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When investors discuss critical minerals, they usually think about defense, energy and advanced manufacturing. Less attention is paid to the minerals required by the pharmaceutical industry, even when their availability directly affects whether hospitals can perform essential diagnostic procedures.That is what makes Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV: VM | OTC Pink: VYYRF) an unusual critical minerals story. The company’s “From Earth to Bottle” strategy is designed to control the supply chain for barium and iodine from the original resource through processing and into finished medical imaging contrast drugs.During our August 6th interview, President, CEO and Director Brent Willis provided an update on Voyageur’s collaboration with Bayer, its Mueller iodine extraction technology, the Frances Creek barite project and plans for an integrated U.S. contrast media manufacturing facility.“Things are proceeding very well with Bayer. “…we just completed our work plan with Bayer. So, they've approved it, and we're moving forward with getting the next tranche of $1 million to come in to fund the project,” Willis said.Under the collaboration agreement, Bayer may provide Voyageur with up to US$2.35 million in milestone-based funding for feasibility work on a proposed iodine extraction and production facility in Oklahoma. Voyageur has also engaged Fluor Corporation to complete feasibility studies on the Bayer iodine project and the company’s planned integrated barium and iodine contrast drug manufacturing facility.Voyageur has established a laboratory and fabrication site in Houston to advance the Mueller Process using iodine-rich oilfield brines. Four days after our interview, the company reported iodine purity of 99.8% and overall recovery exceeding 90% in laboratory testing. A mobile pilot unit capable of treating approximately 80,000 litres of brine per day has been built, with field testing planned for September 2026.“That's going to allow Fluor Engineering to accumulate the data they require to scale up and complete our feasibility study for the projects,” Willis explained.The Bayer project is only one part of the Voyageur strategy. The company owns 100% of the Frances Creek barite project in British Columbia and has developed five barium contrast products licensed by Health Canada. Barite remains on the 2025 U.S. List of Critical Minerals, where its role in medical imaging is specifically recognized.“And so, having our own barium resource that's pharmaceutical grade in the ground gives us a significant advantage in cost savings and supply chain security and allows us to be the only producer of barium contrast in North America with our own source at very low costs and secure supply chain,” Willis said.The iodine market carries similar supply chain risks. Willis pointed to the pandemic era shutdown of GE HealthCare’s Shanghai contrast media facility as an example of how concentrated production can affect North American hospitals.“So, when we looked at what happened in COVID on the iodine drug side, the United States lost 50% of their supply because GE had to shut a plant down in Shanghai, China.”Disclaimer: Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is an advertorial member of InvestorNews Inc. The quoted statements are taken directly from the August 6, 2026 post InvestorTalk interview and include forward-looking information. Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

Gallium rarely headlines a North American rare earths story. At Volta Metals Ltd.’s (CSE: VLTA | OTCQB: VOLMF) Springer deposit in Ontario, however, it may become the feature that changes the scale and strategic importance of the entire project.Speaking with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Volta Metals President, CEO and Director Kerem Usenmez outlined a series of developments now converging at Springer: continuing high grade gallium results, further rare earth drilling, advanced metallurgical work and a clear path toward consolidating 100% ownership of the project.“We are extremely pleased with the results,” Usenmez said. “The high grade gallium numbers continue, accompanied by strong rare earth mineralization. We have also secured additional claims along strike and established a path to acquire the remaining 20% interest in Springer.”With 13 additional boreholes completed and most of the assay results still to come, the next phase of Springer’s development is already taking shape. Results from three holes have been released, and the full program will support another rare earth resource update expected by the end of summer. Depending on the remaining assays, Volta may return to Springer for further drilling.In parallel, advanced metallurgical work is examining gallium recovery and the potential to establish a separate gallium resource. The immediate objective is to demonstrate not simply that gallium is present, but that it can be recovered into a commercially viable product alongside Springer’s rare earths.That work will lead directly into a preliminary economic assessment examining potential mining and processing methods, development costs, timelines and the most efficient path toward production. Usenmez expects the PEA to be completed early in 2027, potentially in January or February.The coming months could therefore redefine Springer on two fronts: a rare earth resource with the potential to move into North America’s top five, and an emerging gallium resource in a market overwhelmingly controlled by China. “The consistently wide, high grade gallium intercepts on top of the high grade rare earths could put us on a different level,” Usenmez said. “That is what we are working toward now.”Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

In a recent interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Robin Dunbar, President, CEO and Director of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), and Brandon Smith, Chief Development Officer, discussed the company’s new joint venture with Avenir Minerals Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, at the Falcon West cesium project in southeastern Manitoba.“Normally, with an extremely large company and a small company like us, it’s difficult for the smaller party to maintain a majority interest in the project,” Dunbar said. Under the agreement, Avenir acquired an initial 15% interest for C$3.75 million, while Grid retained 85% and remains operator. Following a mineral resource estimate, Avenir may increase its equity position in Grid from approximately 9.9% to as much as 19.99%. It may also acquire another 15% of Falcon West upon completion of a preliminary economic assessment or adoption of a mine plan.Smith said the structure was designed around the financing challenges common to minor metals. “The big risk in minor metals is that it’s very hard sometimes to market these and to finance them properly,” he explained. “What we’ve done with those stages of funding at key milestones is that hopefully [it] can get us effectively financed to production.” He added: “Now we have a world-class partner who can help us get to production and ensure that we can get into production and get the best possible price for the product we’re going to produce.”Dunbar said Falcon West’s appeal begins with geology. “What you’re looking for --- cesium, is the mineral pollucite, which occurs in pegmatite,” he said. “Finding that anywhere in the world in fractionated pegmatites is extremely rare.” The occurrence lies close to the Trans-Canada Highway, comes nearly to surface and, under the company’s current concept, would be mined to a depth of roughly 40 metres. “It’ll be a fairly small, shallow open-pit operation, but very high grade,” he said.Processing could also be comparatively simple. “You mine the rock and you crush it,” Dunbar said. After crushing, ore sorting would separate the mineralized material from waste, potentially producing a concentrate grading approximately 15% to 20% cesium oxide. “That 15% to 20% cesium product is a saleable product,” he said. “That’s the feedstock for the cesium chemical industry.”The dry process would not require a conventional mill, process water or tailings storage. “Because you’re not putting in major infrastructure and you’re not using water in the process, it’s more akin to permitting a quarry versus a mine,” Dunbar said. “Our goal is to get that in production as soon as possible,” he added, “and get some product to market and then look for more and try to expand our position in the cesium market.”Smith identified the maiden mineral resource estimate, targeted for fall 2026, as the next major milestone. “The big one is the maiden resource,” he said. Metallurgical work, bulk-sample preparation, discussions with potential offtakers and permitting are expected to advance in parallel, followed by a PEA or mine plan in 2027. Grid also intends to conduct additional exploration drilling. “We are going to look for more as well,” Smith said, adding that “there’s still some targets that we have to test.”Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

President Donald Trump’s July 20th executive order arrived at a consequential moment for American Tungsten Corp. (TSXV: TUNG | OTCQB: TUNGF | FSE: RK90). The company is advancing the past-producing IMA Mine in Idaho just as Washington is demanding greater visibility into defense supply chains and encouraging contractors to qualify new domestic sources of critical materials.In a recent InvestorNews interview, Tracy Hughes spoke with CEO and Director Ali Haji about how the executive order strengthens the strategic case for rebuilding tungsten production in the United States. The order restricts waivers for materials from covered nations, requires more extensive supply-chain mapping and directs the accelerated qualification of domestic and allied suppliers.For American Tungsten, the policy shift supports a strategy already underway at IMA. The company is pursuing a phased development plan beginning with the evaluation and potential processing of historical surface tailings, followed by the rehabilitation and restart of the underground mine.“We are still aiming and on track to be the first producer of concentrate in North America since 2015,” Haji told InvestorNews.The company’s immediate milestones are intended to establish whether that ambition can become an economically viable production plan. Haji said an updated mineral resource is expected in August, followed by a preliminary economic assessment before the end of October. American Tungsten is also targeting its first concentrate sale later this year.Potential customers are already examining the material. Haji said three North American parties have received and tested samples from the IMA Mine, with discussions concerning the tailings approaching commercial terms. Interest in future underground production remains non-binding while the parties await the sustained production profile expected to be outlined in the PEA.Financing is another part of the development equation. American Tungsten has received a letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States for potential financing of up to US$25.5 million. The letter is not a commitment to lend, but it establishes a possible route toward project financing if American Tungsten completes EXIM’s requirements and receives final approval.The company’s argument extends beyond defense. Tungsten is used in semiconductor manufacturing, industrial drilling, aerospace systems and high-temperature applications—placing it inside both the national-security economy and the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence.“Tungsten is not going anywhere,” Haji said, pointing to its hardness, heat resistance and limited substitutability.Policy support cannot replace resource definition, engineering, permitting, financing or execution. American Tungsten must still deliver each of those steps. What Washington’s latest order does provide is a more urgent strategic context for the company’s work: the United States is no longer merely discussing domestic critical mineral capacity; it is beginning to require the supply chains that capacity must support.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

Strategic importance is a political designation; price is a market fact. Much of today’s critical minerals policy proceeds as though the first can compensate for uncertainty about the second. It cannot. Copper and gold have visible reference markets. Terbium, tungsten and many materials now indispensable to defense, robotics and advanced manufacturing do not.The International Energy Agency has described reliable price benchmarks as crucial to market development, particularly where low liquidity makes risk difficult to measure and investment decisions harder to defend. Price opacity is therefore not a secondary market defect. It is a constraint on capital formation.This was the subject of my recent conversation with Dr. Mark Andrich, CEO of Critical Minerals Platform (CMP), which currently tracks 67 minerals and 7,790 companies across 93 markets. The platform grew out of questions from North American clients that the available data could not adequately answer. “Most people didn’t understand what the critical minerals market was or how it was structured across the whole supply chain,” Andrich said.Between 2014 and 2017, his team developed algorithms to assemble company and government information, producing a database of approximately 40,000 companies and refining it to roughly 8,000 with direct relevance to critical minerals. CMP’s taxonomy begins with the finished product and works backwards through the companies, materials and processes required to manufacture it. A catalogue of deposits is not, after all, a map of industrial capability.Andrich’s most instructive observation concerned contract pricing. Contracts are confidential, often long term and may contain rebates that materially alter their apparent economics. A mineral recorded at $100 per kilogram might carry a 20-30% volume rebate in the following quarter. The stated price can be contractually accurate while remaining economically misleading.Trader quotations can be equally deceptive when they reflect small transactions in illiquid markets. “What we’re looking at is the industrial market,” Andrich explained—the price received by producers and paid by buyers closer to the source of the material.CMP responds by assigning a confidence level to its prices according to the number and reliability of the underlying sources. Its published methodology uses volume-weighted free-on-board prices drawn from producers, refiners and industrial consumers, while excluding longer-term agreements that do not reflect current market conditions.The same discipline informs its supply-chain work. “You start off with a simple question,” Andrich said, before undertaking the complicated analysis required to reach a simple answer. Tungsten illustrates the point. Its significance lies not only in the final component, but in “the tooling that is used to make products and make other products.”CMP’s Robotics & Automation Index, which includes tungsten, tantalum, cobalt and NdPr, has risen by more than 100% this year. Yet the index also exposes the unresolved issue at the centre of the critical minerals economy: strategic designation without credible price discovery is ultimately policy without a market.

