Investing to Make Canada a Global Critical Minerals Superpower

On March 3, 2025, at the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced 32 projects representing a total investment up to $50 million  to support the development of Canada’s critical mineral value chains to create good jobs, support economic opportunities, bolster our energy security by reducing reliance on authoritarian governments and contribute to a resilient and secure future.  

The investments announced today will support infrastructure development, innovation and data collection while partnering with Indigenous communities on the engagement, participation and capacity building needed to achieve Canada’s potential as a world leader in sustainable and responsibly sourced critical minerals. This support includes:

• Up to $38.5 million in conditional funding, pending final due diligence, under the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) for eight projects to undertake pre-construction activities, such as engagement with Indigenous communities, environmental reviews and other planning and design work.
• Up to $6.4 million under the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program for two projects to help drive innovation in Canada’s critical minerals sector and to develop cutting-edge technologies that will foster a resilient Canadian economy.
• Up to $2.5 million under the Indigenous Natural Resource Partnerships (INRP) program for two projects to increase the economic participation of Indigenous communities and organizations in the development of natural resource projects that support the transition to a clean energy future.
• Up to $1.5 million under the CMIF Indigenous Grants program for eighteen projects to increase Indigenous engagement, capacity building and knowledge gathering and sharing activities related to clean energy and transportation projects that would enable critical minerals development.
• Up to $1 million under the Critical Minerals Geoscience Data (CMGD) initiative for two projects to advance the availability of valuable data and insights on the location, quality and economic feasibility of critical mineral resources in Canada.

Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF)

The CMIF is Natural Resources Canada’s flagship program under the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to support enabling clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects necessary to increase Canada’s supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals and the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy.

Project Name: Denison Mines – Transmission Line / Access Road Development 
Recipient: Denison Mines Corp.
Location: Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $4,534,315 
Project Summary: Denison Mines Corp. will undertake technical assessments and other preconstruction work on the transportation and energy infrastructure to support development of the Phoenix, Gryphon and Tthe Heldeth Túé uranium projects in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. This work will include exploring options for electrification of the mines, planning to connect to the provincial power grid and planning for access roads to link potential uranium production to market.

Project Name: Infrastructure Projects to Unlock the Clearwater Lithium Project 
Recipient: E3 Lithium Ltd.
Location: Mountain View County, Alberta
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $4,700,000 
Project Summary: E3 Lithium will undertake preconstruction work on transportation and energy infrastructure necessary to develop the Clearwater Project near Red Deer, Alberta. This will include studies to assess sourcing produced water from internal recycle streams and the raw brine and to assess transportation upgrades to support industrial traffic, as well as exploring energy options to produce lithium from brine.

Project Name: Green Bay Copper-Gold Project Power Assessment 
Recipient: Firefly Metals Canada Limited
Location: Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $618,125  
Project Summary: FireFly Metals Canada Limited will undertake preconstruction work on energy infrastructure necessary to develop the Green Bay Copper-Gold Project near Baie Verte, Newfoundland and Labrador. This will include exploring connection to the provincial power grid to support new copper production.

Project Name: Electrification of Victoria Critical Mineral Mine 
Recipient: FNX Mining Company Inc.
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $839,000    
Project Summary: FNX Mining Company Inc. will undertake preconstruction work on battery electric vehicle charging stations and related energy infrastructure necessary to develop the Victoria Mine near Sudbury, Ontario, for new copper, nickel and platinum group metals production. This will include exploring a battery energy storage system and battery electric vehicles feasibility.

Project Name: Huckleberry Mine Alternate Copper Concentrate Haulage Concept  
Recipient: Huckleberry Mines Ltd.
Location: Houston, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $1,072,500    
Project Summary: Imperial Metals Corporation will undertake preconstruction work on transportation infrastructure necessary to develop the Huckleberry mine near Houston in northwestern British Columbia. This will include exploring transporting new copper and molybdenum production on barges from the mine site to markets via the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Project Name: Clean Energy Power Projects at Huckleberry Mines 
Recipient: Huckleberry Mines Ltd.
Location: Houston, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $900,000     
Project Summary: Imperial Metals Corporation will undertake preconstruction work on energy infrastructure necessary to develop the Huckleberry mine near Houston in northwestern British Columbia. This will include exploring renewable energy technologies at the mine site for new copper and molybdenum production.

