Ottawa Commits $16M to Sask. Plant to Process Rare Earth Minerals for EV Production

The federal government has announced a $16 million investment in a Saskatchewan critical mineral facility to boost its processing capabilities for elements to help in production of electric vehicles and wind turbines. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said on Aug. 14 that the funding for Canada’s first rare earth processing facility, located in Saskatoon, will allow Canada to process critical minerals that are “the building blocks of clean energy.” Run by the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC), the facility will use the federal funding to increase its bastnaesite processing capacity. Wilkinson noted China has been “moving very strategically” to gain dominance in the sector, and said Canada doesn’t want to be “fully dependent on China” for rare earth minerals....