The artificial intelligence boom is usually measured in chips, data centres, and soaring technology valuations. Terry Lynch, CEO and Director of Power Metallic Mines Inc. (TSXV: PNPN | OTCQB: PNPNF), argues that its most fundamental requirements begin much further down the supply chain—with power and the metals needed to deliver it.“One of the best ways—the most, I believe, asymmetric ways—to play AI is to buy really great mineral deposits because they are going to be a major beneficiary of the AI revolution,” Lynch told InvestorNews.Every major AI company requires enormous amounts of electricity, he explained, and the infrastructure carrying that power begins with copper. Lynch also pointed to nickel, platinum and palladium as metals that have been overlooked by the broader market despite their growing importance to the AI, energy and defense sectors.For Power Metallic, attention is now focused on an accelerated Mineral Resource Estimate for its high-grade Nisk–Lion discovery in Quebec, expected by the end of July. Lynch believes an independently prepared resource estimate will give the market a clearer basis for assessing the project’s size, grade and potential value. Additional catalysts cited during the interview include continued exploration results, a potential NASDAQ listing through American Depositary Shares and planned drilling in Saudi Arabia during the fourth quarter.Lynch said the company is well financed following its recent $28 million raise, providing a pathway through next spring without an immediate need to return to the market. Ultimately, however, his broader argument extends beyond Power Metallic: AI cannot expand without physical infrastructure, and physical infrastructure cannot be built without mined materials.“They all need massive amounts of power,” Lynch said. “And how do you get massive amounts of power in this world? Well, you deliver it on copper. It all starts with that.”Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

Spartan Metals Corp. (TSXV: W | OTCQB: SPRMF | FSE: J03) has assembled two very different tungsten opportunities in the American West: a large, comparatively advanced deposit in New Mexico and a group of past-producing mines in Nevada where exploration continues to expand the known mineralized footprint.In a recent InvestorNews interview, Tracy Hughes spoke with President, CEO and Director Brett Marsh about why he built Spartan around tungsten and how the company’s portfolio could contribute to America’s critical minerals supply chain.In New Mexico, Spartan’s Victorio Project contains a 2012 historical mineral resource estimate that the company describes as the largest tungsten resource in the United States. Approximately 100 historical drill holes have already been completed, allowing Spartan to concentrate on updating the resource, completing engineering studies and evaluating a potential development path rather than beginning with grassroots discovery.The scale of Victorio is complemented by the Eagle Project in eastern Nevada, which includes the past-producing Tungstonia, Yellow Jacket and Rees/Antelope mines. Marsh said historical production initially attracted Spartan to the district because it established that tungsten mineralization was present and potentially recoverable using the methods available at the time.Recent work has substantially widened that opportunity. Spartan reported that exploration at Tungstonia expanded the defined tungsten-silver mineralization footprint more than thirteenfold to approximately 5.7 square kilometres. Eight veins have now been confirmed over a cumulative exposed surface strike length of approximately 6.8 kilometres, with individual rock samples assaying as high as 5.18% tungsten trioxide. Sampling at the Rees Mine also returned individual assays of 6.76% and 8.48% tungsten trioxide.Marsh believes the combination of multiple former mines, high-grade surface occurrences and newly identified skarn mineralization could indicate a considerably larger system than earlier operators recognized. Geophysical work is now being used to refine targets ahead of planned drilling.Tungsten remains the foundation, but it is not the portfolio’s only potential source of value. Spartan has also identified silver, rubidium, antimony and copper at Eagle, while Victorio contains molybdenum, fluorspar and other critical minerals requiring further definition.For Marsh, the broader opportunity extends beyond traditional metals markets. Tungsten is used in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced industrial equipment and defence applications, placing it directly inside many of the technology supply chains now facing heightened geopolitical pressure.“If investors are into tech, go back through the value chain and look at all the inputs that go into that technology,” Marsh said.Spartan’s strategy is clear: advance domestic projects where tungsten is already known to exist and reconnect America’s technology ambitions with the raw materials required to realize them.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

Historical tailings, high-grade exploration and a streamlined Ontario permitting framework are giving Nord Precious Metals several potential routes toward production.For Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. (TSXV: NTH | OTCQB: NPMMF), the next chapter of Ontario’s historic Gowganda Silver Camp may begin not underground, but at the surface. In a recent InvestorNews interview with host Tracy Hughes, Chairman and CEO Frank Basa outlined a strategy that combines the potential reprocessing of historical tailings with continued high-grade silver exploration and a longer-term evaluation of the former mines beneath them.The foundation of that strategy is Nord’s acquisition of four mining leases adjacent to its Castle property. Completed in March 2026, the transaction consolidated a district-scale position containing eight past-producing mine shafts. The newly acquired leases also host a 2011 historical estimate of approximately 1.94 million tonnes grading 47.5 grams per tonne silver, representing approximately 2.96 million contained ounces at a 10 g/t cut-off.That estimate is historical and is not being treated by Nord as a current mineral resource. Additional verification, sampling and technical work will be required. Nevertheless, the historical data provide the company with a starting point: a substantial volume of previously mined material sitting at surface in a district known for exceptionally high-grade silver.A historical feasibility study reviewed by Nord contemplated annual production of approximately 325,000 ounces of silver over seven years. Historical metallurgical work reported recoveries ranging from 77% to 86%. These figures are not current production guidance, but they illustrate why management believes the tailings could offer a potentially shorter development pathway than a conventional underground mine.Basa explained that Nord is assessing three possible recovery routes. A gravity circuit could be comparatively simple and inexpensive, although management expects lower recoveries. Gravity followed by flotation could improve recovery, while cyanidation could potentially recover approximately 85% of the silver but would require a more sophisticated plant and permitting process. The final decision will depend on updated test work, capital and operating costs, regulatory requirements and the prevailing price of silver.Ontario’s new mineral-recovery framework is an important part of the equation. Introduced in July 2025, the framework created a dedicated regulatory pathway for recovering minerals from historical tailings and mine waste while requiring recovery and remediation planning, environmental safeguards and Indigenous consultation. Ontario issued its first permit under the new system in February 2026.Nord began its application process before acquiring the additional Gowganda leases, then paused to revise the proposed project around the larger consolidated tailings position. Basa said the company is seeking amendments that could allow material from several deposits to be processed through a common permitted operation. Management hopes to obtain the recovery permit during 2026 and, subject to engineering, financing and regulatory approvals, begin production late in 2027.The longer-term opportunity may lie beneath the tailings. By bringing eight former mine shafts into one property position, Nord can now evaluate areas that were historically divided by ownership boundaries. Basa believes some mineralization was left behind because the narrow-vein material did not meet the economic requirements of an era when silver traded at a fraction of today’s price. Management is therefore considering whether an open-pit concept could eventually complement tailings recovery, although no current economic assessment has established the viability of such a development.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4b0djLo

In a recent InvestorNews interview, host Peter Clausi spoke with Marcy Kiesman, CEO and Director of Quantum Critical Metals Corp. (TSXV: LEAP | OTCQB: ATOXF), about the Company’s efforts to recover gallium, rubidium, cesium and other critical minerals from mica.Mica is often discarded into tailings because its light, flaky structure makes it difficult to handle and potentially harmful to the surrounding environment. Quantum believes that mica containing the right geochemical characteristics could instead become a valuable source of critical minerals used in cellphones, semiconductors, aerospace, defense and advanced electronics.“Somebody else’s junk is my treasure,” Kiesman told Clausi.Quantum’s flagship NMX East Project is located in Québec’s Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, near Nemaska Lithium’s Whabouchi Project and Power Metallic Mines Inc.’s (TSXV: PNPN | OTCQB: PNPNF) Nisk-Lion-Tiger polymetallic discoveries. The project also benefits from access to the Route du Nord and nearby Hydro-Québec infrastructure.“It’s a pretty enriched area,” Kiesman said. “We’ve got some great access. We’ve got the Route du Nord running through the project, and we’ve got a Hydro-Québec power station nearby.”The Company has identified gallium and rubidium associated with mica at NMX East. Mica represents approximately 10% of the rock examined to date, with portions of the drill core containing large, compressed sheets of the mineral.Quantum previously demonstrated approximately 55% rubidium recovery and is now working with the University of British Columbia to improve its results. The testing involves adjusting temperature and other processing conditions to determine the most effective method for recovering the targeted metals.Rather than relying on a conventional mill, Quantum is developing a hydrometallurgical process in which the mica is placed into a solution and the metals are extracted. Laboratory testing has already demonstrated that the process can recover metals from the material.“We’ve proved at the bench scale that we can remove the metals,” Kiesman said. “What we want to do with the pilot is work on a bigger scale, with more material, so people can see that it can be done with larger volumes.”Quantum is also evaluating mica sourced from third parties. The Company has received samples from India and Madagascar, with additional material expected from Finland, as mining companies explore whether critical minerals can be recovered from their existing waste streams.The longer-term objective is to develop small, modular processing systems that could be installed directly at mine sites. This could create opportunities for processing partnerships, technology licensing or site-specific installations without requiring a large centralized facility. With metallurgical testing continuing and preparations underway for pilot-scale work, Quantum is seeking to demonstrate that a material commonly treated as waste can become a new source of some of the world’s most strategically important critical minerals.

Six months into his tenure as CEO, Mark Wall is moving American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) toward a more distinctly American future. The Company’s assets are in the United States, Wall has relocated there and the process of pursuing a Nasdaq listing has begun.In an interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Wall described the transition as a natural extension of the Company’s flagship Halleck Creek project in Wyoming. American Rare Earths reports a total mineral resource of 2.63 billion tonnes grading 3,292 parts per million total rare earth oxides, containing an estimated 8.65 million tonnes of TREO. Approximately 11% of the TREO distribution consists of heavy rare earths.“It contains heavy and light rare earths,” Wall said. “We know the heavies are very strategic. We know the lights we really need for things like robotics.” He also pointed to Wyoming’s established resource industry, state support and access to road, rail and power infrastructure as important development considerations.In June, American Rare Earths announced the proposed appointment of Matthew Gili as a Non-Executive Director. Gili is President and CEO of Ur-Energy Inc. and brings senior experience from Rio Tinto, Barrick and the Oyu Tolgoi copper operation in Mongolia.Wall is also reviewing the Company’s wider U.S. portfolio. A June exploration update outlined 2026 and 2027 programs at Beaver Creek in Wyoming, Searchlight in Nevada and La Paz in Arizona. Halleck Creek remains the priority, but each property is being assessed for further work.At Halleck Creek, a drilling program of approximately 3,050 metres across 19 holes is underway to support feasibility work, resource conversion and additional metallurgical, geotechnical and environmental studies. Wall said approximately 10 holes had been completed at the time of the interview. The drilling is proceeding while the pre-feasibility study is being optimized and work required for the subsequent feasibility study is already underway.“We’ve got no time to waste,” Wall said. “We’re moving in parallel on a whole range of things.” The Company continues to target the end of the third quarter of 2026 for completion of the pre-feasibility study, although Wall emphasized that the team is still working through the balance between further optimization and finalizing the study.Another major workstream is an accelerated pilot-plant program intended to produce pre-production rare earth material and demonstrate the proposed processing route. Wall said the Company is targeting approximately 10 months by dividing the work among partners in Wyoming and the Saskatchewan Research Council in Canada.That downstream strategy now includes a study examining the conversion of separated heavy rare earth oxides into metals, the immediate precursors to permanent magnets. Wall said American Rare Earths is approaching vertical integration methodically as it evaluates how Halleck Creek could contribute to a domestic mine-to-magnet supply chain.Financing remains essential. The U.S. Export-Import Bank’s non-binding letter of interest for potential debt financing of up to US$456 million remains in place, according to Wall. The eventual financing structure is still a work in progress and will likely require commercial, state and federal partners.American Rare Earths has also appointed BDO as its auditor and commenced the process associated with a proposed Nasdaq listing. Wall views the move as an important step toward expanding the Company’s access to U.S. shareholders and institutions, but the listing remains a future objective subject to the applicable requirements and approvals.

