2025)

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

The global diamond market is undergoing a transformative shift, with lab-grown diamonds emerging as a formidable force. This shift is particularly evident in Korea, where these ethically sourced and cost-effective gems are quickly gaining popularity, carving out a niche in the wedding and anniversary jewelry sectors, according to Iris Arnold, CEO and founder of the U.K.-based jewelry company Novita Diamonds.

“Lab-grown diamonds are undoubtedly a game changer in the jewelry industry. They are revolutionizing the market by making diamonds more accessible and aligning with consumer values around sustainability and ethics,” Arnolds told The Korea Times in a recent written interview.

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The ‘terrifying’ crackdown on mining companies in Africa’s coup belt – by Aanu Adeoye and Camilla Hodgson (Financial Times – January 13, 2025)

https://www.ft.com/

Military regimes in the Sahel have turned to tactics including arrests to assert control over critical mineral supplies

International mining companies are at the mercy of “terrifying” tactics from military regimes in Africa’s Sahel, whose leaders are using legal disputes, nationalisations and arrests to assert greater control over crucial minerals like gold and uranium.

Barrick Gold on Tuesday temporarily suspended operations in Mali after the government started seizing gold from its mine, weeks after the country issued an arrest warrant for chief executive Mark Bristow. Authorities separately detained Australian gold miner Resolute’s chief executive Terence Holohan for nearly two weeks.

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Russia Targets Ukraine’s Key Lithium Reserves – by Wojtek Grojeck and Kian Sharifi (Radio Free Europe – January 2025)

https://www.rferl.org/

Russia has captured two of Ukraine’s four lithium deposits since it launched its all-out invasion in 2022, potentially depriving Kyiv of a key economic resource.

On January 11, Russia claimed to have seized control of Shevchenko, a rural settlement in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The settlement sits on top of one of Ukraine’s biggest lithium deposits.

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Ontario Pitches Trump on Mining Deals With Tariffs Looming – by Jacob Lorinc (Bloomberg News – January 13, 2025)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — The leader of Canada’s most populous province is pitching a “renewed strategic alliance” with the US on critical minerals, as President-elect Donald Trump threatens crippling tariffs on the northern nation.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled Monday a new plank in a broader strategy he calls “Fortress Am-Can.” The plan aims to invest in and build out a critical minerals supply chain in North America. It advocates for expanding capacity to process metals and minerals mined on the continent, while accelerating federal and provincial timelines to permit and approve mining projects.

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Cleveland-Cliffs CEO renews efforts to purchase U.S. Steel – “I have an all-American solution.” – by Andy Sheehan (CBS News – January 13, 2025)

https://www.cbsnews.com/

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It’s a battle over U.S. Steel and the future of steelmaking in the region – with fiery words, the CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs said his company is once again trying to buy the company.

“The United States of America, Japan, beware, you don’t understand who you are,” said Lourenco Goncalves, the CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs. Goncalves is promising to revitalize the Mon Valley while keeping the operation in American hands.

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Reflecting on big dreams in the North – by A.J. Roan (North of 60 Mining News – January 3, 2025)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

From water pipelines to hydrogen bomb ports, Alaska holds a history of dreamers as big as the Last Frontier state.

As the world steps into a new year brimming with possibilities, a reflection on Alaska’s wildest visions through its relatively brief history can offer a glimpse into humanity’s boundless imagination. From grandiose pipelines spanning oceans to domed cities beneath the shadow of Denali, the Last Frontier has long been a canvas for audacious ideas that dared to reshape the future – and serves as a reminder of how bold thinking can pave the way for progress.

From its earliest days as part of the United States, Alaska has often been viewed as an underdog. Derided as “Seward’s Folly” after its 1867 purchase from Russia, this sprawling wilderness was dismissed by many as a frozen expanse of little value.

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Mali seizes 3 tons of gold from Canadian company Barrick amid dispute over share of revenue – by Wilson McMakin and Baba Ahmed (Associated Press – January 13, 2025)

https://apnews.com/

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mali’s military government has started seizing gold stocks of the Canadian mining company Barrick as part of a legal battle over the share of revenue owed to the West African state, according to an internal Barrick letter seen by The Associated Press.

The letter from CEO Mark Bristow to the Malian Mining Minister, dated Monday, says Barrick is “awaiting official confirmation of the proper receipt by the Malian Solidarity Bank,” a government entity. The seizure follows a warning letter to Barrick earlier this month from Mali’s senior investigating judge, Boubacar Moussa Diarra, saying three tons of gold would be seized.

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Uranium Fever Collides With Industry’s Dark Past in Navajo Country – by Jacob Lorinc (Financial Post/Bloomberg – January 14, 2025)

https://financialpost.com/

The world’s re-embrace of nuclear power creates tensions in the US Southwest

(Bloomberg) — A few miles south of the Grand Canyon, thousands of tons of uranium ore, reddish-gray, blue and radioactive, are piled up high in a clearing in the forest. They’ve been there for months, stranded by a standoff between the mining company that dug them deep out of the ground, Energy Fuels Inc., and the leader of the Navajo Nation, Buu Nygren.

Back in the summer, Energy Fuels had triggered an uproar when it loaded some of the ore onto a truck, slapped a “radioactive” sign over the taillights and drove it through the heart of Navajo territory.

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Mining the Northwest: Red Lake’s Madsen Mine ready to restart – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – January 13, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

West Red Lake Gold Mines building out its workforce to reach commercial production by year’s end

West Red Lake Gold Mines is aiming for a mid-year restart of its Madsen Mine at Red Lake. The Vancouver mine developer released a prefeasibility study in early January, laying out its plan to bring Madsen back to life in 2025.

In taking over a mine that struggled out of the gate and failed under previous ownership, company management is confident it’s delivered a pragmatic and conservative plan that it can deliver on. With 1.7 million ounces of indicated gold reserves and resources, Madsen’s new mine life is pegged at 7.25 years.

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Snow Lake Energy makes gallium discovery in Ontario – by Staff (Mining.com – January 13, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Snow Lake Energy (NASDAQ: LITM) said on Monday it has made a new gallium discovery at the Mound Lake property in Ontario to complement its existing portfolio of lithium and uranium assets, sending its shares higher.

An analysis of sampling conducted by Free Battery Metal (CSE: FREE), its partner on the project, unveiled that 70% of samples from Mound Lake had gallium values above the average crustal abundance (19 parts per million). Twelve samples returned gallium values over 50 ppm, with the highest measuring 110.5 ppm.

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Powerfully promising: Harnessing the Churchill River’s hydroelectric potential needed to develop the mining sector – by Gary Kean (Salt Wire/The Telegram – January 13, 2025)

https://www.saltwire.com/

Access to not only more, but clean, power in Labrador essential to luring investment, says mining industry

In the early 2000s, the idea of building an aluminum smelter in Labrador was shelved, and Yvonne Jones often wondered what else could have been if the region’s resources had been tapped into at the time. With Newfoundland and Labrador now planning to develop more hydroelectric power on the mighty Churchill River, the Liberal MP for Labrador hopes the next industrial vision to come along can be realized.

The smelter project would have been a joint venture between aluminum titan Alcoa and the provincial government, but the province walked away from the deal after a feasibility study was done. The company wanted the government to foot too much of the energy costs associated with the development.

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