Sudbury junior miner praises province's new critical minerals strategy

The president and CEO of a Sudbury-based junior miner says the province's new critical minerals strategy presents an opportunity for Ontario to become more self-sufficient in that area.

On Thursday, March 17, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the province's new five-year critical minerals strategy at a press conference at the Lac Des Iles mine, about 125 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont.

The strategy aims to help Ontario capitalize on growing demand for minerals like nickel, lithium and cobalt, which are key components in the batteries used for smart phones and electric vehicles.

"This strategy details how we will strengthen our supply chains, how we will attract new investments to our province, and how we will ensure that the economic benefits are fairly shared with our Indigenous partners," Ford said during the announcement.

Trevor Walker, the president and CEO of Sudbury's Frontier Lithium, said that despite its vast mineral wealth, Canada only produces a small percentage of the world's supply of critical minerals. 

He said a strategy that makes Canada more self-reliant in that area would reduce dependence on other countries, such as Russia.

According to the province's strategy, Russia produces nine per cent of the world's nickel, for example.

"You know, we have a strong endowment of natural wealth in the north," Walker said. 

"We really have all the elements or minerals in place here to do it. So it's really about, you know, leveraging that in order for the investment or the dollars to stay at home."

Frontier Lithium is exploring two lithium deposits in northwestern Ontario that have enough resources to build almost 500,000 batteries per year for electric vehicles.

Walker said the province's new strategy will give companies like his additional support to bring their resources to market.

"We're feeling that firsthand right now by people helping us through the permitting process," he said.

Critical response

But some Indigenous stakeholders have been more critical of the province's strategy.

"There's a particular line in the strategy that says the government is supporting the priorities of individual First Nations, which see potential Ring of Fire developments as opportunities for prosperity," Sarah Mainville, a lawyer and former chief of Couchiching First Nation, told CBC News.

"So basically, they're going to just work with the First Nations that have positive views of this development. And so are they going to ignore the First Nations that are concerned and cautious in their approach?"

Part of the new strategy focuses on northwestern Ontario's Ring of Fire, which has significant critical mineral deposits including nickel, copper, platinum and chromite.

But several First Nations, including Attawapiskat First Nation, Neskantaga First Nation and Fort Albany First Nation, have declared a moratorium on Ring of Fire development until a number of conditions are met.

For example, they have called for an Indigenous-led regional impact assessment on the proposed Ring of Fire mining sites.