The central challenge facing most critical minerals developers is no longer proving that their commodity matters. It is financing the long and expensive stretch between discovery and construction. First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS | OTCQX: FRSPF | OTCQX ADR: FPHOY | FSE: KD0) has strengthened its answer to that challenge with an oversubscribed private placement and a growing network of government, financial and industrial support.The Company announced on July 13th that it had closed the final tranche of an oversubscribed non-brokered private placement, raising approximately C$17.7 million in gross proceeds. What began as a C$5 million financing expanded rapidly as existing and follow-on investors sought larger positions, according to CEO and Director John Passalacqua.“We announced a $5 million raise, and we ended up raising $17.7 million in a month,” Passalacqua told InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes. He said the result was especially significant because it was completed during a difficult period for small and mid-cap companies, demonstrating both investor confidence and First Phosphate’s ability to attract capital at an important stage of development.The financing followed First Phosphate’s inclusion among the critical minerals partnerships announced at the 2026 G7 Summit in Évian, France. Under the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance, the Company announced a letter of interest for a guarantee of up to C$275 million from the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) for development of the Bégin-Lamarche mine. It also announced letters of interest involving the Italian Export Credit Agency, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and SIMEST, alongside MAIRE Group, in connection with the proposed phosphoric acid plant at Port Saguenay. The G7 announcement also highlighted two previously signed definitive offtake agreements: one for at least 200,000 tonnes per year of phosphate concentrate and another for at least 60,000 tonnes per year of phosphoric acid.Passalacqua said First Phosphate now has access to approximately C$50 million when its treasury is combined with the agreement for an up to C$16.7 million non-repayable contribution from the Government of Canada. Management believes that capital provides at least a 24-month runway and is sufficient to advance Bégin-Lamarche toward a final investment decision without returning immediately to the market.The next major objective is a feasibility study, targeted for completion by the end of 2026 or, at the latest, during the first quarter of 2027. Permitting is expected to advance through 2027, with a final investment decision targeted by the end of that year. Community engagement and preparations for Québec’s BAPE environmental review process are already progressing in parallel.That parallel approach is deliberate. Passalacqua said the Company does not want to complete one milestone, stop and then begin the next. With the capital and technical teams now in place, First Phosphate can advance engineering, permitting and community relations concurrently, potentially reducing the gaps between major development milestones.The investment case rests on phosphate’s increasingly important role in lithium iron phosphate batteries. LFP is often discussed primarily as a lithium story, yet phosphate represents approximately 60% of the cathode material by molecular weight, compared with roughly 4% for lithium. The relevant feedstock must also be purified to the specifications required for battery-grade phosphoric acid.“When you’re thinking about LFP, think about P for phosphate,” Passalacqua said.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/3TFZGuF

Ucore 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

As 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.

"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.

Australia 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.

The 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.

The conversation surrounding critical minerals has traditionally focused on lithium, rare earth elements, graphite, and copper. Yet one of the most important materials enabling the next generation of artificial intelligence, renewable energy, advanced electronics, and photonics has largely remained outside the spotlight—high-purity silica.That may be beginning to change.In a recent interview with InvestorNews, Brian Leeners, CEO and Director of Homerun Resources Inc. (TSXV: HMR | OTCQB: HMRFF), explained why the company believes high-purity silica is emerging as one of the most strategically important industrial materials of the coming decade, and why Homerun has spent the past several years positioning itself to capture value across the entire supply chain rather than simply mining and selling silica sand. "The world is finally beginning to recognize that not all silica is created equal," Leeners explained.While silica is abundant globally, the ultra-high-purity material required for solar glass, photonics, semiconductor applications, silicon carbide, advanced batteries, quantum computing, and optical technologies represents only a tiny fraction of global supply. According to Leeners, approximately 99.9% of silica deposits cannot meet the demanding specifications required for these advanced applications. That distinction is becoming increasingly important as governments seek to localize critical supply chains supporting artificial intelligence infrastructure and the global energy transition.Leeners noted that China's latest Five-Year Plan specifically identifies high-purity silica as a strategic material for solar manufacturing, silicon carbide, fused silica, and battery technologies. Similar priorities are now emerging across North America and Europe as governments work to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from concentrated sources. For Homerun, the opportunity begins with its exceptionally high-purity silica resource in Bahia, Brazil, but the company's strategy extends well beyond resource development.Rather than positioning itself as a traditional mining company, Homerun is executing what Leeners describes as a vertically integrated advanced materials platform. The company's business model combines four complementary pillars: high-purity silica production, solar glass manufacturing, energy storage technologies, and advanced energy solutions.That integrated strategy was reinforced earlier this year when Homerun completed a positive Bankable Feasibility Study for what is expected to become the Americas' first primary solar glass manufacturing facility in Brazil. The study confirmed attractive project economics while advancing the project into permitting, detailed engineering, and financing. "Our next major milestone is capitalization," Leeners said. "The plan is there. The engineering is there. Now investors should watch for the financing that allows us to move into construction." The company has also begun generating commercial momentum beyond the solar market.Recent announcements include the delivery of Homerun's first commercial shipment of high-purity industrial silica sand under a distribution agreement, creating near-term revenue opportunities while management remains focused on higher-margin advanced materials markets. According to Leeners, outsourcing traditional industrial markets allows Homerrun's internal team to concentrate on technologies capable of generating substantially greater long-term value. Another differentiator is Homerrun's growing relationship with Brazil.

The 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

When Prime Minister Mark Carney highlighted First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS | OTCQX: FRSPF | OTCQX ADR: FPHOY | FSE: KD0) during discussions surrounding the newly expanded G7 Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance, it marked far more than another mention of a Canadian mining company.It signaled that the global conversation around critical minerals is evolving from simply identifying resources to securing entire supply chains.In a recent InvestorNews interview, First Phosphate CEO John Passalacqua explained why the Company found itself at the center of one of the most significant critical minerals announcements to emerge from the 2026 G7 Summit in Évian, France.The Alliance, which was first launched under Canada's 2025 G7 Presidency and formally expanded this year, seeks to reduce Western dependence on concentrated sources of critical minerals and related supply chains. G7 leaders have set ambitious targets to reduce reliance on any single non-G7 supplier while accelerating investment in mining, processing, manufacturing, recycling, and downstream industrial capacity.For Passalacqua, the significance of First Phosphate's inclusion goes well beyond phosphate mining."This is no longer a Quebec story, no longer just a Canada story, and no longer just a North American story," he said during the interview. "The entire G7 is now focused on establishing a secure LFP battery supply chain."That distinction matters.While rare earth elements and semiconductors often dominate headlines, Passalacqua argues that lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries represent one of the most strategically important technologies in the global energy transition. LFP batteries are increasingly being used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, robotics, data centers, military applications, and industrial automation.Today, much of that supply chain remains concentrated in Asia, particularly China. The G7's new strategy is aimed at changing that.First Phosphate's vertically integrated "mine-to-market" approach appears to align directly with those objectives. The Company is developing its high-purity igneous phosphate resources in Quebec while simultaneously advancing downstream processing capabilities designed to support LFP battery production.The G7 announcement also showcased the type of international cooperation policymakers hope to replicate.Among the agreements highlighted were a letter of interest for up to C$275 million in support from Denmark's Export and Investment Fund (EIFO) related to the Company's Bégin-Lamarche phosphate project, as well as support from several major Italian institutions—including SACE, CDP, SIMEST, and engineering group MAIRE—for the Company's planned phosphoric acid facility at Port Saguenay.Passalacqua emphasized that the agreements extend beyond financing discussions.Definitive offtake agreements covering 200,000 tonnes per year of phosphate concentrate and 60,000 tonnes per year of phosphoric acid were also referenced as part of the broader Alliance framework. According to the Company, these arrangements provide important commercial validation as projects move toward development.Perhaps most importantly, the announcement reflects a larger geopolitical reality that has become increasingly evident over the past several years.Critical minerals are no longer viewed solely through the lens of resource development. They are now central to industrial policy, economic security, defense planning, and technological competitiveness.The G7 declaration released in Évian repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities, expand processing capacity, strengthen industrial resilience, and build secure supply chains among trusted allies. Leaders specifically committed to reducing strategic dependencies while mobilizing public and private capital to accelerate project development.In that context, First Phosphate's inclusion in the Alliance sends a clear message.

For West High Yield Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY), a recent British Columbia court decision may prove to be one of the most significant developments in the company's history.In a recent InvestorNews interview, Barry Baim, Director of West High Yield Resources, discussed the dismissal of a judicial review that had challenged the provincial government's decision not to require a separate environmental assessment for the company's Record Ridge magnesium project in British Columbia.The ruling removes a major source of uncertainty that had weighed on the project since the legal challenge was initiated. According to Baim, the court upheld the Environmental Assessment Office's determination that the project had already undergone an appropriate regulatory review through British Columbia's Mines Act permitting process."The project has already gone through a very rigorous environmental review through the Mines Act," Baim explained. "The court found that the decision was both fair and reasonable based on policies, regulations and the law."The decision also lifts an injunction that had slowed project advancement, allowing the company to proceed with a series of remaining conditional permits involving forestry, transportation, air and water approvals. Baim indicated that draft permits have already been received from the relevant agencies and that the company expects those processes to be completed in the near term.For investors, the ruling represents more than a legal victory. It substantially reduces regulatory risk surrounding a project that has already secured its Mines Act permit and hosts a large magnesium resource."We have an identified resource in place, ready to go," said Baim. "We now have that Mines Act permit from October 2025 and this judicial review is now behind us. We can move forward with confidence that this project is going to move ahead."Record Ridge contains a reported mineral resource of approximately 43 million tonnes grading 24.61% magnesium, including an estimated 10.6 million tonnes of contained magnesium. The deposit also hosts significant silica, as well as nickel and iron credits, providing the foundation for what the company envisions as an integrated critical minerals operation.While magnesium has traditionally been associated with industrial and alloy applications, growing interest in battery technologies, lightweight transportation materials and secure North American supply chains has brought renewed attention to the metal. Today, China dominates global magnesium production, creating strategic concerns for Western manufacturers and governments seeking alternative sources.Baim believes Record Ridge is uniquely positioned because of both its scale and its stage of development.Many critical minerals projects remain years away from production as they navigate permitting and environmental review processes. West High Yield, by contrast, has spent years advancing Record Ridge through the regulatory system and now appears to be approaching the construction phase."We're basically a shovel-ready project," Baim said. "We'll be into the ground because we do have that mining permit and we'll have the other conditional permits in short order."The company's development strategy is structured in stages. Initial mining operations would generate cash flow through an existing offtake agreement, while parallel work continues on downstream processing opportunities designed to produce value-added magnesium, silica, nickel and iron products within North America.The judicial review decision also strengthens the company's position with respect to its previously announced commercial arrangements. According to Baim, the company's offtake partner is expected to provide a US$5 million prepayment once the remaining permits are finalized.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/3QNjXO0