Project Name: BC Hydro Transmission Line for Northwest B.C. Mines
Recipient: British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Location: Northwestern, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $25,000,000   
Project Summary: BC Hydro and Power Authority will undertake technical assessments and conceptual designs for two transmission line segments, which would generate a route for the transmission line, cost estimates for implementation, engagement with and capacity funding for impacted Indigenous groups, site assessments and more.

Project Name: Wicheeda REE Project
Recipient: Defense Metals Corp.
Location: Bear Lake, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount (up to): $853,825 
Project Summary: Defense Metals Corp. will undertake a feasibility study including powerline engineering, environmental baseline studies, archaeology and Indigenous engagement to assess the construction of a 46-km transmission line to the provincial grid and distribute power to the Defense Metals’ Wicheeda project located northeast of Prince George, B.C. McLeod Lake Indian Band is a minority equity partner in the mine and is involved in decision-making processes through an established co-design agreement with Defense Metals.

Critical Minerals Research Development and Demonstration (CMRDD)

The CMRDD aims to advance the commercial readiness of emerging mineral processing unit operations or technologies that will support the development of zero-emission-vehicle value chains in Canada by providing raw material inputs for use in batteries and permanent magnets. CMRDD is supporting the development of innovative processing technologies for the critical minerals industry. Through federal research and development and contributions funding, projects are advancing technological solutions at various stages of development..

Project Name: Catalytic Methane Pyrolysis to Produce Low-Emission Graphite
Recipient: Innova Hydrogen Corp.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
NRCan Funding Amount: $1,400,000
Project Summary: The project objective is to advance Innova Hydrogen’s innovative catalytic methane pyrolysis technology. This project aims to demonstrate the scalability and effectiveness of converting natural gas into emission-free graphite and hydrogen. The pilot will assess and validate the quality and volume of graphite produced while addressing key operational challenges related to handling, storing and transporting graphite in a continuous, scaled-up process.

Project Name: Recovery of Nickel from Recycled Batteries and Non-Conventional Feedstocks via the Carbonyl Process
Recipient: Weber Manufacturing Technologies Inc.
Location: Midland, Ontario
NRCan Funding Amount: $5,000,000
Project Summary: The project proposes to develop and construct a pilot plant with the objective to extract nickel from a variety of non-pure, nickel-containing feedstocks via vapometallurgical processing, and to recover the nickel as nickel powder suitable for use in advanced battery manufacturing. The pilot plant will validate the efficacy of the extraction of a range of feed compositions and confirm control parameters associated with the morphologies of nickel powder product required by battery producers.

Indigenous Natural Resources Partnerships (INRP)

The INRP Program aims to increase the economic participation of Indigenous communities and organizations in the development of natural resource projects that support the transition to a clean energy future. The program funds projects that increase the capacity of Indigenous communities to engage in, benefit from, actively participate in and capitalize on economic development opportunities in the natural resource sectors; and projects that increase the investment and/or collaboration between Indigenous Peoples and other natural resource development stakeholders, including governments, industry and non-governmental organizations..

Project Name: A Geological Survey for Critical Minerals in the Gitsegukla Huwilp Territory 
Recipient: University of British Columbia (Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering)
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $1,100,000    
Project Summary: University of British Columbia’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, in partnership with Gitsegukla Huwilp, will develop expertise and a repository of geological knowledge related to critical minerals and mining in the Gitsegukla Huwilp Territories. Gitsegukla Huwilp and Simgigyet members will be trained in the necessary prospecting and mineral exploration skills to enable their employment in mineral exploration projects and to support knowledge-based decision making in the development of mineral resources projects in their territory.  

Project Name: Critical Minerals Indigenous Information Series   
Recipient: Apeiron Environment Ltd.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
NRCan Funding Amount: $1,400,000     
Project Summary: Apeiron Environment’s project will equip First Nations and Métis with a foundational level of awareness and understanding to support community-level Indigenous engagement and decision making in critical minerals policy, development and oversight.

Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund (CMIF) – Indigenous Grants

The Indigenous Grants Program is an avenue for support under the CMIF that funds Indigenous engagement, capacity building and knowledge-gathering and -sharing activities related to clean energy and transportation projects that enable critical minerals developments.

