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Celebrating 23 years in the industry, InvestorNews Inc. is the proud publisher of InvestorNews.com, your premier source for capital market and equity funding news. Known for unbiased reporting by elite analysts and seasoned journalists, InvestorNews presents online and in-person events via InvestorTalk C-presentation Q&A series. Investor.Coffee offers regular interviews and podcasts. They also spearhead the Critical Minerals Institute, promoting critical minerals essential for a decarbonized economy.
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Ucore Produces High-Purity Dysprosium and Secures Sumitomo for Louisiana Rare Earth Refinery
1w ago00:08:35Tap to summarizeUcore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU | OTCQX: UURAF) has reached two important milestones in its effort to establish a commercial rare earth separation business in North America: the production of 99.9% pure dysprosium oxide from real-world ionic clay concentrate and a new relationship with Sumitomo Corporation that connects feedstock supply, processing and prospective Japanese customers.In a recent interview with Jack Lifton, Ucore Chairman and CEO Pat Ryan said the company produced the dysprosium oxide at its RapidSX demonstration plant in Kingston, Ontario, using approximately two tonnes of concentrate. The material was not produced as a laboratory exercise. It was processed through a facility designed to replicate the operation of Ucore's planned commercial plant in Louisiana and is now being sent to prospective customers in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States for evaluation.The distinction is significant because the commercial market for dysprosium, a heavy rare earth used in high-performance permanent magnets, typically requires purity of approximately 99.5% for non-military applications. Ucore achieved 99.9%. Lifton, who has spent decades working in the rare earth industry, described the result as the first time in his professional experience that anyone had produced dysprosium at that purity outside a limited laboratory exercise.Ryan emphasized that the Kingston demonstration plant produced a final oxide that customers can qualify and ultimately purchase when commercial production begins in Louisiana. “It was not a laboratory development at all,” he said. “It was real-world ionic clay. We had two tons of concentrate. We ran it through our RapidSX demo plant in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, which is close in replication to a commercial plant.”Ucore's recently announced relationship with Sumitomo Corporation may be even more consequential. According to Ryan, the arrangement took more than two years of technical examination, site visits and due diligence to complete. Sumitomo studied the RapidSX platform repeatedly, visited the company's facilities in Kingston and Louisiana, and spoke directly with Ucore's scientists and chemists before deciding to proceed.Under the arrangement described by Ryan, Sumitomo will bring feedstock to Ucore for processing into saleable rare earth oxides at the Louisiana facility. Ucore will then provide those oxides back to Sumitomo or to identified Japanese magnet manufacturers and industrial customers with requirements for materials including yttrium, dysprosium, neodymium and praseodymium. This gives the planned refinery something that many proposed Western rare earth projects lack: a connection to both incoming feedstock and identifiable customers for its finished products.Ryan placed the relationship within the history of Japan's efforts to reduce its exposure to Chinese rare earth supply. After China restricted exports to Japan in 2010, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) supported Lynas Rare Earths Limited (ASX: LYC | OTCQX: LYSDY) as an alternative source of supply. Sixteen years later, Ryan believes Ucore has emerged as Japan's next important Western processing choice.“In the last two years with Ucore, it's probably the most significant thing we've done, because the Japanese don't do things like this,” Ryan said. “There's a lot of due diligence, a lot of careful thinking. They studied our processing platform, RapidSX, and what we were doing over and over, making visits to Louisiana and visits to Kingston, speaking with all the scientists and chemists. And they landed on: this is the right way to go forward.”To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4pf9uru
Transcribe →Fox Tungsten Advances One of the World's Highest-Grade Tungsten Projects as Fundamentals Strengthen
1w ago00:07:33Tap to summarizeAs tungsten emerges as one of the most strategically important critical minerals, investors are paying closer attention to the limited number of advanced projects positioned outside China. During a recent InvestorTalk hosted by InvestorNews, Stephen Gray, President, CEO and Director of Fox Tungsten Ltd. (TSXV: FOXT), discussed the company's flagship Fox Project in southern British Columbia, its fully funded exploration program, and the evolving dynamics of the global tungsten market.Gray believes the Fox Project distinguishes itself through grade. Averaging approximately 1% tungsten, he described it as potentially the highest-grade tungsten resource in the world, noting that at current prices the in-situ value is comparable to roughly 20 grams per tonne gold or 25% copper. Combined with existing infrastructure and a location in southern British Columbia, the project offers characteristics that are increasingly rare as governments and manufacturers seek secure sources of critical minerals outside China.The company recently completed a C$12.7 million bought-deal financing to fund its 20,000-metre drill program. According to Gray, the financing attracted participation from existing shareholders, including