THUNDER BAY — The Ontario government is investing up to $10 million and launching the Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP) for 2025 to support early-stage mineral exploration. To support the government’s plan to protect Ontario, this investment will help junior mining companies and licensed prospectors cover early exploration and development costs. These projects have the potential to become future mining operations that will ­boost Ontario’s economic growth and resilience, create jobs and build secure supply chains amid increasing global demand and economic uncertainty from U.S. tariffs.

“Ontario is sitting on some of the most valuable critical mineral deposits in the world – and the global economy is knocking at our door,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines. “Supporting early exploration is how we unlock that potential. Ontario has an ambitious plan to accelerate responsible resource development along with cutting permitting timelines in half and enabling more exploration of our vast country. Together, we are identifying the next major Canadian resource projects that will create good-paying jobs, strengthens our economy and delivers lasting prosperity for communities across the province.”

As jurisdictions around the world seek stable, responsible sources of the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, Ontario is introducing two features in this intake that will help accelerate critical mineral projects:

1. New Prospector Stream: Licensed Ontario prospectors can now apply for up to $50,000 per project, with additional Indigenous Participation Support bringing the total potential funding to $65,000 per applicant.
2. Enhanced Indigenous Participation Funding: To support Indigenous employment and business opportunities has increased from $10,000 to $15,000 per project on top of core program funding.

Early exploration is often high-risk, with long odds of success – only about 1 in 1,000 chance of exploration projects becoming a mine. The uncertainty, combined with the need to operate in remote regions and challenging terrain, makes it difficult for companies to secure the necessary investment needed to move projects forward. By helping companies and prospectors offset these costs, Ontario is laying the groundwork for long-term growth in the mining sector.

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