Project Name: Internal Capacity to Engage on Critical Mineral Projects    
Recipient: Manitoba Métis Federation -– National Government of the Red River Métis
Location: Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $150,000    
Project Summary: The Manitoba Métis Federation will develop internal capacity to engage on critical minerals infrastructure projects, including by hosting engagement sessions, collecting Red River Métis traditional knowledge and attending training session and conferences.  

Project Name: Guardianship Training for Prairie Creek Access Road     
Recipient: Naha Dehe Park Corporation 
Location: Nahanni Butte, Northwest Territories  
NRCan Funding Amount: $150,000    
Project Summary: The Naha Dehe Park Corporation, a not-for-profit organization formed to co-manage Nahanni National Park Reserve with Parks Canada on behalf of the Naha Dehe Dene Band and the Dehcho First Nations, will undertake capacity-building activities through environmental guardian training to support the monitoring of environmental impacts associated with the construction of an all-season access road to the proposed Prairie Creek mine.

Project Name: Collaborative Participation in Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Development for the Sherridon Copper-Zinc Project   
Recipient: Kiciwapa Cree Nation Association Inc.
Location: Sherridon, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $75,000 
Project Summary: Kiciwapa Cee Nation will provide environmental monitoring training to members of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation who live in the community of Sherridon, and will hire a part-time exploration manager to support community members’ participation in T2 Metals Inc.’s Sherridon project access road and exploration activities.

Project Name: Meaningful Engagement and Participation in Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Development   
Recipient: Kiciwapa Cree Nation Association Inc.
Location: Sherridon, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $75,000      
Project Summary: Kiciwapa Cree Nation will hire a full-time community coordinator who will engage the project proponent on the development of exploration access roads within KCN’s traditional territory, as well as provide context and information on KCN’s a consultation and accommodation protocol, to be developed, to ensure meaningful engagement with proponents.

Project Name: Record Ridge Magnesium Mining Project Access Road   
Recipient: Osoyoos Indian Band 
Location: Greenwood, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $49,952     
Project Summary: Osoyoos Indian Band will undertake a community consultation process to ensure free, prior and informed consent for the access road that will service the Record Ridge magnesium project, with a focus on the impacts and requirements for the infrastructure. Activities will include community information sessions and a final report that could inform future regulatory processes.

Project Name: Meaningful Participation in Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Development for the Donner Lithium Project   
Recipient: Fort Alexander Indian Band operating as Sagkeeng First Nation 
Location: Fort Alexander, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000     
Project Summary: Sagkeeng First Nation will hire a full-time community coordinator and two part-time Sagkeeng First Nation youth to host community engagement sessions related to the selection of an access road route and to development activities for the Donner Lithium project.

Project Name: Casino Project Access Road   
Recipient: Selkirk First Nation 
Location: Pelly Crossing, Yukon

NRCan Funding Amount: $75,000    
Project Summary: Selkirk First Nation will provide land guardian training to First Nation staff and community members for the environmental monitoring of impacts related to the construction of an access road to the Casino mine.

Project Name: Meaningful Engagement and Participation in Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Development
Recipient: Kiciwapa Cree Nation Association Inc.
Location: Flin Flon, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to hire a consultant to deliver two training modules focused on engagement with critical minerals exploration companies and to support engagement on critical minerals exploration projects requiring the development of access roads in the Flin Flon–Snow Lake Greenstone belt of western central Manitoba.

Project Name: Meaningful Engagement and Participation in Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Development
Recipient: Kiciwapa Cree Nation Association Inc.
Location: Flin Flon, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to hire a consultant to deliver two training modules focused on engagement with junior exploration companies and engage with critical minerals exploration companies about the development of access roads within KCN’s traditional territory.

Project Name: Osoyoos Indian Band – Phoenix Copper Mine Transmission Lines
Recipient: Osoyoos Indian Band
Location: Greenwood, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to undertake a community engagement process to assess transmission line infrastructure that will service the Phoenix copper project. Activities will include community information sessions to discuss infrastructure specific impacts, meetings with the proponent and a final report to inform future regulatory processes for the transmission line infrastructure.

Project Name: Osoyoos Indian Band – Phoenix Copper Mine Access Road
Recipient: Osoyoos Indian Band
Location: Greenwood, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to undertake a community engagement process to assess access road infrastructure that will service the Phoenix copper project. Activities will include community information sessions to discuss infrastructure specific impacts, meetings with the proponent and a final report to inform future regulatory processes for the access road infrastructure.

