The Manitoba government believes the province could be a leading critical minerals jurisdiction and they are working to make it so.
The Manitoba Critical Minerals Strategy: Driving Sustainable Growth, released in July, is a 36-page report is designed to entice investors, prospectors, mining companies and electric vehicle battery and component manufacturers to Manitoba.
Jeff Wharton, Manitoba’s minister of economic development, investment and trade is excited about the strategy and using it to unlock the province’s critical minerals potential.
“Manitoba is so well positioned. We’re in a unique position right now… Manitoba has 29 of 31 critical minerals identified in the federal critical minerals strategy, including the top six identified for their distinct potential to grow our economy,” says Wharton during an interview with Electric Autonomy.
“Critical minerals like lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and those rare earth minerals…are going to help us grow a green economy and help our neighbors in other jurisdictions, whether it be east, west, north or south.”
The strategy has been founded on six key pillars. These areas of strategic priority for Manitoba are:
- Building global awareness of Manitoba’s competitive advantages;
- Advancing Indigenous involvement in the mineral economy;
- Creating access to high-quality geoscience information;
- Streamlining regulatory and permitting processes;
- Building a supportive ecosystem of value-added activities; and
- Establishing targeted training and skills development pathways.
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