Waratah and PowerOne, as well as several new institutional investors. The proceeds are funding resource expansion drilling ahead of an updated mineral resource estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) expected in early 2027, while also advancing exploration across the company's district-scale land package, including the Silver Boss property.Gray, who became CEO seven months ago, said the company has undergone a significant transformation, including a new management team, an updated board, and a corporate rebranding. He believes those changes have positioned Fox Tungsten to execute an ambitious exploration strategy, with two drill rigs currently operating and assay results expected throughout the summer and into the fall.Market conditions have also shifted dramatically. Tungsten prices have risen sharply over the past year following Chinese export restrictions, but Gray argues that geopolitics tells only part of the story. He noted that Chinese domestic tungsten prices have remained elevated alongside international prices, suggesting a broader structural supply deficit rather than simply a disruption in exports. With China accounting for approximately 80% of global tungsten production and no producing tungsten mines currently operating in North America, Gray expects supply constraints to remain supportive of pricing for the foreseeable future.Beyond pricing, Gray emphasized tungsten's strategic importance. Its exceptional hardness and density make it indispensable in industrial tooling, aerospace applications, jet turbine blades, mining equipment, and defense systems, including armour-piercing ammunition. As governments continue to prioritize secure supply chains for critical minerals, Fox Tungsten is positioning itself to help address one of North America's most significant gaps in strategic mineral production.
Transcribe →CMR Podcast: Why Industrial Expertise Is Becoming the West's Greatest Critical Minerals Asset
1w ago00:31:56Tap to summarize"The conversation is shifting from owning deposits to owning capabilities." That observation from Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) Co-Chair Jack Lifton may have been the defining takeaway from this week's Critical Minerals Report podcast.Joining me for this edition were CMI Co-Chairs Jack Lifton and Melissa "Mel" Sanderson, who examined one of the busiest weeks the critical minerals sector has seen this year. From North American trade policy and China's tightening export controls to the proposed acquisition of Vacuumschmelze by Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU | TSX: EFR), our discussion consistently returned to one central conclusion: the competitive advantage in critical minerals is moving steadily downstream.No development illustrated that shift better than Energy Fuels' proposed US$1.9 billion acquisition of German permanent magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze (VAC). If completed, the transaction would significantly expand the company's position beyond mining and rare earth processing into advanced magnet manufacturing—one of the highest-value segments of the supply chain. It represents one of the West's most ambitious attempts to build an integrated rare earth business capable of competing outside China's dominant ecosystem.Lifton viewed the transaction through a broader industrial lens."Energy Fuels now becomes the only credible vertically integrated permanent magnet manufacturer outside China," he said during our discussion, emphasizing that the future of the industry will be determined less by who owns mineral deposits than by who can successfully transform those materials into products manufacturers actually require.That theme resurfaced repeatedly throughout the podcast.China's continued expansion of export controls and enforcement measures demonstrates that Beijing increasingly views critical minerals as instruments of industrial and geopolitical policy rather than simply internationally traded commodities. At the same time, governments throughout North America, Europe and Australia are directing increasing attention toward refining, metallization, magnet manufacturing and other downstream capabilities instead of focusing exclusively on new mine development.Trade policy also featured prominently in our conversation following the Trump administration's decision to begin the withdrawal process from the current United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. While the agreement remains in force during its review period, the discussion highlighted how long-term investment decisions in mining, processing and manufacturing depend upon predictable trade relationships measured in decades rather than election cycles.Sanderson noted that the industry's success ultimately depends on integrating every stage of the value chain rather than concentrating on individual links.Discussing North American trade policy, Sanderson reminded listeners that investment follows stability. "The whole reason that we got into NAFTA... was to provide security for business—a stable structure businesses could count on for making long-term investments," she said. It was a timely reminder that billion-dollar investments in critical minerals depend as much on predictable policy as they do on geology.Our discussion also explored the strategic significance of MP Materials Corp. (NYSE: MP) and USA Rare Earth, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAR), Australia's continued investment in downstream rare earth processing through Iluka Resources Limited (ASX: ILU) and Lynas Rare Earths Limited (ASX: LYC), the growing importance of tungsten supply chains, and the role of nuclear energy in future critical minerals policy. Although the subjects varied, they all reinforced the same message.The critical minerals economy is entering a new phase.
