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 seismic activity delaying the restart of Kakula mine operations, approval of the Oak Flat land swap for the Resolution Copper project, and the safe evacuation of all Kloof mine workers. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government plans to amend but proceed with Bill 5, which is designed to fast-track approvals of projects such as mines and highways, despite First Nations’ opposition citing treaty rights violations, as reported by CBC News. The amendment would add a duty to consult clause to the bill and introduce Indigenous-led economic zones alongside “special economic zones” that could exempt projects from provincial laws. First Nations leaders have called for the bill’s repeal, warning of conflict if it passes. The government has pledged to consult fully before designating zones like the Ring of Fire region. 

On Thursday, a U.S. federal appeals court temporarily permitted U.S. President Trump to continue collecting tariffs under emergency powers, pausing a lower court decision from Wednesday that had initially voided most of his trade policies, as reported by CBC News. The Trump administration maintained that the pause is “critical for the country's national security.” 

Wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are disrupting several mineral projects this week. Near Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Alamos Gold has temporarily halted work and evacuated most staff due to fires encroaching on its Lynn Lake gold project, as reported by The Northern Miner. Due to a separate fire approaching Flin Flon, Manitoba, Hudbay Minerals is evacuating its site, keeping only essential personnel for emergency support, while Canadian Gold has suspended drilling at its nearby Tartan gold project. In Saskatchewan, firefighters are actively working to protect Foran Mining’s McIlvenna Bay project site near Denare Beach as a fire, currently uncontained and spanning 29,400 hectares, continues to threaten the area. The company shared last week that all non-essential staff and contractors were being withdrawn from the site. 

Following the suspension of operations at its Kakula underground copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 20, Ivanhoe Mines shared that ongoing seismic events could continue for weeks, prolonging the shutdown, as reported by The Globe and Mail. Ivanhoe is working on a dewatering plan as water inflow has damaged pumping and electrical equipment. Due to this uncertainty, the company withdrew its production and copper forecasts for its Kamoa-Kakula complex, with no clear timeline for when operations might restart. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the Native American non-profit group Apache Stronghold’s appeal to stop the transfer of Arizona’s Oak Flat site to the Resolution Copper project, as reported by The Associated Press. An Apache member called the ruling a “heavy blow” but said the group plans to continue fighting in the U.S. Congress and courts, arguing that the land is sacred and that the land swap threatens their religious rights as well as spiritual and ecological preservation. The project, backed by Rio Tinto and BHP, has the potential to be the largest copper producer in North America. 

Sibanye-Stillwater confirmed that all 260 workers who were trapped during a May 22 incident at shaft 7 of the company’s Kloof underground gold mine in South Africa were safely brought to surface on May 23. No injuries occurred, and safety inspections were completed before evacuation. Operations will remain suspended pending full risk assessments. 

Anfield Energy’s Velvet-Wood uranium and vanadium project in Utah was approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on May 27, after the agency completed its environmental review within the 14-day deadline imposed under the Trump Administration’s new emergency permitting rules. The company first submitted its plan of operations in May 2024. Anfield also plans to restart its nearby Shootaring Canyon uranium mill. The Velvet-Wood project, acquired in 2015, has estimated mine-related capital costs of US$15.3 million. 

Cameco has donated $10 million to the University of Saskatchewan to support new nuclear energy and resource management programs and encourage northern and Indigenous students to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The investment also aims to support faculty research via a mining and nuclear energy technology accelerator, and expand scholarships, work placements and future industry-academic collaborations. 

The rationale for the departure of Rio Tinto’s CEO Jakob Stausholm later this year, which was unexpectedly announced last week, is emerging in reporting from Reuters. Stausholm was reportedly opposed to demands from the company board, such as cost-cutting after years of expansion in lithium, copper and iron ore, and they mutually agreed to part ways. Internal candidates, including Simon Trott, Bold Baatar and Jérôme Pécresse, are being considered as possible successors. 

A recently released guidance document from ICMM aims to help mining companies work toward a nature-positive future by restoring and preserving biodiversity at their sites, with achieving net biodiversity gain as a key objective, as reported by Kelsey Rolfe for the May issue of CIM Magazine. The document outlines a seven-step process to help companies establish biodiversity baselines at their operations, minimize environmental impacts, monitor biodiversity indicators and report on their progress. 

Block caving, a mass mining method that uses gravity to fragment ore, is common in large global copper and gold mines but rare in Canada, as reported by Lynn Greiner for the March/April issue of CIM Magazine. New Gold’s New Afton gold-copper mine in B.C. is currently the only Canadian mine making use of this technique. Other projects, including the Red Chris gold and copper mine in B.C., are advancing towards developing block caving operations. Although costly and complex, block caving can offer efficient, large-scale ore extraction for certain low-grade porphyry deposits, making it useful for accessing deep resources as demand for copper and other metals grows. 

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?