In a recent InvestorNews interview with Tracy Hughes, Kevin Keough, CEO and Director of Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC), discussed the company's upcoming maiden drill program at Trek South, a copper-gold porphyry target located in British Columbia's Golden Triangle. The discussion also covered a recently announced royalty transaction involving Enduro Metals Corporation and updates on the company's exploration projects in British Columbia, Nevada, and Ontario.For Keough, the excitement surrounding Trek South stems from one simple fact: this is not a previously drilled prospect being revisited. It is an entirely new target.“We’ve developed the Trek South prospect as a new-to-science target over the last several years,” Keough explained. “Nature has basically given us a huge target that looks very juicy as a potential porphyry copper-gold discovery in the making.”The target itself emerged as glacial retreat exposed previously inaccessible geology. Extensive fieldwork, mapping, geochemical analysis, and surface observations have led Oreterra’s technical team to believe they are drilling directly into a large porphyry system.Unlike many early-stage exploration projects where drilling seeks to determine whether mineralization exists at all, Keough believes the company already has evidence that mineralized porphyry is present at surface.“We can see the porphyry in the bare rock. We know there are values of metal right on surface, so we’ll be drilling in the system from day one.”The initial phase of the program will comprise approximately 4,600 metres of drilling. While that may seem modest compared to larger development-stage projects, Keough emphasized that discovery—not resource definition—is the objective.“What we need is one or two drill holes that give us several hundred metres of porphyry-style grades. If we achieve that kind of thing, we’ll know very quickly what we have.”Trek South’s location further strengthens the investment thesis. The property is situated immediately adjacent to the Galore Creek project, one of Canada’s largest undeveloped copper-gold-silver deposits. Galore Creek is currently held through a joint venture between Newmont Corporation and Teck Resources Limited.“Our property essentially injects itself into a massive land package controlled by the majors,” Keough noted. “We’re about six kilometres from Galore Creek. If we succeed, we’re strategically positioned right next door.”The Golden Triangle has long been recognized as one of the world’s premier mineral districts, hosting numerous major discoveries and producing mines. The combination of world-class geology, improving infrastructure, and growing strategic demand for copper has placed renewed attention on the region.For Oreterra, the objective is clear.The company is seeking the type of large-scale porphyry system that major mining companies ultimately acquire and develop.“We find these beasts, advance them, quantify them, and potentially sell them,” said Keough. “That’s exactly what we did at GT Gold with the Saddle North discovery.”Keough’s reference to GT Gold is particularly relevant. As former CEO of GT Gold Corp., he helped lead the discovery and advancement of the Saddle North copper-gold porphyry deposit, which ultimately attracted the attention of Newmont Corporation. The company was acquired in a transaction valued at approximately C$456 million.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4xuR6yF

During 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.

As 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.

During 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.

For 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

Artificial intelligence may be the hottest investment theme in global markets today, but according to Sheldon Bennett, CEO and Director of DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSXV: DMGI | OTCQB: DMGGF), the companies best positioned to participate may not necessarily be the ones investors expect.During a recent conversation with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Bennett discussed DMG’s newly announced Letter of Intent to develop a 50-megawatt AI data center at the Company’s Christina Lake property in British Columbia. The announcement was met with an enthusiastic response from investors, reflecting growing market interest in AI infrastructure and the enormous demand for computing capacity that continues to emerge worldwide.For Bennett, however, the story is not about abandoning blockchain or digital assets. It is about leveraging infrastructure and expertise that DMG has spent years building.“We’ve been telling the market that this is a direction we want to go into,” Bennett explained. “We’ve been telling the market that we believe our Christina Lake property is suited for this type of use case.”That distinction matters.Unlike many companies now attempting to enter the AI infrastructure space, DMG is not starting from scratch. For nearly a decade as a public company, and for even longer as an operator of large-scale digital infrastructure, DMG has been managing the very assets that AI developers increasingly require: power, cooling, security, networking, and operational expertise.The similarities between modern Bitcoin mining operations and AI data centers are more substantial than many investors realize.Both industries consume enormous amounts of electricity. Both require sophisticated cooling systems. Both depend on highly reliable network infrastructure. Both demand operational uptime and security.As Bennett noted, DMG already possesses significant infrastructure that can be adapted for AI workloads.“We happen to have 12 megawatts of cooling capacity sitting on the ground,” he said. “A lot of infrastructure doesn’t need to change.”That existing infrastructure may allow DMG to move faster than many competing projects.While AI data center developments are often measured in years, Bennett believes DMG could potentially deliver an initial phase before the end of 2026. Discussions are currently underway regarding the size and timing of that first deployment under the proposed agreement.The speed of execution is only part of the story.Equally important is the identity of DMG’s proposed co-location partner and the financial support behind the project.One challenge facing many AI infrastructure developers is financing. The cost of building facilities capable of supporting large-scale AI workloads is substantial. In many cases, companies are forced to raise large amounts of capital before knowing whether customers will ultimately commit to the project.DMG chose a different path.Rather than building first and searching for customers later, Bennett explained that the Company focused on understanding what potential AI operators required, completing the necessary due diligence, and identifying a partner capable of supporting development.“A lot of people say they’re ready for AI,” Bennett observed. “A lot of people say they’re going to do AI. But the cost of this is very expensive.”That practical perspective runs throughout Bennett’s view of the sector.The current excitement surrounding AI has created the impression that any site with power and internet connectivity can become a successful data center. Bennett believes the reality is far more complicated.“People think that because they have power and internet, they have an AI deal,” he said.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4obgQvA

Scandium has long been described as one of the most promising critical minerals in the world. The challenge has never been its performance. The challenge has been supply. A small addition of scandium can transform aluminum into a significantly stronger, lighter, and more efficient material, making it attractive for aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and electric vehicles. Yet despite its potential, commercial adoption has remained limited by the lack of reliable primary production. That may be changing. In my recent conversation with Guy Bourassa, CEO and Director of Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSXV: SCD), we discussed why global interest in scandium is accelerating, how advanced manufacturing is creating new demand for scandium-enhanced alloys, and why the company believes it is positioned to become both a future producer and a technology provider in the emerging scandium economy. The reason for the growing interest is straightforward. Adding as little as 0.4% scandium oxide to aluminum can dramatically improve the metal's strength, allowing manufacturers to achieve steel-like performance while maintaining aluminum's significantly lighter weight. The implications are substantial. Lighter electric vehicles can travel farther on the same battery charge. Lighter aircraft consume less fuel. Lighter satellites cost less to launch. Advanced drones can carry greater payloads while consuming less energy. Scandium-enhanced aluminum alloys also offer improvements in conductivity, opening potential opportunities in electric motors and power systems where copper's cost and weight have become growing concerns. In a world increasingly focused on energy efficiency, performance, and emissions reduction, the value proposition becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the scandium story is not the metal itself. It is what Scandium Canada is attempting to become. Most junior mining companies spend years proving a resource, advancing engineering studies, and eventually seeking financing for mine construction.Scandium Canada is pursuing a parallel strategy. Through its Scandium+ division, the company has spent several years working alongside researchers at McMaster University to develop proprietary aluminum-scandium alloys designed for advanced manufacturing applications. The work has already resulted in patent applications and growing industry interest. What began as research into solving micro-cracking challenges in metal 3D printing has expanded into welding wire applications, advanced manufacturing technologies, and direct engagement with industrial end users seeking performance improvements. The company now finds itself in an unusual position for a junior resource issuer. Instead of simply promoting a future mine, it is increasingly being approached by industrial companies seeking solutions to manufacturing problems. One example cited by Bourassa involved a major European metallic powders company that contacted Scandium Canada after reviewing technical results disclosed in a routine news release. According to Bourassa, what started as an unsolicited email quickly evolved into a formal collaboration after the company recognized that Scandium Canada's alloy technology could potentially solve challenges faced by one of its customers. The broader significance is that the commercialization pathway may no longer depend entirely on future scandium production. If Scandium+ succeeds in generating revenue through alloy development, powder sales, licensing opportunities, or advanced manufacturing applications, the company could establish commercial traction before its mining project reaches production. Investors often speak about de-risking.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4xmCWj0

When investors discuss the future of rare earths in North America, the conversation often gravitates toward processing plants, magnet manufacturing, and the geopolitical imperative of reducing Western dependence on China. Yet before any of that can happen, one question must be answered: where will the raw materials come from?According to Mark Wall, President and CEO of American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY), one answer may lie in Wyoming.During a recent InvestorTalk interview, Wall described the Company’s Halleck Creek project as the largest rare earth deposit in the United States measured by total rare earth oxide (TREO) content — a distinction that has attracted increasing attention from investors, industry participants, and government stakeholders focused on rebuilding domestic supply chains.“Halleck Creek is the largest rare earth deposit in the domestic United States by far,” Wall told InvestorNews. “The first 25 years are on state land, and the next several hundred years are on federal land. It’s a really exciting deposit.”What distinguishes Halleck Creek from many other North American rare earth projects is not simply its size. Approximately one-quarter of the deposit consists of heavy rare earth elements, a category of materials that remains particularly scarce outside China.Heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium play critical roles in advanced defense systems, aerospace applications, and high-performance permanent magnets. These materials are increasingly viewed as strategic assets by governments seeking secure domestic supply chains.“Heavy rare earths are really strategic,” Wall explained. “They’re used a lot in space applications, high altitude applications, and defense. They’re not common in the domestic United States, so it’s great having those.”The project also contains significant quantities of neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), the magnet rare earths that underpin electric vehicles, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and countless clean-energy technologies.The timing could prove significant.Rare earths have emerged as one of the most important critical mineral sectors in North America as governments attempt to establish mine-to-magnet supply chains independent of Chinese control. While many projects remain years away from development, American Rare Earths is attempting to accelerate its timeline by advancing multiple workstreams simultaneously.Wall confirmed that the Company remains on track to complete its pre-feasibility study during the third quarter of 2026. However, management has already initiated feasibility-level work before publication of the pre-feasibility study in an effort to compress development timelines.“We’ve started the feasibility study before the PFS has been published,” Wall said. “We’re really compressing this work and doing a lot of things at the same time.”The strategy reflects growing urgency within the United States to establish domestic rare earth production capacity.“We need magnet rare earths,” Wall said. “We’re working at full speed.”Another potential catalyst for investors is the Company’s planned NASDAQ listing. Wall indicated that the process continues to advance and suggested a September-to-October timeframe remains a reasonable expectation.A successful NASDAQ listing would significantly increase the Company’s visibility among U.S. institutional investors at a time when critical minerals are becoming an increasingly important investment theme.Perhaps equally important is where the project is located.Wyoming has quietly emerged as one of the most attractive mining jurisdictions in North America, combining abundant infrastructure with a mature regulatory framework and a long history of resource development.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4vqnBfg

Most junior mining companies spend years trying to align themselves with a major investment theme. Resolution Minerals Ltd. (ASX: RML | OTCQB: RLMLF) appears to have stumbled into three at once.Resolution's Horse Heaven project is unusual in today's critical minerals market. Few projects offer exposure to antimony, tungsten and gold within the same district, let alone historic production of two of those commodities.During a recent InvestorTalk interview, Craig Lindsay, CEO – US Operations for Resolution Minerals, described Horse Heaven as a “three-legged stool” supported by antimony, tungsten and gold. While the market’s attention has largely focused on antimony shortages and tungsten supply security, the gold potential continues to expand alongside the critical minerals story.“We’re really promoting and positioning ourselves as a critical minerals company because of the past antimony production that we’ve got at the Horse Heaven project, as well as the past tungsten production,” Lindsay said. “The gold story has kind of wrapped its arms around us.”That combination is increasingly attracting investor attention.Antimony has become one of the most sought-after critical minerals in North America following tightening Chinese export controls and growing defense-sector demand. Tungsten remains essential for military applications, industrial tooling and advanced manufacturing. Gold, meanwhile, continues to benefit from strong commodity prices and safe-haven investment demand.What makes Horse Heaven particularly interesting is that it hosts historic production from both antimony and tungsten operations.At Antimony Ridge, historic mining exposed exceptionally high-grade mineralization. According to Lindsay, historic dump material averaged approximately 40% antimony, while recent sampling has returned grades ranging from 10% to nearly 50% antimony. In a sector where grade often determines project economics, those numbers stand out.“I think the thing that differentiates us from a lot of the critical metals companies out there is grade,” Lindsay said.The tungsten side of the story is equally compelling.The historic Golden Gate Tungsten Mine reportedly produced material averaging approximately 1.8% to 1.85% tungsten, grades that compare favorably with many operating tungsten mines globally. Resolution recently acquired the historic Johnson Creek tungsten mill along with stockpiles that management believes could contain between 2,000 and 8,000 tonnes of material available for processing.The Company is currently conducting a 45,000-foot drill program consisting of roughly 40 to 45 holes focused on the Golden Gate trend. Two drill rigs are now operating on site, targeting both gold and tungsten mineralization along a three-kilometre strike length associated with the historic mine workings.The scale of the exploration effort suggests investors can expect a steady stream of results throughout the remainder of 2026.Yet the project’s strategic importance extends beyond drilling.Horse Heaven has already secured FAST-41 coverage for its Antimony Ridge target, a designation intended to accelerate federal permitting reviews for projects considered important to U.S. national interests. Resolution is now pursuing similar FAST-41 coverage for Golden Gate, potentially giving the Company two federally recognized critical mineral development projects within the same district.In today’s permitting environment, that may prove nearly as valuable as the mineralization itself.Lindsay described support from local communities, Idaho state officials, congressional representatives and federal agencies as constructive, reflecting a broader shift in U.S. policy toward domestic critical mineral development.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4uYPRWs

