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 Teck shifting its focus to exporting zinc to Asian markets amid U.S. tariffs, MacLean Engineering unveiling a new electric vehicle-focused surface mining division, and Canada’s investment into the development of clean mining technology. 

At PDAC 2025 on Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced that the federal government will provide up to $120 million in conditionally approved funding to Frontier Lithium for its planned lithium conversion facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Ontario may contribute an additional $120 million. Frontier plans to mine and concentrate spodumene from its Pakegama (PAK) lithium project before processing it at the facility. Construction of the proposed refinery is set to start in 2027, with lithium chemical production expected in 2029.  

The Arctic Gateway Group (AGG), which owns and operates Manitoba’s Port of Churchill, has expanded its critical mineral export partnership with Hudbay Minerals Inc. Following last summer’s shipment of zinc concentrate from the port to international markets, the AGG plans to double the volume of critical minerals shipped through the port and triple its storage capacity. Last month, the Manitoba government allocated $36.4 million over two years to the AGG to support infrastructure projects at the port. 

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada, along with a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian energy, as reported by The Canadian Press. In response, Canada imposed retaliatory 25 per cent tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods, with an additional $125 billion in tariffs expected within 21 days. However, the following day, Trump announced a one-month exemption on tariffs on any vehicles coming into the U.S. through the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade (CUSMA), to give automakers time to “shift production here to the United States of America where they will pay no tariff.” Then, on Thursday, Trump signed an executive order pausing tariffs on goods meeting CUSMA requirements until April 2 and reducing tariffs on potash to 10 per cent beginning on or after March 7. In response, Ottawa suspended its planned second wave of retaliatory tariffs. 

In response to the tariffs, Teck Resources is eyeing Asia as a new market for its zinc instead of the U.S., as reported by Reuters. CEO Jonathan Price revealed at PDAC on Tuesday that the company has been reserving warehousing and looking to reserve port space in Canada to facilitate this shift. Teck produces 260,000 tonnes of refined zinc annually, and with the tariff situation, the company anticipates limited benefits to shipping to the U.S. as they will lead to higher commodity costs and inflation. 

On Feb. 27, MacLean Engineering announced the creation of a new surface mining division to expand its electric vehicle (EV) offerings, with the GR8 EV surface grader serving as its inaugural model. The GR8 will be deployed at Fortescue’s iron ore operations in Western Australia in the next few years. MacLean plans to expand its portfolio in the coming months with additional ancillary EV products to aid global surface mining decarbonization efforts.  

Canada is investing $5 million into the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation in Sudbury, Ontario, through its Strategic Innovation Fund to support the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) network, as reported by Engineering News. The MICA network is an initiative that aims to drive innovation in Canada’s mining industry by supporting the development and commercialization of clean technologies to help strengthen the country’s mineral supply chain and increase domestic and export sales of Canadian innovators. MICA recently launched its fourth national call for proposals on its website. 

Canada’s Supreme Court unanimously dismissed an appeal from the Saskatchewan government regarding a dispute with Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN-S) over whether the province followed due process in consultation on a uranium project, as reported by CBC News. The case, stemming from NexGen Energy’s exploration permits, centred on whether the province failed to properly consult MN-S on land and commercial harvesting rights in areas where MN-S had already asserted land claims, even if they were stayed and never resolved in court. The court ruled the judicial review could proceed, despite the province’s concerns about multiple cases on similar issues. MN-S aims to challenge Saskatchewan’s consultation practices, not prove land claims, and reaffirmed its support for NexGen’s Rook I uranium project in a March 4 statement.  

Wheaton Precious Metals announced ReThink Milling Inc. as the winner of its inaugural Future of Mining Challenge at PDAC on Wednesday, awarding the company US$1 million for its Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill and MonoRoll technologies. The challenge is aimed at finding scalable solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from mining operations. According to ReThink Milling, these comminution technologies have exceeded its goals of being 50 per cent more efficient, and using more than 50 per cent less energy, compared to traditional comminution circuits.  

Experts warn that occupational vibration exposure in mining workers can lead to serious health issues like musculoskeletal disorders, hand-arm vibration syndrome and mental health concerns, as reported by Sarah St-Pierre for the February issue of CIM Magazine. Despite its risks, vibration-related conditions are often under-recognized and inadequately prevented as the health effects may progress slowly. Experts emphasize the importance of awareness and prevention, such as using low-vibration tools and limiting exposure time. Research into mitigating vibration effects, including suspension seats for vehicles and better safety standards, is ongoing to protect workers from permanent injuries. 

In light of rising geopolitical instability, mining companies should prioritize adopting strong political and credit risk management strategies, including political risk insurance (PRI) and trade credit insurance (TCI), to obtain financing, manage operational costs and ensure project viability, argued Chantal Brazeau in the February issue of CIM Magazine. PRI is emphasized as a useful tool for improving project valuation and returns, while TCI can help mining companies improve liquidity and secure better financing, especially in volatile markets. 

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?