Government touts Manitoba as mining-friendly province at mineral industry conference – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – March 10, 2023)

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

Province is giving $3.5 million in various grants to mining, Indigenous and economic development organizations as well as to companies conducting mineral exploration in the province.

Manitoba’s government touted its credentials as a mining-focused and mining-friendly jurisdiction in the first week of March, sending a delegation to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto and announcing mineral-related funding for various organizations and companies.

Economic Development Minister Jeff Wharton said in a March 6 press release that Manitoba’s representatives at the conference, which attracted more than 1,100 visitors, 2,500 investors and 23,000 attendees, would be holding discussions and meetings with industry stakeholders and also distributing technical and marketing materials to conference participants.

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Proposed gold mine for Lynn Lake receives federal approval – by Katherine Dow (CTV News Winnipeg – March 7, 2023)

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/

An open-pit gold mine and metal mill proposed for development near Lynn Lake, Man. has received approval from the federal government, a move that a town administrator says could lead to hundreds of jobs and a much-needed economic boost.

In a news release Monday, Canada’s environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault said the mine and mill proposed by Alamos Gold were subject to a ‘robust federal review.’

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Mining company set to invest $176M in new concentrator – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – February 28, 2023)

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

THE owners of the only producing lithium mine in the country are preparing to invest $176 million to build a new concentrator in Manitoba, which may be a precursor to an even larger investment in the province.

Tantalum Mining Corp. of Canada Ltd., which owns the lithium Tanco Mine near Lac du Bonnet, has already begun preliminary work on the site and is in discussions with neighbouring Sagkeeng First Nation. Consultants are preparing the information needed to apply for permits.

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Stacy Kennedy first woman appointed as permanent head of Vale Manitoba Operations – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – February 22, 2023)

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

Vale’s Manitoba Operations will be permanently overseen by a woman for the first time come March 1, when Stacy Kennedy takes over the top job in Thompson.

Kennedy, who has previously served as interim general manager of Manitoba Operations and interim mine manager, inherits the role from Gary Annett, who is returning to his home of Sudbury, Ontario, where he will continue to work for the company, said a Feb. 22 Vale Canada press release. “I’m really excited to be taking on this role at a time when there’s a real shift happening in the mining industry,” said Kennedy in a press release.

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Snow Lake investor battle brings raw energy to Manitoba lithium project – by Staff (Mining.com – December 15, 2022)

https://www.mining.com/

A shareholder rift over millions of dollars in executive pay at Snow Lake Resources (NASDAQ: LITM) is rattling the explorer’s plans to develop a lithium project in northwest Manitoba.

Management postponed a shareholder’s meeting today until January after an investors’ group that controls 42% of the company said it would try to vote out chief executive officer Philip Gross, chief operating officer Derek Knight and chief financial officer Mario Miranda.

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Manitoba’s promises on mining have northern leaders hopeful – by Dave Baxter (O.Canada.com – December 10, 2022)

https://o.canada.com/

Leaders in Manitoba’s north say it can’t be understated how important the mining industry is to the region, and that is why recent promises from the premier and the province have them optimistic about the future of their communities, and the future of northern Manitoba.

During last month’s throne speech in Winnipeg, Premier Heather Stefanson claimed the Manitoba government understands and recognizes the importance of economic stability and success in northern Manitoba communities.

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Norway House community members voice concerns on potential northern Manitoba nickel mine – by Ethan Butterfield (CBC News Manitoba – November 22, 2022)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

Members of Norway House Cree Nation raised concerns about information sharing, environmental impacts and community employment at a consultation for a potential nickel mine in the area.

Last Thursday, Flying Nickel Mining Corporation and the Government of Manitoba hosted a public consultation around the Minago Nickel Project — a possible development following a memorandum of understanding that was signed by the First Nation’s chief and Flying Nickel in February. The mine could be under construction starting in 2024.

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Manitoba juniors look to capitalize on lithium fever – by James Snell (Northern Miner – September 27, 2022)

Global mining news

With lithium prices at a record high – around US$71,000 a tonne for lithium carbonate – and demand for green technology surging, a cadre of exploration and development companies is looking to Manitoba as a source for the essential battery metal – and governments are signalling their approval.

