$10M Announced For Critical Minerals Mining in N. Ontario

Sudbury – Critical minerals present a once-in-a-generation chance for Canada to drive historic economic growth, create jobs and support the fight against climate change. Already, mining and related industries employ more than 625,000 Canadians and contribute around $100 billion a year to Canada’s GDP, providing a strong supply chain and technical expertise we can leverage. As a global battery metals hub with the world’s largest integrated mining industrial complex and world’s second-largest nickel deposit, Northern Ontario is uniquely well positioned to seize this opportunity and become a key player as the shift to electric vehicles and other technology requiring nickel and other critical minerals grows.

Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced two investments of $5 million each to the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corp (MIRARCO) and Electra Battery Materials Corporation (Electra) to support the critical minerals sector in Canada, and in Northern Ontario specifically. These projects join nearly 130 mining projects under construction or planned over the next 10 years in Canada, representing a combined value of $93.5 billion, according to Natural Resources Canada’s Major Projects Inventory.

Funding to MIRARCO aims to advance technological readiness of the recovery of battery metals like nickel, cobalt and copper from mine tailings from the Vale and Glencore mines in the Greater Sudbury area, while reducing the long-term social and environmental costs associated with mine waste. Through this project, MIRARCO will directly feed into the battery supply chain, potentially unlocking significant amounts of nickel and cobalt in Sudbury, Ontario.

Funding to Electra will be used to advance the next phase of its battery materials recycling project. Electra is constructing North America’s only battery grade cobalt refinery, five hours north of Toronto, as part of a multiphase effort to build the North American supply chain for battery materials. Electra successfully ran a demonstration recycling program on a batch basis at this facility in 2023. Today’s funding advances the project, demonstrating the process on a continuous basis and showing that Electra’s proprietary technology is scalable, profitable and can be implemented at other locations. The battery materials recycling program will help conserve resources, reduce waste and reduce the environmental impact of battery production in North America’s critical minerals sector. Electra’s recycling program uses a new environmentally conscious process that will contribute to building a resilient Canadian electric vehicle battery supply chain.

For a historic mining nation like Canada — where we have residuals and tailings in communities across the nation — technologies like these present a significant opportunity to increase circularity in our economy and turn mining residuals and waste into an economic opportunity for Canadians. Funding for these projects comes from the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program. The CMRDD aims to support the development of innovative processing technologies for the critical minerals industry, which will help advance Canadian mining projects toward production and is part of Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy

Creating domestic processing streams and developing further expertise within Canada will create and grow jobs and help us move toward a sustainable, prosperous low-carbon future. By making smart investments like those in MIRARCO and Electra, Canada is ensuring our natural resources, and the workers and economic benefits they bring to Northern Ontario and Canada, remain among the most sought after in the world, spurring innovation and helping us meet climate goals. We will continue to invest to advance Northern Ontario’s mining industry and fuel social and economic growth, while creating jobs and opportunities for families throughout the region.