Transcribe →Australian Rare Earths Targets a New Generation of Ionic Clay Rare Earths Production in Australia
2w ago00:15:50Tap to summarizeAustralia has long been recognised for its world-class hard rock rare earth deposits, but Australian Rare Earths Limited (ASX: AR3) is pursuing something fundamentally different. The company's Koppamurra Project in southeastern South Australia is one of the very few ionic adsorption clay rare earth deposits identified outside Asia—a geological setting that could ultimately prove strategically significant for Western supply chains.During a recent InvestorNews interview, internationally renowned critical minerals’ expert Jack Lifton spoke with Australian Rare Earths Managing Director and CEO Travis Beinke about the company's recently released pre-feasibility study, its innovative processing approach, and why the project may represent one of the more interesting emerging rare earth developments outside China.Unlike conventional hard rock deposits, ionic adsorption clay deposits contain rare earth elements weakly bound to clay minerals, allowing them to be extracted through relatively simple leaching processes rather than energy-intensive crushing and flotation. These deposits have historically supplied much of the world's heavy rare earth elements from southern China and, more recently, Myanmar.Beinke explained that Koppamurra differs even from traditional ionic clay deposits."The rare earths have moved in solution from a long way away from the source rock and come in contact with a limestone base, which has then caused the reaction for the rare earths to drop out into the clay that sits above this limestone base," he said.Although the geological formation is unusual, the commercial implications are straightforward. Ionic adsorption deposits generally require considerably less complex processing than conventional hard rock rare earth operations, potentially reducing both capital intensity and operating costs.Australian Rare Earths intends to produce a mixed rare earth oxide concentrate rather than separated oxides. The deposit contains approximately 23% neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) within its total rare earth oxide basket together with approximately 3% dysprosium and terbium—providing roughly 25% magnet rare earth content overall.Equally noteworthy is the project's enrichment in several lesser-discussed rare earth elements that have become increasingly important following China's expanded export controls, including yttrium, samarium, gadolinium and lutetium."The West is beginning to appreciate the importance of these materials as China continues to tighten export controls," Beinke noted.Australian Rare Earths enters its next phase with several competitive advantages beyond the geology itself. The recently completed pre-feasibility study outlines first production in 2029, with planned annual output of approximately 1,860 tonnes of mixed rare earth oxide, including around 435 tonnes of NdPr, nearly 60 tonnes of dysprosium and terbium, approximately 240 tonnes of yttrium, and roughly 70 tonnes each of samarium and gadolinium. Equally important is the project's estimated development capital of less than A$180 million, reflecting both its simplified heap leach flowsheet and its location just four hours south of Adelaide, where existing roads, nearby communities, water access and export infrastructure substantially reduce development risk.Beinke also expressed confidence that South Australia's established regulatory framework and years of community engagement position the company well as it advances through permitting.