When investors discuss critical minerals, the conversation usually centers on copper, uranium, rare earths, lithium, tungsten, and antimony. Yet some of the most strategically important minerals rarely enter the discussion despite their direct role in modern healthcare.Barite and iodine are two notable examples.Barite is classified as a critical mineral in the United States, while iodine is increasingly viewed as a strategic material due to its importance in medical imaging. Both are essential inputs for radiology contrast agents used to diagnose a wide range of diseases. Without secure supplies of pharmaceutical-grade barite and iodine, healthcare systems face growing supply chain risks. That reality helps explain the significance of the partnership announced earlier this year between Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV: VM) and Bayer.According to Voyageur, Bayer spent approximately eighteen months evaluating the Company's iodine extraction technology before committing $2.35 million in non-dilutive funding to advance feasibility work and field-scale testing. The agreement also contemplates a future iodine offtake arrangement following successful completion of technical milestones.For investors, the importance of the Bayer relationship extends beyond financing. It represents validation from one of the world's largest radiology companies at a time when global iodine supply chains are under increasing pressure.The second component of the Voyageur story is pharmaceutical-grade barite.The Company's Frances Creek deposit in British Columbia appears to possess a rare geological characteristic: exceptionally low levels of contaminating metals. This is important because most barite deposits contain impurities that limit their suitability for pharmaceutical applications.Voyageur is currently advancing human trials designed to compare radiology products manufactured using Frances Creek barite against existing commercial alternatives. The objective is to demonstrate that naturally occurring pharmaceutical-grade barite can provide equal or improved imaging performance.What makes Voyageur particularly interesting from a critical minerals perspective is its business model.The Company is pursuing a vertically integrated strategy that spans resource development, mineral processing, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and radiology products. Management often describes the vision as "from earth to bottle" — controlling the supply chain from the mineral deposit through to the finished healthcare product.That strategy has already begun to generate results. Voyageur reported product sales in 2025 while continuing to advance feasibility studies for both its barite and iodine businesses.The broader investment thesis is straightforward. Most critical minerals companies create value through extraction. Voyageur is attempting to create value across the entire supply chain by controlling the raw materials, the processing, and ultimately the pharmaceutical products derived from them.As governments and healthcare providers place greater emphasis on supply chain security, domestic manufacturing, and strategic materials, Voyageur is positioning itself at the intersection of critical minerals and healthcare infrastructure. If successful, the Company could become one of the few publicly traded issuers offering investors exposure not only to critical minerals production, but also to the higher-value healthcare products those minerals make possible.

Quantum eMotion Corp. (NYSE American: QNC | TSXV: QNC | FSE: 34Q0) is moving from quantum cybersecurity concept to semiconductor execution.In an InvestorTalk interview with Darren Cudmore, President, CEO and Director Dr. Francis Bellido framed the company’s newly signed consortium agreement with Taiwan-based JMEM TEK as more than another technical collaboration. It is, in his view, a step toward embedding Quantum eMotion’s quantum random number generation technology directly into secure chips.The agreement, announced May 19, 2026, is intended to accelerate development of a quantum-resilient Universal Security system-on-chip platform integrating Quantum eMotion’s diode-based quantum entropy source with JMEM’s secure semiconductor capabilities. “What they don’t have is actually a source of randomness that is pure,” Bellido said of JMEM. “And the only way you can get a pure source of randomness is actually rely on quantum physics.”That sentence captures the company’s central claim. In cybersecurity, randomness is not decorative. It is foundational. Keys, encryption systems, authentication and hardware security all depend on it. Bellido’s argument is that conventional approaches are not enough in an environment increasingly shaped by quantum computing risk and AI-driven attacks.The partnership with JMEM is aimed at bringing Quantum eMotion’s QRNG technology into a miniaturized chip architecture. Bellido described miniaturization as “a game changer,” particularly because JMEM’s expertise lies in security chips, root-of-trust technology and Physical Unclonable Functions, or PUFs.The company has also widened its platform through eShield-Q, which Bellido described as a full-stack quantum cybersecurity offering combining QRNG, post-quantum encryption, classical encryption and Secure Keys, the technology acquired earlier this year. In Bellido’s view, post-quantum encryption alone is insufficient. Quantum-level randomness, he argued, is part of what makes the protection architecture complete.That message arrives as Quantum eMotion works to broaden its capital markets profile. The company began trading on the NYSE American under the symbol QNC in February 2026, while maintaining its TSX Venture and Frankfurt listings.For Bellido, the uplisting is part of a larger objective: moving beyond a heavily retail shareholder base and attracting more institutional attention. He was candid that retail ownership has contributed to volatility, but equally clear that he believes the company now has the technology base, balance sheet and timing to make a stronger case to larger investors.Bellido’s own background helps explain the company’s unusual positioning. Trained across history, philosophy, science and healthcare innovation, he described his role less as pure physicist than as translator — connecting technology, business and value creation.“At the end of the day, you need to have somebody that can make the connection between technology, business and value,” he said.That is the real test now for Quantum eMotion. The company has the vocabulary of one of the market’s most powerful themes: quantum security, semiconductor resilience, AI-era cyber defense and trusted hardware. The next phase is about proving that those words can be compressed into chips, certifications, commercial partnerships and revenue.In a market crowded with quantum claims, Bellido is trying to make Quantum eMotion stand out on execution — not by predicting the quantum future, but by building the security layer that future may require.

In the rare earth sector, scale matters — but composition matters more. In an InvestorNews interview, Dr. Alex Moyes, SVP of Mining and Processing at USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAR), focused on one point repeatedly: control of heavy rare earth supply is the defining constraint in the market today.At the center of that strategy is Serra Verde in Brazil.“Serra Verde… is really a strategic asset, not just for USA Rare Earth, but certainly for the Western world,” Moyes said, emphasizing that it is “the only mine outside of Asia right now that is actively producing… NdPr, Dy, and Tb.”That distinction is critical. While many projects globally target rare earths, very few produce dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) at scale — the elements required for high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, defense systems, and advanced electronics.Serra Verde is expected to reach “6,400 tons of TREO in their phase one by the end of 2027,” positioning it as one of the most significant non-China sources of heavy rare earths in the near term. As Moyes noted, the asset has been developed quietly but deliberately: “They have such a valuable asset… they’ve put together an amazing team, an amazing operation.”For USA Rare Earth, the acquisition is not just about adding production — it is about securing exposure to the part of the periodic table that remains structurally undersupplied.That same focus is shaping the company’s approach to Round Top in Texas.“Our exclusive focus is… to be the best heavy rare earth element producer in the United States,” Moyes said.Round Top has historically been viewed as a complex polymetallic deposit. Moyes acknowledged that challenge directly, noting that prior approaches attempted to extract multiple elementssimultaneously. The current strategy is more disciplined: concentrate on heavy rare earths.The project’s grade — “averaging 650 parts per million” — is often cited as a concern, but Moyes argued that grade alone is misleading. Instead, he pointed to a “72% average heavies distribution” and “approximately 70%” recovery through heap leaching.“When you put all of this together… we’re two to three, in some cases, four times higher the effective recovery of heavy rare earth elements,” he said.That comparison is made against ionic clay deposits in Southeast Asia, which typically carry higher grades but lower heavy rare earth distribution and recovery rates.Beyond upstream supply, Moyes was explicit about where the real bottleneck lies: processing.“How do you take these concentrates… and separate them into the individual rare earths that we need… that is a huge focus,” he said.USA Rare Earth is building that capability internally and externally. At Round Top, separation will be integrated into the project. At the same time, the company is developing third-party processing capacity and advancing recycling of magnet manufacturing waste — or “SWARF” — back into separated oxides.“We are full steam ahead on three fronts,” Moyes said, citing “third-party separation of MREC, SWARF recycling, and… our heavy separations facility.”The company’s investment in Carester SAS, a French rare earth separation specialist, adds another layer.“Carester… [is] one of the world leaders in separations,” Moyes said, noting that the partnership allows USA Rare Earth to “start separating products sooner than if we weren’t involved.” He also pointed to France’s growing role as a processing hub for non-China supply chains.Government support, particularly in the United States, is accelerating that buildout.“I think it has been the catalyst that has been sorely needed,” Moyes said, referring to federal programs backing critical mineral supply chains. He emphasized that funding is milestone-based and structured, adding: “Unless we… are hitting those milestones, those fundings don’t become unlocked.”

“When we acquired this project last June, we were looking for something advanced—and we found something that kept growing,” said Kerem Usenmez, President, CEO & Director of Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA | OTCQB: VOLMF).In under 12 months, Volta Metals has moved from acquisition to two drill programs, an updated resource, metallurgical work, and a preliminary economic assessment targeted for this summer. The project, located near Sudbury, Ontario, is now described by the company as the seventh-largest rare earth deposit in North America, supported by a recently filed technical report.The scale remains open-ended.“We went deeper than historic drilling—600 to 700 metres of mineralization—and we still haven’t hit the end of it,” Usenmez said. “Every program is expanding the footprint.”What distinguishes the project is not only rare earth scale, but the presence of gallium—an increasingly strategic metal tied to semiconductors and defense technologies.“It’s almost twice the grade of the highest-grade gallium produced from bauxite,” Usenmez noted. “Typical bauxite-derived gallium is 50 to 54 grams per tonne. Ours is consistently 83 to over 100 grams per tonne, and up to 130 in some intercepts, across 60 to 100 metre widths.”If confirmed through metallurgical work, this could position Volta to define what may become Canada’s first dedicated gallium resource.The project’s location also removes a key development hurdle seen across many rare earth assets.“We have paved roads through the property, hydroelectric power adjacent to the claims, and power lines already running across it,” Usenmez said. “We don’t need to build a camp. The infrastructure and workforce are already there.”Volta’s acquisition timing also aligned with a renewed push into rare earth supply chains in North America.“We acquired it when nobody was really looking at rare earths,” Usenmez said. “Then within days of our announcement, you had major government and corporate investments coming into the sector. The timing couldn’t have been better.”Still, Usenmez emphasized that geology alone does not determine success in rare earths.“There are 17 elements in the rare earth group. Some are worth $0.30 a kilo, some are worth $3,000,” he said. “The challenge is not just mining—it’s how you process, recover, and deliver the right elements into the supply chain.”With another resource update pending and a PEA expected in the coming months, Volta Metals is attempting to compress what is typically a multi-year development timeline into a much shorter window.“We’re moving at a very high pace,” Usenmez said. “Within 12 months—two drill programs, metallurgical work, baseline studies, and a technical study. And we’re still growing the resource.”In a rare earth market increasingly defined by processing constraints and geopolitical supply risks, the combination of rare earth scale and high-grade gallium is not easily replicated.