Snow Lake Lithium (NASDAQ: LITM), which is drilling and expanding historical spodumene pegmatite deposits on its 223.8-sq.-km Thompson Brothers project in northwest Manitoba, is leading the charge. It plans to enter production by 2026 using the province’s 99% renewable hydroelectric power grid.

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‘This is a very, very big deal for Manitoba’ – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – September 24, 2022)

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

Snow Lake Resources working with LG Energy Solution to establish lithium supply chain in province

An important first step was taken on Thursday for Manitoba to aggressively insert itself into the global supply chain for lithium ion batteries, a product that is in red hot demand from vehicle manufacturers around the world.

LG Energy Solution, the second largest battery maker in the world, signed a memorandum of understanding with Snow Lake Resources to work together to potentially build Canada’s first lithium hydroxide processing plant in Winnipeg.

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Production to begin at Manitoba’s first potash mine – by Tyson Off (Sask Today – July 4, 2022)

https://www.sasktoday.ca/

Developed by the Potash and Agri Development Corporation of Manitoba.

RUSSELL – Manitoba’s first potash mine is set to begin production this summer at the Russell McAuley Deposit.

“It’s a private entity called Padcom (Potash and Agri Development Corporation of Manitoba) who has worked for…quite a few years on developing a potash mine in Manitoba,” said Cheryl Kingdon-Chartier, Mayor of Russell, Manitoba, adding, “that has now come to fruition – they’re hoping to start production, I believe, this summer.”

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Hudbay ends Flin Flon era with closure of 777 mine – by Jackson Chen (Canadian Mining Journal – June 22, 2022)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Hudbay Minerals (TSX: HBM; NYSE: HBM) has announced that mining activities at the 777 zinc-copper mine in Flin Flon, Man., have concluded after the reserves were depleted following 18 years of steady production. Closure activities at the mine have commenced, and employees and equipment are transitioning to the company’s operations in Snow Lake.

“777 was a state-of-the-art mine that represented the pinnacle of a century of shared success for Hudbay and Flin Flon,” stated Peter Kukielski, Hudbay’s president and CEO, in a news release. “Though the closure of 777 marks the end of a mining era in Flin Flon, we will continue with exploration activities in the region.

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1911 Gold begins tailings reprocessing at True North complex in Manitoba – by Jackson Chen (Canadian Mining Journal – June 23, 2022)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

1911 Gold (TSXV: AUMB; OTC: AUMBF) has begun tailings reprocessing operations at the True North complex at Bissett, Man., where it expects to process between 170,000 and 190,000 tonnes of historical tailings this year to recover approximately 3,500 to 4,000 oz. of gold.

Early in 2022, the company completed a sampling program to characterize the grade, thickness, grain-size and moisture content of the tailings in the targeted resource blocks to quantify the expected gold recovery.

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JV Article: Hudbay Minerals’ long and successful history in Manitoba continues with its Lalor mine near Snow Lake – by Staff (Northern Miner – May 16, 2022)

Global mining news

The city of Flin Flon in Manitoba has a rich and storied history of mining that began when gold was discovered around Amisk Lake at the start of the 20th century — the first major discovery of gold west of Ontario since the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s.

The focus then shifted to base metals when, according to local legend, in 1915, a prospector named Tom Creighton discovered a massive copper-zinc orebody in the area. He registered the strike under the name Flin Flon after Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, a character from a science fiction novel published a decade earlier.

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First Nations community, mining company sign on for “greenest” nickel mine – by Dave Baxter (Winnipeg Free Press – February 21, 2022)

https://winnipegsun.com/

A new agreement has been reached between a First Nations community and a nickel mining company that will soon see the “greenest” nickel mine in the world be built in Manitoba.

On Thursday, the Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN) and the Flying Nickel Mining Corporation announced in a media release they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will now see the two parties move forward on a project they said will see the lowest environmental impact nickel mine in the world be built on NHCN land.

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Northern Manitoba nickel mine expected to provide jobs, multimillion-dollar economic boost (CBC News Manitoba – February 17, 2022)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/

Limestone quarry project also has potential to net $450M for Norway House over 10 years

A new mine in northern Manitoba is expected to create hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in economic spinoff for Indigenous communities, according to the First Nation and the mining company partnering on the project.

Norway House Cree Nation and the Flying Nickel Mining Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding to move ahead with the Minago Nickel Project, which is being touted as the “greenest nickel mine,” according to a Thursday news release from the partners.

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