Transcribe →How Defense Metals Is Positioning Wicheeda as North America's Next Rare Earths Producer
2w ago00:07:12Tap to summarizeThe rare earth sector has no shortage of promising deposits. What separates the leaders is the ability to demonstrate that a project can move beyond geology and into production.That was the central message from Mark Tory, President, CEO and Director of Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN | OTCQB: DFMTF), during a recent InvestorNews interview with Tracy Hughes."We've got a great deposit," Tory said. "Mother Nature's blessed us with the fact that we've got great mineralisation."But for Tory, geology is only the starting point.He explained that Wicheeda's mineralisation can produce a concentrate grading roughly 50% total rare earth oxides (TREO), allowing the company to design a smaller downstream hydrometallurgical facility than many competing projects. The company's 2025 Pre-Feasibility Study supports production of a high-grade flotation concentrate averaging approximately 50% TREO, reinforcing one of Wicheeda's key competitive advantages.The economics are equally noteworthy. Defense Metals' Pre-Feasibility Study positions Wicheeda among the most advanced undeveloped rare earth projects in North America, with a defined mineral reserve and a pathway toward a Definitive Feasibility Study.For investors, however, perhaps the more significant development is what is happening beyond the engineering.Defense Metals recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Hanwha Corporation of South Korea, one of the country's largest industrial groups. The discussions extend beyond a traditional offtake agreement and include technical collaboration and potential project-level investment."So Hanwha are one of the top five corporations in South Korea," Tory explained. "We signed an MOU with them in relation to looking to do a strategic partnership around offtake, around technical advice, and also looking for potential investment.""We're not relying on just one strategic partner," Tory said. "I've got a lot of tentacles out there talking to a number of different parties."His approach divides strategic relationships into three distinct categories: technical expertise, product offtake and financial investment. Those discussions include both private industry and governments, reflecting the increasingly strategic role rare earths play in allied supply chains.Meanwhile, Defense Metals continues advancing the technical work required before construction decisions can be made. The company recently launched a pilot flotation program with SGS Canada designed to validate the processing flowsheet developed during the Pre-Feasibility Study and provide material for downstream hydrometallurgical testing.At the same time, drilling continues at Wicheeda."We're doing geotechnical drilling," Tory said. "We've also been doing some infill drilling so that we can look to increase that resource and reserve... to look at increasing our mine life."The company is also strengthening its leadership team as it transitions from exploration toward project development. Tory highlighted recent additions including Michelle Tanguay, Vice President of Environment and Social Performance; David Baker, Chief Financial Officer; Robin Jones, Vice President of Projects; and renowned metallurgist John Goode."For a small junior team," Tory said, "I think we punch well and truly above our weight."The months ahead will be defined less by promotion than by execution. Pilot plant results, ongoing engineering work, continued drilling and progress on strategic partnerships will all determine how quickly Wicheeda advances toward a Definitive Feasibility Study.
Transcribe →CMR Special Podcast: Critical Minerals, China, and the Limits of G7 Cooperation
3w ago00:34:46Tap to summarizeThe Critical Minerals Report (CMR) Podcast is a new, twice-monthly series produced by the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI), examining the economic, geopolitical, and industrial forces shaping the global critical minerals economy. Hosted by Tracy Hughes, Co-Founder of CMI and CEO of InvestorNews Inc., the podcast features regular commentary from CMI Co-Chairs Jack Lifton and Melissa "Mel" Sanderson.Lifton, who also serves as Co-Founder of CMI, is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on rare earths and critical minerals supply chains. Sanderson is an internationally respected expert on mining, diplomacy, and global resource development. Together, they provide candid analysis of the policies, investments, geopolitical developments, and market forces influencing critical minerals supply chains worldwide.In this inaugural episode, the panel examines the evolving G7 critical minerals framework, China's position within global supply chains, Western industrial policy, African resource development, government intervention in strategic industries, and the growing tension between economic security and free-market principles. The discussion offers a timely assessment of whether efforts to build resilient critical minerals supply chains are beginning to move beyond policy ambition toward practical execution.The critical minerals sector has become increasingly crowded with announcements, alliances, and policy initiatives. Yet behind the growing list of declarations lies a far more complicated question: can Western governments actually build the supply chains they keep promising? That question sits at the heart of this inaugural discussion, where Lifton and Sanderson argue that the challenge facing the West is no longer identifying critical minerals—it is building the systems necessary to produce them.The discussion began with the evolving collection of G7 critical minerals initiatives. While policymakers continue to promote greater cooperation among allied