In a recent interview with Tracy Hughes, Robin Dunbar, President, CEO, and Director of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), outlined the company’s advancing cesium strategy at its Falcon West project in southeastern Manitoba, while also highlighting a newly signed earn-in agreement with Boliden Group and broader developments across its base metals portfolio.The Boliden agreement allows the Swedish multinational to earn up to 80% of a Manitoba project through a minimum $10 million exploration commitment, with potential for additional expenditures depending on the structure. Dunbar described the transaction as a meaningful addition for shareholders, providing exposure to a well-funded partner while allowing Grid Metals to retain operational involvement and upside through fees and exploration success.While the base metals portfolio provides diversification, the company’s primary focus remains on cesium at Falcon West. Dunbar emphasized that cesium is among the rarest commercially viable elements, with only three deposits historically brought into production globally. He noted that the company expects to publish an initial mineral resource estimate later this year and believes the project has the potential to rank among the largest known cesium resources worldwide.The Falcon West project is located approximately one hour east of Winnipeg and sits roughly 500 meters from the Trans-Canada Highway, providing logistical advantages uncommon in early-stage exploration projects. Drilling to date has been concentrated on near-surface mineralization, with cesium encountered at depths generally less than 40 meters. The company completed approximately 135 drill holes in its most recent campaign, focusing on a relatively small footprint while continuing to define the extent of mineralization.Dunbar explained that cesium at Falcon West is hosted within a pegmatite system approximately 10 meters wide, with a central zone containing cesium, lithium, and tantalum. The mineralization currently extends roughly 120 meters along strike, and drilling indicates continuity, though the full extent remains undefined. The current phase is focused on delineating material that could be mined via open pit methods before evaluating deeper potential that may require underground extraction.He also underscored the geological complexity of cesium exploration, noting that economic mineralization depends on the presence of pollucite within highly fractionated lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatites. Even within prospective systems, pollucite occurrences can be inconsistent, with mineralization appearing and disappearing over short distances. This variability contributes to the rarity of viable deposits and underscores the significance of Falcon West’s drilling results to date.From a development perspective, Dunbar highlighted that cesium projects differ materially from conventional mining operations. Processing does not require tailings facilities or complex chemical plants. Instead, mined rock can be crushed and processed through an ore sorting system to produce a high-value concentrate in a dry process. This approach reduces infrastructure requirements and may allow for faster timelines and lower capital intensity relative to traditional mining projects.Cesium’s end-use profile spans several high-value applications. It is used in optical systems, including military-grade night vision technologies, as well as in atomic clocks, positioning systems, advanced electronics, and medical isotopes. Currently, one of the primary commercial uses is cesium formate, which is utilized in high-density drilling fluids for offshore oil and gas operations. Dunbar noted that broader adoption could occur if additional supply were available to the market.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4tapFGR

In a market increasingly crowded with companies invoking the language of “rare earths” without necessarily understanding the science—or the economics—behind it, the conversation with Mark Tory offers a rare moment of clarity.Appearing on InvestorNews with Tracy Hughes, Tory, President, CEO, and Director of Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN | OTCQB: DFMTF), did not lean on market enthusiasm or geopolitical urgency alone. Instead, he returned repeatedly to a principle often overlooked in speculative cycles: in rare earths, grade in the ground is not what matters most—it’s what you can turn it into.That distinction, while technical, is everything.The recent inclusion of Defense Metals in a Sprott-managed ETF underscores a broader shift. Capital—still cautious, still selective—is beginning to differentiate between narrative and viability. As Tory put it, the company itself learned of its inclusion only after the fact, a quiet validation rather than a promotional milestone.Yet the real story lies beneath the surface.Rare earth economics are dictated not by discovery, but by processing. The cost bottleneck sits firmly in the hydrometallurgical stage, where separation and refinement determine whether a project lives or dies. Projects that can upgrade low in-situ grades into high-quality concentrates reduce both capital intensity and operational complexity. Those that cannot are unlikely to survive beyond the feasibility stage.Defense Metals’ Wicheeda project, located in British Columbia, appears to pass that test. A 2.4% total rare earth oxide (TREO) grade in the ground may not initially stand out, but the ability to upgrade that material to a ~50% concentrate places it in the same technical conversation as industry benchmarks like Lynas and MP Materials. That is not a trivial achievement—it is the difference between geological interest and economic relevance.It also explains why Jack Lifton has described Tory as building “North America’s rare earth breakout project.” The phrase is not about scale alone; it is about positioning within the most constrained segment of the supply chain: processing.Location, often treated as a secondary factor in early-stage mining narratives, becomes critical at this stage. Wicheeda’s proximity to Prince George, with access to infrastructure, hydroelectric power, rail, and port connectivity, significantly lowers logistical friction. In a sector where permitting delays and infrastructure gaps routinely derail timelines, such advantages compound quickly.Still, the path forward is not without friction.Despite the surge in attention around rare earths—driven by energy transition narratives, defense considerations, and supply chain realignments—Tory remains measured on capital flows. Interest is rising, but conviction capital remains limited. Governments are more engaged, private investors more curious, but the sector has yet to see the scale of coordinated financing required to build out a full Western supply chain.That gap is precisely where Defense Metals is now focused.The next phase is less about geology and more about partnerships: strategic investors for separation expertise, offtake agreements that can anchor financing, and government support to de-risk infrastructure. The company is effectively building multiple pathways to the same outcome—bankability.In parallel, operational milestones continue. A 30-tonne pilot plant run through SGS will test the full beneficiation and hydromet process, while preparations for a full feasibility study advance. These are not headline-grabbing developments, but they are the milestones that ultimately determine whether a project transitions from concept to construction.What emerges from the conversation is not a story of hype, but of discipline.In a sector increasingly shaped by macro narratives—China dependency, defense supply chains, electrification—the temptation is to treat all rare earth projects as interchangeable. They are not...

In a recent interview with host Peter Clausi, Mark Wall, President and CEO of American Rare Earths Limited (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY), described the company’s Halleck Creek project in Wyoming as “materially the largest rare earth deposit in the domestic United States,” citing an estimated 8.6 million tonnes of total rare earth oxide.Wall emphasized that while larger deposits exist globally, Halleck Creek’s advantage lies in its jurisdiction. Located in Wyoming, the project benefits from existing infrastructure—rail, power, and road access—which he described as critical to mine development economics.The deposit, an allanite-hosted system long known to the industry, has historically faced metallurgical challenges. Wall noted that a combination of natural geological aging and advances in processing has enabled the company to develop a viable flowsheet.Rather than constructing a traditional pilot plant, the company is advancing a distributed processing strategy. Ore will be crushed, ground, and concentrated in Wyoming, reducing approximately 100 tonnes of material to about 7 tonnes of concentrate, before being sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council for further processing. Wall said this approach reduces both cost and time while avoiding the inefficiencies of building and dismantling pilot infrastructure.On financing, Wall confirmed ongoing engagement with multiple U.S. government bodies, including discussions tied to a non-binding letter of interest from EXIM and broader alignment with Department of Energy and Department of Defense priorities.Strategically, the company is pursuing a U.S.-focused capital markets profile, with a NASDAQ listing underway as part of what Wall described as “fully Americanizing the company,” reflecting its Wyoming and Arizona asset base.Looking ahead, near-term milestones include a pre-feasibility study targeted for Q3 2026, permitting submissions, and continued advancement of processing solutions. Longer-term priorities center on securing a mine-to-magnet partner and financing construction, with 2027 identified as the year to move toward building the mine and associated processing infrastructure.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

In a recent interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Larry Braga, President and CEO of AscentX Medical, described gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions globally, affecting a significant portion of the population and largely managed today through pharmaceutical intervention.Braga noted that while proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) dominate the treatment landscape and provide symptom relief for many patients, a meaningful subset experiences what is known as “breakthrough,” where medications no longer adequately control reflux. It is this group that AscentX Medical is targeting with its regenerative biomaterial platform.The company’s approach centers on a minimally invasive, endoscopically delivered injection of proprietary collagen and microspheres into the lower esophageal sphincter. The material is designed to stimulate the body’s own healing response, promoting collagen formation that reinforces the weakened barrier between the stomach and esophagus. According to Braga, the objective is not short-term symptom management, but a longer-term correction that could extend for years.The procedure itself is expected to take approximately one hour and is positioned as a middle-ground solution between chronic medication use and invasive surgical intervention. Braga emphasized that the platform builds on more than three decades of research in regenerative biomaterials, originally developed for aesthetic applications such as wrinkle and acne scar treatment, and now being extended into therapeutic indications.Beyond GERD, AscentX Medical is advancing additional pipeline applications, including stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and fecal incontinence, both of which leverage the same underlying principle of tissue bulking and regeneration to restore function. These programs remain in earlier stages of development but reflect a broader strategy to apply the platform across multiple high-need conditions.Near-term milestones include the completion of preclinical studies and the initiation of a small pilot clinical trial, expected to generate the data required to support expanded trials and future regulatory submissions.

In a recent interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, Dr. Iqbal Sandhu, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at AscentX Medical, outlined the scale and clinical burden of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition affecting tens of millions of patients and defined by the backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus due to a compromised lower esophageal sphincter.Dr. Sandhu described GERD’s hallmark symptom—persistent heartburn—as more than a nuisance, noting its broader impact on quality of life, from disrupted sleep to dietary restriction and social anxiety. Patients often rely on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which suppress stomach acid but require long-term adherence and raise concerns about side effects. Surgical interventions exist but are invasive and frequently avoided by patients, leaving what he characterized as a significant treatment gap.That gap is where AscentX Medical is positioning its regenerative injectable biomaterial platform, known as G125. The approach centers on delivering a biocompatible material into the gastroesophageal junction, where it acts as a scaffold for the body’s own tissue regeneration. Over time, the material integrates with surrounding structures, promoting collagen deposition and vascularization to form a functional barrier that supports the weakened sphincter.“It’s not viewed as foreign by the body,” Dr. Sandhu explained, emphasizing that stability, non-migration, and the absence of inflammatory response are critical design features. The objective is not to reconstruct anatomy surgically, but to augment the natural barrier function in a minimally invasive, office-based procedure.The company has completed the design and patenting of a specialized delivery needle intended to precisely place the biomaterial within the submucosal layer. Preclinical animal studies are the next step, with evaluations planned at 30-day and six-month intervals to assess positioning, durability, and tissue response. Positive outcomes would support progression into clinical trials and regulatory pathways.For Dr. Sandhu, an interventional gastroenterologist, the appeal lies in scalability. Unlike more complex endoscopic or surgical procedures, the injection-based approach could be readily adopted across standard gastroenterology practices, potentially expanding access to a middle-ground therapy between medication and surgery.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Peter Clausi spoke with The Honourable Floyd Green, MP, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining for the Government of Jamaica, on the country’s mining history and its plans to expand into critical minerals exploration.“Very good. Happy to be here and happy to be among like-minded people looking at our minerals future,” Green said.Jamaica has a long-standing role in the global mining industry. “We’ve been doing mining for as long as we’ve been an independent nation,” Green said. “In fact, we’re well known for bauxite mining and aluminum production.”He said that legacy has helped establish regulatory and institutional foundations for mining development. “It means that we also have a very detailed legislative framework around mining,” Green said. “We’ve also gone through some of the early challenges related to community engagement. So we have a rich history of mining.”While bauxite and aluminum remain central to the sector, the government is encouraging broader exploration activity. “Having been big miners of bauxite and aluminum, we see a lot of additional potential,” Green said.Green pointed to exploration data collected by Jamaican companies as an important foundation for new investment. “Thankfully, we have strong Jamaican companies like Geophysx that have been doing a lot of work in data collection, and we are now seeing the payoff from that work,” he said.That work has attracted major international partners. “We now have companies like Barrick on the ground in partnership with Geophysx, exploring for gold and copper,” Green said. “We’re very excited about that because of Barrick’s global reputation in the gold industry and the fact that they have decided to invest in Jamaica.”The government has positioned itself as a facilitator of private-sector exploration. “A lot of what we’ve done as a government is to facilitate that process,” Green said. “We recognize that it must be a public–private partnership.”He added that exploration data collected through these partnerships is publicly available. “Those datasets are available through our Commissioner of Mines,” Green said.Green also highlighted ongoing exploration activity involving international partners. “What we’re seeing now on the C3 side is a partnership with Freeport coming in, again looking at copper exploration,” he said. “That includes significant investment—about US$75 million in the first phase—to conduct additional exploration work.”Beyond traditional mining, the government is focusing on critical minerals and rare earth elements. “From a policy perspective I have directed the team to focus more on our metallic minerals and our rare earths,” Green said.He pointed to potential resources in Jamaica’s red mud deposits, the byproduct of bauxite processing. “As a major bauxite producer, once the bauxite is processed, valuable elements remain in the tailings,” Green said. “From the data we’ve collected so far, we’re seeing excellent ratios of heavy and light rare earth minerals—close to 50/50 in some cases.”He said current estimates indicate more than 140 million tonnes of material in the red mud deposits, with additional potential in natural mineralization. “We have also identified in-situ locations where rare earth elements may exist,” Green said.“These areas are open for partnerships, and Jamaica is open for business,” he said. “Think critical minerals. Think Jamaica when you’re considering investments in critical minerals. The government is ready and willing to facilitate that.”

