Welcome back to your weekly mining news recap, where we catch you up on some of the news you may have missed. This week’s headlines include more resistance in Panama to First Quantum’s deal, B.C. mineral claims system does not meet the duty to consult and more money for UBC researchers to develop new laser technology to analyze geochemistry. 

B.C.’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation has denied an exploration permit for Torr Metals Inc.’s Lantham copper-gold project after objections from the Tahltan First Nation, as reported by Business in Vancouver. Tahltan nation has often approved mining projects, but the Lantham project is located in the culturally sensitive Gnat Pass area of the so-called “Golden Triangle” in northeast B.C.

Sumitomo Metal Mining has invested $16.9 million in Canadian battery producer Nano One Materials Corporation for an approximately five per cent equity stake, and announced a partnership to produce materials for the manufacture of cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, as reported by Mining.com. Canada and Japan signed a critical minerals agreement earlier this year to cooperate on creating secure supply chains. Nano One is planning a lithium iron phosphate plant near its pilot facility in Candiac, Quebec.

The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (CMHF) has inducted David Ross Bell, Ross D. Lawrence, William E. Roscoe, John T. Postle and Eric Sprott. The five individuals have contributed to Canada’s mining industry in areas such as geological exploration, mining consulting, junior mining investment and economic analysis of mining projects. They will be recognized at the CMHF’s annual gala dinner on January 11, 2024, in Toronto.

After unionized construction workers at First Quantum Minerals’ Cobre Panama mine blocked highways in protest of the proposed contract between the Canadian miner and the Panamanian government, the country’s legislators added their own roadblock by suspending the debate on the contract on Thursday, as reported by Reuters. The government is seeking further revisions before it will be debated. The mine, which produced 350,000 tonnes of copper in 2022, was ordered to stop production last December.

The B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the province’s mineral claims system does not comply with the government’s duty to consult with Indigenous groups, as reported by the CBC. The courts have ordered the B.C. government to fix the system within 18 months, although the ruling will not affect any currently approved mines. The suit, brought about by the Gitxaała Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation groups, argued that the system of automatically granting registration of claims to those who applied on a government website did not constitute consultation.

UBC researchers received $520,000 to develop new sensors that will better identify and classify the minerals in drill core samples. The researchers plan to apply a form of laser spectroscopy known as laser ablation to develop a more accurate method for the geochemical analysis.

In the August issue of CIM Magazine, Ailbhe Goodbody talked to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology’s Donald Henderson about his work supervising fossil excavation from Alberta’s oil sands operations. The found fossils are from the early Cretaceous Period and are all approximately 110-115 million years old. Since the first discovery in 1992, fossilized marine reptiles called plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs have been discovered roughly every two years in the oil sands, as well as one dinosaur.

BHP announced a $2.6 million partnership with Indspire, a Canadian charity that provides scholarships to Indigenous students and educators. The money will be granted over three years and will expand Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures campaign, which provides hundreds of post-secondary bursaries to Indigenous students annually.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) released its new guidance on Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure in early September, wrote Kelsey Rolfe for CIM Magazine. The aim is to standardize Scope 3 reporting practices throughout the industry. The guidance, which was based on the GHG Protocol and adapted to the mining industry, was developed over 18 months and follows a 2021 commitment from ICMM for its member companies to reach net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.

That’s all for this week. If you’ve got feedback, you can always reach us at editor@cim.org. If you’ve got something to add, why not join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram pages?

CORRECTION: B.C. Supreme Court did not rule that the permitting system was unconstitutional, but rather the current mineral claims system does not satisfy the duty to consult with Indigenous groups.