NICKEL BELT – GREATER SUDBURY – MP Serré appreciates the recent increased provincial focus on critical minerals, with the unveiling of Ontario’s critical minerals strategy made by Premier Ford in mid-March. After all, the industry employs more than 28,000, including many Indigenous peoples, in Northern Ontario and generates roughly $5.5 billion in annual revenue for the area. The plan is most welcomed as it builds upon many important investments and objectives already set out by the Federal Government in recent years and pre-empted in the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) released in 2019.

The CMMP was launched as a foundational roadmap to capitalize on Canada’s mining powerhouse track record. It includes a vision, principles, and strategic directions that governments, industry, and stakeholders can pursue to drive industry competitiveness and long-term success. The CMMP was also designed with foresight and now supports the pivot of the industry as it enters a green renaissance and looks to attract more investors while protecting the environment simultaneously.

The plan is also combined with timely monetary investments. In the recently tabled 2022 Federal budget major investments were committed to support the sector:

• $144 million to critical minerals research and development to support the responsible extraction and processing of critical minerals
• $40 million to support northern regulatory processes in reviewing and permitting critical minerals projects
• $80 million to public geoscience and exploration programs to help find the next generation of critical minerals deposits
• $1.5 billion for new infrastructure investments to unlock new mineral projects in critical regions, such as the Ring of Fire + more

Since his election in 2015, and during his appointment as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, MP Serré has actively championed the region’s mining capacity and helped bolster its potential by engaging with stakeholders while advocating for more Federal funding and appropriate legislation. In recent years, investments such as $40 million for CEMI’s Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network, annual Federal support for the Northern Ontario pavilion at PDAC, and an intern for MineConnect (formerly SAMSSA), amongst many others, were made further enhancing the unique potential that exists in the North.

Nickel Belt-Greater Sudbury has greatly benefitted economically from the mining and the service and supply sector’s resilience- especially throughout the pandemic- and will continue to do so with a supportive MP and engaged Federal government at the helm. During budget 2022 consultations, MP Serré engaged with Minister Freedland to advocate for additional benefits for this sector.

“When you consider the magnitude of Canada’s global mining footprint, with over $169 billion in mining assets across the world, and the $44 billion in revenue nationally, you can understand the emphasis placed on the growth and development of this sector. Locally in Nickel Belt, the mining sector plays a role in keeping youth in the North, with attractive good paying jobs and innovation happening right here at home.

I will continue to work directly with educational leaders like NORCAT, and Cambrian College and with industry to ensure our region remains at the forefront of mining’s electrification. I’m proud of the work accomplished so far, but there is more work to do, more global partnerships to build, and we must adopt circular economy models already proving fruitful globally,” said Serré.

“Other countries look to Canada and Canadian companies for the way we build partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, that we build local communities, and that we protect the environment.  We have the tools and the expertise to import, export and attract foreign investments. Local projects like the opening of IAMGOLD near Gogama, and the prospect of developing the Ring of Fire in a sustainable way, is exciting for the North. With the robust 2022 Federal Budget tabled and the newly announced 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Canada’s Next Steps to Clean Air and a Strong Economic plan, I am confidently looking forward to the many positive investments surely to be included,” he concluded.

As the race to develop renewable technologies heats up, domestic electric vehicle and battery manufacturing is being prioritized with heavy Federal investments. This is welcomed news from innovators and stakeholders in Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury that have laid a solid foundation and are dedicated to growing their SMEs and supply chain.  

Canada must seize the opportunity to remain world leaders in critical mineral mining and renewable technologies. MP Serré remains at the service of the mining sector and other critical local industries. He will continue to work with Chambers of Commerce, innovators, and experts in the field to ensure Nickel Belt is part of an economically prosperous path forward.

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Media Contact
Kaylie Dudgeon
Special Assistant, Marc G. Serré MP for Nickel Belt
[email protected]
705-507-2416