nations, both guests questioned whether a common strategy is realistically achievable given the competing interests involved. "I think it's emblematic of the many conflicting agendas that are in the room," Sanderson observed. "The attempt to reconcile them is noble, and I won't say fruitless, but it's a long stretch." The conversation quickly turned to Japan, which both speakers cited as one of the few countries that has spent decades systematically addressing supply chain vulnerabilities. For Lifton, Japan's approach reflects a reality that many Western governments still struggle to acknowledge. "The Japanese really have come around to the idea that the Chinese did it right," he said. "They have to do the same thing for them to survive."That observation led naturally to the subject that continues to dominate every critical minerals conversation: China. Much of the policy architecture emerging from the G7 and Washington is designed explicitly to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains. Yet both Sanderson and Lifton warned against reducing the discussion to geopolitical slogans. "We are woefully underestimating the negative potential that underpins initiatives like the G7," Sanderson argued. "China has actually shown remarkable restraint." Lifton was even more direct. "We have to stop talking about China as a military enemy," he said. "We have to start thinking about it as a very effective economic competitor." The distinction matters because China's dominance was not achieved through military power. It was built through decades of investment in mining, refining, processing, manufacturing, and industrial policy. Whether Western governments are willing to replicate elements of that model remains an open question.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/3SH9YKC
Transcribe →Jim Atkinson on Expanding Exploration Potential at Antimony Resources’ Bald Hill Project
Jun 1500:10:04Tap to summarizeDuring a recent InvestorTalk interview hosted by Tracy Hughes, Jim Atkinson, CEO and Director of Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY | OTCQB: ATMYF), discussed the Company’s latest assay results, progress toward a maiden resource estimate, and the Bald Hill project potential in New Brunswick.A significant focus of the discussion was the Company’s recently announced trench sampling results from several newly identified zones located outside the established Main Zone. According to Atkinson, one of those areas, known as the Marcus Zone, was not previously known before being discovered through Antimony Resources’ exploration efforts.The new zones have attracted considerable attention because they contain surface expressions of stibnite, the primary antimony-bearing mineral. Unlike the Main Zone, which has already been extensively drilled, these newly identified targets have seen little historical exploration.Atkinson explained that the discovery of multiple mineralized zones beyond the Company’s existing drill-defined area has strengthened management’s belief that additional exploration may identify a broader mineralized footprint at Bald Hill. While the overall dimensions of the mineralization remain unknown, ongoing drilling and trenching continue to expand the Company’s understanding of the project.The Company’s next exploration program is expected to include approximately 18,000 metres of drilling, one of the largest programs undertaken on the property to date. The drilling will serve a dual purpose: advancing the project toward a resource estimate while simultaneously testing the broader exploration potential of the district.A key milestone for Antimony Resources is the completion of a maiden mineral resource estimate. Atkinson noted that much of the groundwork required for that objective has already been completed.The Company believes it has achieved the drill-hole spacing necessary to support resource modelling, having completed drilling at intervals significantly tighter than 50 metres. Independent consultants working with the Company have indicated that the spacing should provide sufficient confidence for geological modelling and resource estimation.In addition to drilling density, Antimony Resources has implemented the quality assurance, quality control, and chain-of-custody procedures required to support future resource calculations. These measures include sample tracking protocols, secure storage facilities, and standardized operating procedures designed to help ensure the integrity of exploration data.While advancing toward a resource remains an important objective, management appears equally focused on the exploration potential represented by the newly discovered zones.Recent sampling from the South Zone returned 38 grab samples averaging 19.5% antimony, including one sample grading 44% antimony. The results confirmed the presence of high-grade stibnite mineralization at surface and provided further evidence that mineralization extends beyond the Main Zone.Current drilling is focused on the Central Zone, located approximately 150 metres south of the Company’s southernmost drill hole in the Main Zone. Management believes the two zones may ultimately prove to be connected. If future drilling supports that interpretation, the mineralized trend could extend an additional 200 to 300 metres to the south, increasing the known strike length to nearly 1.5 kilometres.Another target area located approximately 900 metres farther south remains largely unexplored and is expected to play an important role in determining the extent of mineralization across the property.Atkinson also highlighted what he views as one of Antimony Resources’ most important competitive advantages. Unlike many projects promoted as antimony opportunities, Bald Hill is not primarily a gold deposit containing antimony as a secondary product.