Project Name: Access Road Planning and Infrastructure Training and Development for the Minago Mickel Project
Recipient: Norway House Cree Nation
Location: Grand Rapids, Manitoba
NRCan Funding Amount: $75,000
Project Summary: The objective is to train community members to be involved in access road development for the Minago nickel mining project.

Project Name: Applications of Clean Energy Battery Storage (CEBS) Systems in Critical Mineral Exploration and Mining in B.C.
Recipient: British Columbia First Nations Energy and Mining Society
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
NRCan Funding Amount: $149,500
Project Summary: The objective is to develop a knowledge base and deliver an associated webinar to First Nations throughout British Columbia about clean energy battery storage (CEBS) applications in critical mineral projects.

Project Name: Critical Minerals Infrastructure Policy Gathering
Recipient: Métis National Council Secretariat Inc.
Location: Métis Crossing, Alberta
NRCan Funding Amount: $100,000
Project Summary: The objective is to host a policy gathering to discuss Métis participation in critical minerals infrastructure projects.

Project Name: Blueprint for Métis Investment Attraction and Review Agency
Recipient: Métis National Council Secretariat Inc.
Location: Métis Crossing, Alberta
NRCan Funding Amount: $150,000
Project Summary: The objective is to develop a blueprint for setting up a Métis Investment Attraction and Review Agency (MIARA) to evaluate potential for Métis participation in critical mineral infrastructure projects.

Project Name: Clean Energy Needs Assessment for the Martison Phosphate and Albany Graphite Projects
Recipient: Constance Lake First Nation
Location: Constance Lake, Ontario
NRCan Funding Amount: $75,000
Project Summary: The objective is to hire consultants and engage with stakeholders to inform development of a Clean Energy Needs Assessment to identify gaps in clean energy infrastructure for the Martison Phosphate and Albany Graphite projects.

Project Name: CLFN BESS SMART Grid System Feasibility Study for the Martison Phosphate and Albany Graphite Projects
Recipient: Constance Lake First Nation
Location: Constance Lake, Ontario
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to hire consultants and engage with stakeholders to conduct a pre-feasibility study for a battery storage (BESS) SMART Grid System. The study will evaluate the economic viability, socio-economic impact, and potential for advancing this clean energy infrastructure to support critical mineral mining.

Project Name: CLFN SMART GH2 (Green Hydrogen) System Feasibility Study for the Martison Phosphate and Albany Graphite Projects  
Recipient: Constance Lake First Nation
Location: Constance Lake, Ontario
NRCan Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Summary: The objective is to hire consultants and engage with stakeholders to conduct a pre-feasibility study for a SMART Green Hydrogen System. The study will evaluate the economic viability, socio-economic impact and potential for advancing this clean energy infrastructure for critical mineral mining, specifically, the Martison Phosphate and Albany Graphite projects.

Critical Minerals Geoscience and Data (CMGD)

The CMGD initiative aims to strengthen Canadian critical minerals supply chains and support the sustainable development of six priority minerals that are essential to key industries and national security (e.g. batteries, energy, defence, infrastructure). This goal will be achieved by funding initiatives to enhance access to important data and generating insights on the geological potential of new critical minerals sources in Canada. By harnessing the power of geoscience and data, we are paving the way for the responsible growth of industries reliant on these minerals and unlocking Canada’s critical mineral potential. 

Project Name: Building Nova Scotia’s Critical Mineral Inventory and Value Chain: Upstream Inventories for Downstream Applications   
Recipient: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
NRCan Funding Amount: $500,000    
Project Summary: This project will assess the potential for critical mineral development in Nova Scotia by studying both primary sources (such as new or existing mining sites) and secondary sources (such as historical mine tailings). It will also examine how these resources fit into the broader supply chain, ensuring they can be responsibly developed. Work will be undertaken with a sustainable development lens considering environment, societal, economic and Indigenous aspects.

Project Name: Holistically Modelling the Critical Mineral Potential of Nova Scotia  Recipient: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
NRCan Funding Amount: $499,880    
Project Summary: The objective is to create a model of the critical mineral potential in Nova Scotia, integrating a robust geological framework with spatial analyses of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations and economic feasibility. This model will provide factual insights to better understand emerging commodity inventories, encourage development, de-risk investment and inform land management decisions while training highly qualified personnel.