In a recent Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) Masterclass, “The Critical Mineral that Literally Defines Time – Cesium,” the discussion began with a simple but underappreciated fact: the modern world keeps time using a metal most investors have never heard of.Hosted by Jack Lifton, Co-Chair of the Critical Minerals Institute and one of the foremost authorities on critical minerals, the session positioned cesium not as a niche specialty element, but as foundational infrastructure. The international definition of the second—9,192,631,770 oscillations of the cesium-133 atom—anchors GPS systems, telecommunications networks, financial markets, and military navigation.Without it, modern synchronization collapses.Against that backdrop, Robin Dunbar, President, CEO, and Director of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), outlined what may be one of the most consequential cesium developments in recent years. Alongside Brandon Smith and industry advisor Austin Devaney, the conversation traced the company’s evolution from lithium exploration in southeastern Manitoba to the identification of a pollucite-rich system—one of the only minerals from which cesium can be economically extracted.The geology is unusually favorable. The Lucy South pegmatite lies close to surface, flat-lying, and laterally continuous—more akin to a quarry than a conventional underground mining operation. Most intercepts occur within 30 metres, materially reducing both technical complexity and capital requirements.That matters because cesium is not just rare—it is structurally scarce.Globally, only a handful of deposits have ever been identified, and fewer still have reached production. Supply remains concentrated, processing capacity limited, and new discoveries exceptionally uncommon. As Lifton noted during the session, even historically significant deposits have often been overlooked until acquired by more strategically minded actors.From a market perspective, cesium presents a paradox. It is both invisible and indispensable. Its best-known use—cesium formate drilling fluids—operates on a closed-loop rental system, where material is recovered and reused due to its scarcity. Beyond that, cesium enables atomic clocks, aerospace systems, infrared technologies, catalysis, medical imaging, and advanced electronics. In many of these applications, substitution is either impractical or impossible.Austin Devaney, drawing on his experience at Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), described a market defined by two dynamics: small volume, but high strategic value. It is not a bulk commodity story—it is a precision supply chain story.And that distinction is becoming increasingly important.As Western governments and industries move to secure critical mineral supply chains, materials like cesium are shifting from obscurity to strategic relevance. The Masterclass repeatedly returned to this point: control of supply, processing capability, and jurisdictional alignment now matter as much as discovery itself.For the Critical Minerals Institute, this is precisely the terrain it was built to address. As outlined in its latest release, CMI operates as a global think tank connecting capital markets, policymakers, and industry through Masterclasses, research, and its annual summit in Toronto.In that context, the Grid Metals discussion was less about a single project and more about a broader shift in how markets assign value to materials that sit deep within the technological stack.Because cesium does not trade like copper or lithium. It does not benefit from broad investor awareness or liquid pricing mechanisms. Its importance is revealed not in volume, but in consequence.And as Lifton framed it, that may ultimately be the defining characteristic of the next generation of critical minerals.The ones that matter most are often the least visible—until they are no longer available.

In a recent interview with Tracy Hughes, CEO of InvestorNews Inc., Stephen Gray, President, CEO, and Director of Fox Tungsten Ltd. (TSXV: FOXT), outlined a strategy centered on what he describes as the highest-grade tungsten project in the world, positioning the company at the forefront of a rapidly tightening critical minerals market.“We have the highest-grade tungsten resource in the world at Fox… about 1% tungsten,” Gray said, drawing a direct comparison to roughly 11 g/t gold or 14% copper equivalent grades—figures that place the project in rarefied territory globally.The company’s momentum has been underscored by an $11 million bought deal financing, secured shortly after Gray assumed the CEO role. He attributed the strong market response to both macro and project-specific factors. “There’s been a huge increase in the interest in tungsten… not only industrial supply chains, but also military supply chains,” he said, referencing heightened geopolitical awareness around secure supply.Located in British Columbia, the Fox project is a skarn-hosted deposit characterized by clean metallurgy and favorable environmental attributes. Gray emphasized the absence of deleterious elements such as mercury, arsenic, and selenium, along with non-acid-generating host rocks. Early metallurgical testing indicates approximately 75% recovery using a simple gravity process—an advantage that could translate into lower processing complexity and cost.With financing in place, Fox Tungsten is preparing for an aggressive 20,000-meter drill program, expected to roughly double the historical drilling at the project. Approximately 75% of the campaign will focus on resource expansion and delineation, with the remainder allocated to broader exploration across the company’s 400-square-kilometer land package, including its Silver Boss copper-molybdenum target.Development plans point to a relatively modest, high-grade operation targeting approximately 1,000 tonnes per day, with initial capital expenditures estimated between $150 million and $200 million. Gray noted that such a scale is intended to streamline permitting, financing, and construction timelines. Following the drilling campaign, the company expects to deliver an updated resource and a preliminary economic assessment in early 2027, marking the next key inflection point. “It’s going to be a very exciting year… now that we have our funding secured, it’s just a matter of doing the work,” Gray said.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

In a recent interview with market maker Darren Cudmore, host for InvestorNews.com, he spoke with Brett Marsh, President, CEO, and Director of Spartan Metals Corp., following the company’s announcement that it has acquired what it describes as the largest tungsten resource in the United States.The acquisition of the Victorio project marks a defining shift for Spartan Metals, elevating it from an emerging junior to a company with scale in a market increasingly focused on supply security. “To put it into the portfolio now and give us the largest resource base in the United States for tungsten is really exciting,” Marsh said, noting the project’s bimetal nature with molybdenum as a potential economic enhancer.Tungsten’s growing strategic importance underpins the company’s positioning. With no primary U.S. production since 2015, Marsh pointed to sustained demand driven by defense and advanced manufacturing applications. “It’s really something that’s in high demand because of our military usage and other technological usage,” he said.Spartan’s focus on tungsten was not incidental. Marsh described a deliberate strategy built around identifying metals with limited substitutes and strong geopolitical relevance. “It became apparent that tungsten was actually a very unique metal in the critical metal space,” he said, adding that the company structured itself accordingly—even selecting the ticker symbol “W” to reflect that focus.While the Eagle project provided the company’s initial foundation, Victorio now represents its flagship asset due to its scale and prior technical work, including a 43-101 compliant preliminary economic assessment completed in 2018, which the company plans to update with current economics in 2026.Since listing in August 2025, Spartan has moved quickly—raising capital, advancing exploration, and consolidating assets. With approximately 41.5 million shares outstanding and significant insider ownership, Marsh emphasized alignment as the company accelerates development.Near-term priorities include updating resource models, advancing permitting, engaging with U.S. government stakeholders, and initiating drilling programs across its portfolio. “It’s definitely a situation where we’re going to be moving fast and trying to deliver as much to the market as we said we’re going to do,” Marsh said.

In a recent InvestorTalk hosted by Tracy Hughes, she spoke with Sheldon Bennett, CEO and Director of DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSXV: DMGI | OTCQB: DMGGF), about a constraint moving from background assumption to defining investment variable: power.Bennett outlined the company’s latest expansion at its Christina Lake facility, adding 10 megawatts to reach 75 megawatts of capacity, supported by a dual power structure—fixed-rate supply for certainty and wholesale exposure for flexibility, which can be hedged or declined depending on market conditions.The discussion quickly shifted to a broader structural imbalance. Artificial intelligence, Bennett said, has introduced a step-change in demand. Grid planning historically assumed 2–3% growth; AI is now driving expectations closer to 15%, a gap existing infrastructure was never designed to meet.“Whoever has the power gets the projects,” Bennett said, pointing to electricity as the gating factor for AI data center deployment. In Canada, that constraint is compounded by geography: industrial-scale power is often located far from urban centers where data centers require fiber density, workforce, and low latency.Bennett also highlighted a strategic inefficiency. Canada exports significant volumes of electricity to the United States, where it is converted into higher-value outputs such as AI infrastructure. Retaining that power domestically, he argued, would drive greater economic return—echoing long-standing debates around resource processing versus raw export.DMG’s model reflects this transition. Historically anchored in Bitcoin mining, the company is expanding into AI data center operations while pursuing sovereign, defense-aligned infrastructure through SCIF-rated facilities designed to keep sensitive data within Canadian jurisdiction.With more than 400 Bitcoin on its balance sheet and a hybrid platform spanning infrastructure and digital asset services, Bennett framed the next phase not around crypto cycles, but around access to power—and the ability to convert it into compute.

In a recent interview with market maker Darren Cudmore, host for InvestorNews.com, he spoke with Brian Leeners, CEO and Director of Homerun Resources Inc. (TSXV: HMR | OTCQB: HMRFF), about a strategy built around one of the most overlooked materials in the global economy: silica.Leeners framed the company’s thesis around two converging forces—electrification and the material constraints required to support it. “There are key materials within that,” he said. “It’s interesting that we focused on silica because it’s not really recognized as one of those—but it’s actually a key material in both the technology side and in the energy side.”While rarely highlighted in critical mineral discussions, silica underpins modern life across a wide value spectrum. At its lowest grade, it is used in construction and industrial applications; at its highest purity, it becomes essential for semiconductors, solar panels, and photonics. “Remove silica from your life, you will feel it miserably,” Leeners said, pointing to its central role in solar energy systems, where both silicon and glass components depend on it.Homerun’s focus on Brazil reflects both geological advantage and shifting geopolitical priorities. Leeners described the country as one of the few jurisdictions capable of supporting large-scale, vertically integrated supply chains for critical materials. “When you go around the world and you look for that, you’ve got Canada, Australia, and Brazil,” he said, emphasizing Brazil’s lower capital intensity and growing alignment with Western supply chain diversification efforts.The company’s strategy is structured around vertical integration, with each segment designed to develop into what Leeners described as a “complementary unicorn.” Rather than tying the company to a single commodity, the model is built to capture value across multiple stages of processing and manufacturing. “We didn’t want it specific to any material,” he said. “We wanted to name it after what we wanted to achieve.”A central pillar of that strategy is Homerun’s collaboration with the University of California, Davis, where the company is advancing lower-carbon processing technologies. The objective is to replace conventional, hydrocarbon-intensive methods with electrified processes capable of reducing emissions while maintaining economic viability. “How do we process our silica using electricity?” Leeners said. “How do we produce new advanced materials using electricity?”With approximately $9 million in operating capital secured and a bankable feasibility study underway for its solar glass initiative, Homerun is now focused on project-level financing structures designed to minimize dilution. “The financing is related to the actual project,” Leeners said, underscoring a disciplined approach to capital allocation as the company advances toward commercialization.