Transcribe →Christopher Berlet on Stakeholder's Gold and Copper Drill Program in Yukon’s White Gold District
Jun 500:06:31Tap to summarizeAs gold prices continue to attract investor attention to Canada's Yukon Territory, Stakeholder Gold Corp. (TSXV: SRC | OTCQB: SKHRF) is advancing one of the district's more active exploration programs.During a recent interview with InvestorNews, Christopher Berlet, President, CEO and Director of Stakeholder Gold, provided an update on the Company's ongoing drill campaign at its 20,000-hectare Ballarat Gold-Copper Project, where multiple gold targets and a newly identified copper zone are being tested.The Company's maiden diamond drill program began at the Loki Copper Zone. According to Berlet, the first hole intersected visible chalcopyrite, pyrite, and pyrrhotite mineralization, including both semi-massive and massive sulphides, prompting the Company to extend the hole to 488 metres."We identified a new ultramafic intrusive unit associated with the Loki structure," Berlet said. "We're calling it an Alaska-style nickel-copper-PGE type target. The assays will determine the grade potential, but geologically it is an exciting first hole."The Loki target lies along a fault structure extending approximately 35 kilometres across the region. Stakeholder has already expanded its land position along the trend through additional staking and plans further soil sampling to evaluate the broader system.The Company's exploration focus extends well beyond copper.Stakeholder is currently drilling several gold targets across the northern portion of the Ballarat property, including the East Zone, Sky North, Sky South, and the Northwest Target. The targets are associated with large soil anomalies and geochemical signatures that Berlet believes resemble those found at White Gold Corp.'s Golden Saddle deposit."The signatures we're seeing are very similar to Golden Saddle," Berlet noted. "We're looking to establish whether we're seeing evidence of the same type of mineralized system across several of our targets."One of the most important developments for Ballarat may be occurring outside the drill program itself.The planned northern access road to the nearby Coffee Gold Project will pass through Stakeholder claims, providing future road access to portions of the property that have historically required helicopter support. Construction equipment has already been mobilized, with road building expected to begin this summer.For exploration companies operating in the Yukon, improved access can significantly reduce costs and increase operational flexibility."A working road changes the equation significantly," Berlet said.Investors can expect a steady stream of news over the coming months. Assay results from the Loki Copper Zone are expected in July, alongside results from multiple gold targets currently being drilled.Beyond Yukon exploration, Stakeholder continues to advance its quartzite business in Brazil. The Company now has four operating quarry projects, including a newly secured Taj Mahal quartzite quarry, with demand from North American and European buyers supporting continued expansion.Unlike many junior explorers, Stakeholder benefits from a growing operating business that generates cash flow while the Company advances exploration in the Yukon.The coming months will determine whether Ballarat's gold and copper targets develop into larger discovery opportunities. With multiple drill programs underway, infrastructure arriving in the district, and additional revenue from Brazil, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most active years in Stakeholder Gold's history.
Transcribe →Tom Drivas: Appia Rare Earths' Brazil Growth, Alces Lake Drilling & Uranium Upside
Jun 500:17:25Tap to summarizeDuring a recent InvestorTalk interview hosted by Darren Cudmore, Tom Drivas, CEO and Director of Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API | OTCQB: APAAF), provided an update on the Company’s activities in Brazil, Saskatchewan, and Ontario—three jurisdictions that collectively give Appia exposure to ionic clay rare earths, hard rock rare earths, and uranium.A major focus of the discussion was Appia’s Brazilian rare earths project, which is now being advanced through a partnership with Ultra Rare Earths.Drivas explained that Appia entered Brazil approximately three years ago after identifying the country as one of the world’s most promising regions for ionic clay rare earth exploration. The project initially delivered an NI 43-101 resource based on ionic clay mineralization, while subsequent exploration identified hard rock rare earth mineralization hosted within carbonatites beneath the ionic clay horizons.The project also benefits from excellent infrastructure, including highway access, power, and proximity to a mining community in Goiás State.Late last year, Ultra Rare Earths invested US$10 million into the project and assumed responsibility for advancing it toward pre-feasibility. More recently, Appia and its Brazilian partner converted their direct project interests into equity positions in Ultra, each retaining a 25% ownership stake.Ultra is currently advancing an aggressive drill campaign, with approximately 950 reverse-circulation drill holes planned as it works toward a resource estimate on the ionic clay portion of the project and further development of the underlying hard rock rare earth mineralization.While Brazil represents a significant growth opportunity, Saskatchewan remains Appia’s flagship rare earths jurisdiction.Located approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Uranium City, the Alces Lake project hosts exceptionally high-grade monazite mineralization. Drivas noted that some surface occurrences contain more than 80% monazite and rare earth grades exceeding 