The Canadian Mineral Imperative – by Amanda Van Dyke (Substack – Jun 1, 2026)
Canada has officially slipped into recession, a downturn the author deems avoidable given the nation’s abundant natural resources. The country boasts the world’s second‑largest landmass and holds vast reserves of oil, gas, uranium, potash, gold, copper, nickel, iron ore, lithium and other critical minerals. Its geographic proximity to the United States—its largest trading partner—offers a tariff‑free gateway for these commodities. Yet, despite these advantages, Canada’s economy is contracting, prompting calls for a renewed focus on the mining sector.
A Critical Opportunity for B.C.’s Mining Sector – by Mehanaz Yakub (CIM Magazine – May 29, 2026)
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada report finds British Columbia uniquely positioned to become a leading global supplier of critical minerals. The study highlights unprecedented alignment among federal, provincial and Indigenous stakeholders to fast‑track mine development. Public opinion now views mining as...
Deep Sea Mining Part 2 – by Amanda Van Dyke (Substack – May 17, 2026)
Amanda van Dyke’s Substack piece explains that the ocean is not a uniform expanse but a vertical planet with ecosystems ranging from sunlit surface waters to the abyssal plains targeted for deep‑sea mining. The article contrasts the biologically rich epipelagic...
Minerals Framework: Signal, Network and Paradox – by Jiang Zhiyou (Modern Diplomacy – May 29, 2026)
On May 26, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar signed the U.S.-India Critical Minerals Framework during a Quad foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi. The agreement coincides with the launch of the...
Can Canada Produce Its Own Supply of Phosphate for Fertilizer? – by Robert Arnason (Canadian Cattleman – May 27, 2026)
Canadian farmers have been paying roughly $1,200 per tonne for monoammonium phosphate fertilizer for four years, despite no global shortage of phosphate rock. A 2023 discovery by Norway’s Norge Mining claims a 70 billion‑tonne phosphate deposit, nearly matching the USGS‑estimated 74 billion‑tonne...
Aluminum Market Facing ‘Serious and Prolonged Supply Outage’ – by Andrew Topf (Oil Price.com – May 27, 2026)
The war in Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a historic supply outage in the aluminum market, ending two decades of structural oversupply. Shipping bottlenecks are restricting both raw bauxite imports and primary aluminum...
Panama Ready to Unveil Key Audit on First Quantum Copper Mine – by Staff (Mining.com – May 28, 2026)
Panama will publish the final third‑party audit of First Quantum Minerals’ Cobre Panamá copper mine on Friday, amid renewed anti‑mining protests. The audit, now in its technical verification stage, follows six preliminary reports and is being released by Environment Minister Juan...
BHP, Fortescue Warn China’s Influence over Iron Ore Will only Grow – by Peter Ker and James Thomson (Australian Financial...
Australia’s two largest iron‑ore producers, BHP and Fortescue, warned that China’s state‑backed steel cartel is tightening its grip on the sector. Protracted contract talks between BHP and China Mineral Resources Group, which represents roughly 80% of Chinese steel mills, ended...
Construction on ‘Gateway to the Ring of Fire’ to Start Soon in Northwestern Ontario – by Sarah Law (CBC News...
Ontario has approved a $61.8 million CAD (≈ $45 million USD) Geraldton Main Street Rehabilitation Project, slated to begin construction soon. The three‑year build will connect Highway 11 with Highway 584, creating the first road segment toward the mineral‑rich Ring of Fire in the James...
SQM Targets 300,000t of Lithium per Year in Chile and Moves Forward with Codelco on the Salar Futuro Project Worth...
SQM reported a strong first quarter in 2026 and announced plans to lift its Chilean lithium output toward 300,000 tonnes per year. The company, together with state‑owned Codelco in the Nova Andino Litio joint venture, will submit an environmental impact...
Mining Industry Warned: Certainty Requires Partnership with First Nations – by Jacqueline M. St. Pierre (Sudbury Star – MAy 25,...
At the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, the Anishinabek Nation warned that certainty in critical‑mineral projects cannot be achieved without genuine partnership with First Nations. Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige emphasized that sidelining Indigenous rights undermines the...
Fertiliser: The Forgotten History Linking the Agricultural Commodity and Empire in Wartime – by Lorenzo Feltrin (The Conversation – May...
Fertiliser, long treated as a simple agricultural input, has been a strategic resource shaping imperial ambitions and wartime logistics for over a century. Recent US and Israeli actions against Iran have disrupted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key...
B.C., Gitxaała Nation Welcome Supreme Court Hearing for Controversial Mineral Rights Case – by Emily Fagan (CBC News British Columbia...
The British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled that the province’s mining claim process violated the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). The government appealed, and the Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to hear the case....
Pentagon Doubts over Rare Earths Deal Provoke White House Clash – by Joe Deaux and Kate O’Keeffe (Mining.com – May...
The Pentagon is reconsidering an $80 million conditional loan to rare‑earths refiner ReElement Technologies after internal doubts about the company’s ability to scale its technology and meet revenue forecasts. The loan, announced in November as part of a broader effort to...
Agnico Eagle CEO Bets on Arctic Barge Shipping to Keep Costs Low at Hope Bay Gold Mine (Arctic Today –...
Agnico Eagle is committing $2.4 billion to restart the Hope Bay gold mine in Nunavut, aiming to produce gold at less than $1,000 per ounce. CEO Ammar Al‑Joundi told Reuters the company will rely on barge transport through the Northwest Passage...