Critical Minerals Overview for August 2026
Canada and Chile Advance Critical Minerals Partnership to Diversify Trade, Grow Our Economy and Create Jobs
Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, represented Canada at the Conference of Mining Ministries of the Americas (CAMMA) in Santiago, Chile. Parliamentary Secretary Guay advanced commercial opportunities for Canadian mining companies and reinforced Canada’s position as a reliable partner of choice when it comes to secure and sustainable minerals and a globally competitive destination for investment.
Parliamentary Secretary Guay met with senior Chilean officials, including the Minister of Economy and Mining and vice-ministers responsible for mining, energy and foreign affairs. He also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Argentina and Mexico. Discussions focused on catalyzing bilateral investment, promoting Canadian products and industry, supporting mining sector innovation and expanding collaboration across the Americas on responsible mining and critical minerals. He also met with industry leaders, including from Codelco, Antofagasta Minerals, CORFO, Teck and MineSense, and participated in roundtables with Canadian and Chilean companies and mining services operating in Chile to discuss investment and market opportunities.
Parliamentary Secretary Guay highlighted progress being made under the Canada–Chile Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Critical Minerals and the Sustainable Development of Minerals and Metals, including initiatives that support innovation, skills development and commercial partnerships. Since 2024, the MOU has been instrumental in connecting Canadian companies and technologies with opportunities in one of the world’s leading mining jurisdictions while supporting sustainable economic growth and competitiveness in both countries.
Canada Attracts a $2 Billion Mining Investment in Sudbury’s Craig Mine
The Government of Canada welcomed a major milestone at Glencore Canada Corporation’s Craig Mine in Ontario with the completion of the Onaping Depth Project shaft, providing first access to nickel ore and marking an important step toward first production from the Onaping Depth Zone later this year. Located within Craig Mine as part of Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Sudbury INO), the Onaping Depth Project is the first new mine to be developed in the Sudbury Basin in more than a decade, and will secure nickel production in the Sudbury Basin. The project extends our ability to produce nickel, a key input for stainless steel and batteries, beyond 2040.
Glencore’s Sudbury INO, which includes mine, mill and smelter operations, has been part of Ontario’s economic fabric for nearly 100 years. It currently employs more than 1,000 people and has contributed nearly $400 million in direct GDP to Ontario. Representing nearly $2 billion in private sector investments since construction began in 2019, the Onaping Depth Project has generated roughly 7,000 jobs and created significant opportunities for skilled tradespeople, contractors, suppliers and mining professionals across Northern Ontario.
To support this significant engine of Northern Ontario’s economy and our national critical minerals ambitions, the federal government has provided Glencore up to $11 million through the Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Decarbonization Incentive Program. This will allow Onaping Depth to operate one of the most advanced battery-electric underground mining fleets in the world and eliminate diesel emissions from production. A more modern, efficient, and low-carbon mine supports Canada’s ambitions to build our way to net-zero by 2050, and demonstrates how smart climate action supports a more productive and competitive economy.
Canada Invests to Connect Quebec Critical Minerals to Market
Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a nearly $5-million investment under the First and Last Mile Fund in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region that will help advance infrastructure essential to responsibly developing Quebec’s critical minerals, specifically First Phosphate’s Bégin–Lamarche phosphate mine. First Phosphate is matching NRCan’s contribution for both projects, catalyzing an additional close to $5 million in private investment.
Quebec accounts for nearly one-fifth of Canada’s mineral production, containing significant deposits of critical and strategic minerals including phosphate, which is used in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries — durable, cost-effective technology that powers electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, off-grid power solutions and emergency backup systems used by Canadians every day.
This funding will go towards pre-development work including feasibility and environmental studies and engagement with Indigenous and local communities to help determine the best routes and designs for power transmission and transportation infrastructure that would link the mine to regional rail networks and the Port of Saguenay. This will speed up responsible development by addressing infrastructure gaps that can delay resource development. Once launched, the projects are expected to create approximately 500 jobs during construction while the mine is expected to create approximately 300 jobs once production begins in 2029.
Ontario and Marten Falls First Nation Break Ground on Ring of Fire Road
Premier Doug Ford, Marten Falls First Nation Chief Bruce Achneepineskum, Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation and Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire Economic and Community Partnerships and Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation celebrated the start of construction on the Marten Falls Community Access Road, another historic milestone in the government’s plan to protect Ontario by building the roads to the Ring of Fire, five years ahead of schedule.
Ontario’s ambitious Ring of Fire road delivery plan delivers on a core mandate commitment to help unlock the vast economic potential of critical minerals in the region, add $22 billion to Ontario’s economy, create 70,000 good-paying jobs, strengthen domestic supply chains and support long-term economic growth and shared prosperity for First Nations communities and Northern Ontario.
The announcement is part of the government’s plan to unlock the economic potential of the Ring of Fire region. As the global demand for critical minerals needed to manufacture electric vehicles, batteries, modern defence technologies and advanced manufacturing continues to grow, Ontario has the deposits, skilled workforce, expertise and business-friendly investment climate to secure the province’s place as the most competitive jurisdiction in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business.
Ontario and Aroland First Nation Break Ground on Ring of Fire Road
Greg Rickford, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation and Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire Economic and Community Partnerships, and Aroland First Nation Chief Joseph Sonny Gagnon, announced that work commenced on major upgrades to the Anaconda and Painter Lake roads as of June 30, 2026, marking another significant milestone in the government’s plan to protect Ontario by building the roads to the Ring of Fire, five years ahead of schedule.
The announcement is part of the government’s plan to unlock the economic potential of the Ring of Fire region. As the global demand for critical minerals needed to manufacture electric vehicles, batteries, modern defence technologies and advanced manufacturing continues to grow, Ontario has the deposits, skilled workforce, expertise and business-friendly investment climate to secure the province’s place as the most competitive jurisdiction in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business.
Tahltan, B.C. Build on Shared Prosperity Agreement Through Foundation Agreement Discussions
The Government of British Columbia and Tahltan have been working together on a foundation agreement to continue to advance reconciliation and to support economic development in northwestern B.C.
This work will strengthen the government-to-government relationship, advance shared mining interests by providing greater clarity and predictability about where exploration and mining should occur, collectively protect and manage the environment, and help remote communities thrive by improving access to the same essential services available elsewhere in B.C.
The agreement commits the parties to work together toward a long-term vision for reconciliation laid out in a step-by-step phased approach, which helps all parties work toward making B.C. a world-class mining jurisdiction. This includes advancing discussions on a foundation agreement and seeking federal participation in those negotiations. Additionally, the agreement sets a path for formalizing recognition of Tahltan rights and title and for co-designed, phased land-use planning in Tahltan Territory.
The Province will continue to work collaboratively with First Nations and engage with industry and stakeholders throughout the land-use planning process. Additional engagements and updates regarding the land-use planning processes will take place in the coming weeks and months.
As part of delivering on shared prosperity, B.C. and the Tahltan Central Government have advanced several agreements, including two consent-based decision-making agreements for the environmental assessments of the Eskay Creek and Red Chris mines.