Ontario's Minister of Mines visits Sudbury
Ontario's Minister of Mines highlighted the Critical Mineral Innovation Fund during a tour of Sudbury on Monday.
George Pirie spoke of the funding during a tour of Dynamic Earth, reaffirming the $15 million promised in the 2024 budget.
"We have everything the world needs in northern Ontario and this is our time to take advantage of a generational opportunity," Pirie said.
"Sudbury, Timmins and Thunder Bay, and other regions in the north, all have a part to play in mining in Ontario."
The Critical Mineral Innovation Fund was first introduced in 2022 as part of the Critical Mineral Strategy to address supply chain challenges and strengthen the industry.
Pirie also shone a spotlight on two local recipients of the fund: Vale and the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research (MIRARCO).
Vale received $500,000 to work with MIRARCO to improve the mining giant's sustainability goals.
Glen Watson, senior sustainability specialist with Vale, said the partnership provided the industry giant an excellent opportunity.
"The (fund) has allowed us to work with an excellent research facility right in our backyard and looking at waste materials as a resource instead of a liability," Watson said.
"It has been really important in not only funding some fundamental and applied research, but also engaging in industry directly," said Nadia Mykytczuk, CEO of MIRARCO.
"I think the biggest challenge in addressing critical minerals demand is putting pressure on the mining industry, and yet they’re looking for new tools for other sources like waste, how do we go after something that had been sitting out for over 100 years and extract those critical minerals sustainably."
Pirie will also be speaking at the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities Conference.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.