50%, making Alces Lake one of the highest-grade rare earth discoveries in North America.The Company’s 2026 drill program is expected to begin shortly. After compiling several years of drilling, geophysical surveys, and gravity data, Appia’s technical team believes mineralization may extend significantly deeper than previously recognized. Upcoming drilling will test targets between 300 and 500 metres below surface, with geological interpretations suggesting the system could continue to depths approaching 1,200 metres.Alces Lake also benefits from its location in Saskatchewan, where the Saskatchewan Research Council has invested more than $200 million in a rare earth processing facility designed to process monazite concentrates. Appia has also received Saskatchewan exploration grants for three consecutive years.Beyond rare earths, Appia continues to advance its uranium portfolio.Drivas highlighted the Company’s Otherside uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin, where recent geophysical work and magnetotelluric surveys have identified what management believes are highly prospective drill targets. According to Drivas, the project’s geophysical signatures compare favorably with those associated with several major uranium discoveries elsewhere in the basin.In Ontario, Appia continues to hold its Elliott Lake uranium and rare earths project. The property hosts an NI 43-101 resource of approximately 55 million pounds of uranium, along with a substantial rare earth resource. Elliott Lake remains one of Canada’s most historic uranium districts and is also the only region in the country to have produced rare earths commercially.What distinguishes Appia is the diversity of its portfolio. The Company now has exposure to ionic clay and hard rock rare earths in Brazil, high-grade monazite rare earths and uranium exploration in Saskatchewan, and uranium and rare earth resources in Ontario.
Transcribe →West High Yield's Barry Baim on Bringing Magnesium Production Back to North America
Jun 400:09:04Tap to summarizeFor nearly two decades, West High Yield Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY) has been advancing a project that, until recently, occupied a relatively obscure corner of the critical minerals conversation.That may be changing.As governments across North America race to secure domestic supplies of strategic materials, magnesium is quietly attracting renewed attention from analysts, manufacturers, and policymakers. The metal’s role in lightweight transportation, battery technology, aerospace applications, and industrial manufacturing has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Yet despite its importance, North America currently has no meaningful primary magnesium production.That supply gap is where West High Yield Resources believes it has an opportunity.In a recent InvestorTalk interview, Director Barry Baim outlined what could become one of the most significant milestones in the Company’s 18-year history: the transition from permitting to production at its Record Ridge project in British Columbia.According to Baim, the Company expects to complete the remaining conditions associated with its Mines Act Permit by mid-June. If those milestones are achieved as anticipated, ground disturbance could begin as early as July, placing the Company on a path toward initial commercial activity later this year.For a junior mining company, moving from permit approval to construction is a rare achievement. For a magnesium developer, it is even more unusual.“We hope to have all conditions that were associated with the Mines Act Permit completed by mid-June,” Baim said. “That’s a trigger point to allow us to start ground disturbance, hopefully as early as July.”The timing is notable.Critical minerals discussions have largely focused on lithium, copper, rare earths, uranium, antimony, and tungsten. Magnesium has received considerably less attention despite being classified as a strategic material in multiple jurisdictions and despite China’s dominant position in global supply.Baim argues that magnesium’s appeal stems from the sheer breadth of its applications.The metal is increasingly used in vehicle lightweighting programs, reducing overall weight and improving energy efficiency in both conventional and electric transportation. Researchers are also examining magnesium’s role in next-generation battery chemistries, where it may contribute to improved safety profiles, lower costs, faster charging times, and longer operating lives.“Magnesium plays a role in so many verticals,” Baim noted during the interview.The Record Ridge project is not solely a magnesium story.The deposit contains magnesium, silica, nickel, and iron-bearing material, providing exposure to several industrial and technology supply chains simultaneously. According to the Company, approximately 94% of the ore can be utilized during processing, with the remaining material suitable for construction applications.That level of resource utilization stands in contrast to many conventional mining operations, where only a small percentage of extracted material ultimately becomes a marketable product.Perhaps equally important is the project’s location.Mining projects often face substantial infrastructure costs before production can begin. New roads, power transmission, workforce accommodations, and transportation corridors can add hundreds of millions of dollars to development budgets.Record Ridge appears to avoid many of those challenges.The project requires only a short 1.8-kilometre access road. Power infrastructure runs through the property, natural gas is available nearby, and multiple communities with mining experience are located within commuting distance.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4wZ3HcW
Transcribe →