At the outset of the spring exploration season, Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC) is positioning itself for what management describes as a potential breakthrough year, anchored by a fully funded drill program in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle.Speaking with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, CEO Kevin Keough pointed to a combination of technical groundwork and market timing. “We have the money, we have the target, it’s copper and gold, and these are hot commodities at present,” he said, referring to the company’s Trek South project—a newly identified porphyry target exposed by glacial retreat.President Stephen Burega described the past year as transformational. The company restructured, eliminated legacy debt, and rebranded to Oreterra, culminating in a financing that ultimately closed at approximately $9.7 million. “We’re a debt-free company with $9.7 million in the bank and an extraordinary target at Trek South to be worked on this summer,” he said.Investor appetite has been unusually strong. What began as a $6 million raise quickly escalated as demand accelerated. “We marketed for one day and then stopped because it had become totally chaotic,” Keough said, noting the financing was repeatedly upsized as interest continued to build.The geological thesis centers on a copper-gold porphyry system—targets that, while typically lower grade than vein deposits, can offer scale and continuity. Burega emphasized that porphyries allow for more efficient resource delineation due to their broader, more uniform mineralization. “The volume of potential mineralization is significantly higher,” he explained, contrasting them with narrower, less predictable vein systems.Trek South, now the company’s top priority among a broader portfolio, emerged after glacial retreat revealed previously inaccessible terrain. Early field observations and subsequent work elevated it above legacy targets in the region.Beyond British Columbia, Oreterra is advancing its Kinkaid project in Nevada’s Walker Lane, where historical high-grade workings suggest the potential for a deeper porphyry source. Geophysical work planned for this season aims to refine drill targets.For the immediate term, the company’s focus is execution. Camp construction is expected mid-summer, with drilling anticipated by late July and continuing into October. “It’s been a lot of work to get here,” Keough said. “But we have something potentially really significant to offer investors—the prospect of a major discovery.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Ali Haji, CEO and Director of American Tungsten Corp. (CSE: TUNG | OTCQB: TUNGF), as the company closed an oversubscribed financing and accelerated toward what it says will be a defining milestone in the North American critical minerals sector.“We announced $20 million the morning of PDAC,” Haji said. “We had interest for about $55 million… we decided to go with $35 million and then took down the over-allotment option to bring us to $40 million.” The financing, completed March 18 with participation from Stifel, Canaccord, and other institutional partners, significantly strengthened the company’s shareholder base.Investor interest, Haji explained, is rooted in both timing and geology. The company’s IMA project in Idaho is positioned as a potential first mover in a tightening tungsten market, with grades of approximately 0.65% at the mine and 0.25% in tailings—figures that exceed global averages.“It’s a brownfield project with significant prior drilling,” he said, noting that recent work has confirmed high-grade tungsten alongside silver and molybdenum credits. “That silver kicker… in excess of one ounce per tonne… puts us in an exciting position.”The company is targeting its first tungsten concentrate sale before the end of 2026, with commercial production at IMA expected in 2027. “We will be the first producer of concentrate in the United States,” Haji said.Beyond organic development, American Tungsten has begun executing on a broader consolidation strategy. Its minority investment in Viking Mines—initiated at A$750,000 and now valued at roughly four times that—reflects a focus on high-grade, low-capex assets that can be brought online quickly.“We recognize the value of smaller projects coming online… to really make an impact in the supply chain in the United States,” Haji said, adding that the company is evaluating opportunities to integrate feedstock into a planned processing hub in Idaho.The backdrop to this strategy is a rapidly tightening global tungsten market. With China historically responsible for roughly 85% of supply and increasingly retaining production domestically, Western markets are facing structural shortages.“Tungsten is not just a defense metal,” Haji said. “It’s used in automotive, nuclear, microchips, wind power… the demand base is far broader than many people realize.”Even so, defense applications remain central to the narrative. Known for its extreme hardness and high melting point, tungsten has become increasingly strategic amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.Despite a surge in prices—rising sharply over the past year—Haji emphasized that the company’s economics are not dependent on elevated pricing. Internal studies suggest profitability at significantly lower price assumptions, supported by byproduct credits.“Grade is king,” he said. “Higher grade translates to higher margins and a quicker path to production.”Looking ahead, the market is focused on near-term catalysts, including an updated resource estimate, a preliminary economic assessment, and a potential TSX Venture Exchange uplisting. Haji is also scheduled to speak at the upcoming Critical Minerals Institute Summit V in Toronto on May 13-14, where supply chain security and pricing dynamics are expected to dominate discussion.For a sector long defined by offshore dependence, American Tungsten is positioning itself at the intersection of geology, geopolitics, and capital—where execution, not narrative, will ultimately determine who leads the next phase of North American supply.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes sat down with John Slaven, CEO of MineSense Technologies Ltd., to discuss a technology that is quietly reshaping how value is extracted from existing mines—one shovel at a time.In an industry long defined by averages, estimates, and delayed feedback loops, MineSense is introducing something far more immediate: real-time ore intelligence at the point of extraction.“Our sensors are mounted directly onto large mining shovels,” Slaven explained. “As material is loaded onto haul trucks, we measure the copper grade instantly. That allows operators to decide—right then—whether that material goes to the mill as ore or to the waste pile.”The implications are profound. In a sector where discovering and permitting new deposits is increasingly difficult, MineSense is focused on maximizing what already exists. By identifying ore and waste in real time, mining companies can significantly increase recovery rates without expanding their footprint.“Finding new deposits is hard,” Slaven said. “But if you can extract more value from the ore you’re already mining, the benefit is immediate—and substantial.”That value proposition is resonating. MineSense is now deployed at approximately 16 mine sites globally, working with many of the world’s largest mining companies. The company has achieved roughly 30% revenue growth in recent years, a reflection of growing industry adoption.But the technology is not limited to major operators. “We can scale down to a single shovel,” Slaven noted. “Even smaller operations can benefit—whether it's a shovel or a front-end loader managing material.”The business model is equally pragmatic: MineSense sells the hardware—its ruggedized sensors—and generates recurring revenue through data services and ongoing support. In an environment where equipment faces constant impact from heavy rock, durability is critical, and continuous maintenance ensures reliability.Looking ahead, copper remains the company’s primary focus, particularly in open-pit operations. But expansion is already underway. “Nickel is a natural next step, and we’re also looking at bulk materials like iron ore,” Slaven said. “We’re investing heavily in R&D to ensure we can achieve the level of precision required across different commodities.”Perhaps the most compelling insight emerging from MineSense’s technology is not just operational—but geological.“What’s fascinating is the variability within an ore body,” Slaven said. “Traditionally, we rely on drill holes spaced tens of meters apart and build models from that. But now we’re seeing granular, real-time data that reveals just how much variability actually exists.”That shift—from estimation to measurement—has the potential to influence not only day-to-day operations, but also long-term mine planning, resource modeling, and downstream processing.For Hughes, the takeaway was clear: “Bringing new meaning to data mining,” she remarked. In an era where critical mineral supply is under pressure and efficiency is paramount, MineSense’s approach represents a quiet but powerful evolution—transforming every shovel into a decision-making tool, and every load into an opportunity to unlock more value.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, momentum around Canada’s Yukon was difficult to ignore—and few stories captured that shift more clearly than Stakeholder Gold Corp. (TSXV: SRC | OTCQB: SKHRF). Sitting down with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, President and CEO Christopher Berlet outlined a company positioning itself at the center of a rapidly reawakening gold district.The catalyst, he explained, is not theoretical. The recent acquisition of the Coffee deposit by Fuerte Metals Corporation—and the release of robust project economics despite arsenic constraints—has reframed how the White Gold District is being valued. “It’s going to be a fantastic, very profitable gold mine,” Berlet said, pointing to the broader implications for nearby projects. “It’s really helping the district get the recognition it deserves.”Stakeholder Gold’s land package sits directly in the path of that recognition—and, increasingly, in the path of infrastructure. The company strategically staked along a planned road corridor now backed by approximately $70 million in expected construction spending. In a region where access has historically defined success or failure, that shift is material.“We staked along that route intentionally,” Berlet said. “That’s going to have material advantages for us.”With permits in hand, the company is preparing to launch a multi-target drill program in late April or early May, with results expected by July. The campaign will test several zones, including the Sky Gold and East Gold targets—both structurally significant—as well as the Loki Copper zone, a 2.5-kilometer intrusive system that has already yielded some of the district’s strongest copper values.What stands out, Berlet noted, is both scale and continuity. The Sky Gold Zone extends nearly three kilometers along strike, with widths of 20 to 25 meters, supported by two subparallel structures roughly 600 meters apart. Equally important, the system appears free of arsenic—a differentiator in a region where metallurgy can complicate project economics.“All the same indicator minerals are there—lead, molybdenum, tellurium, and gold—and no arsenic,” he said. “If these zones carry one gram per tonne or better, we believe we could be demonstrating another meaningful discovery.”With a Class I permit in hand, Stakeholder Gold is preparing to launch an initial 2,000-meter drill program across roughly eight kilometers of targets. Fully funded and organized, the project is, as Berlet put it, “ready to roll.”Unusually for a junior explorer, Stakeholder Gold is also advancing a parallel revenue stream through its quartzite operations in Brazil. Its flagship material—marketed as “Taj Mahal” quartzite—is already attracting strong demand, with customers prepaying for supply across North America and Europe.“Our strategy is working,” Berlet said. “We expect real cash flow this year, which will support the company while we pursue discovery.”The macro backdrop for gold, he added, remains supportive, driven by persistent global uncertainty and renewed interest in hard assets. At the same time, Canadian policy appears to be shifting in favor of resource development, with infrastructure investment and First Nations collaboration reinforcing the Yukon’s standing as a top-tier jurisdiction.“It’s a great place to operate,” Berlet said. “There’s momentum—from government, from industry, and from investors.”For Stakeholder Gold, the near-term path is clear. Infrastructure is advancing, capital is in place, and drilling is imminent. In a district once defined by promise, the next phase may be defined by results.“The real catalyst,” Berlet said, “is discovery.”

Panther Metals Plc (LSE: PALM) is advancing a portfolio of mineral projects in Ontario as it prepares to dual list in Canada.Speaking with InvestorNews.com host Peter Clausi at PDAC 2026, Chief Executive Officer Darren Hazelwood said the company is moving toward a listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange to support exploration and development of its Canadian assets.“We’re in the final throes of coming across to Canada,” Mr. Hazelwood said. “We’re going to dual list. We’re listing on the CSE, and our focus there is taking advantage of flow-through and enabling us to accelerate the growth in the business.”Panther’s projects are located in Ontario, including the historic Winston mine on the north shore of Lake Superior.“Our main focus in the short term is bringing the historic Winston mine on the north shore of Lake Superior,” Mr. Hazelwood said. “It was producing from ’88 to ’99.”The Winston deposit is a volcanogenic massive sulphide system that historically focused on zinc recovery. “The deposit itself contained a bit of this and a bit of that, but at the time the focus was very much on the zinc recoveries,” he said. “So that’s what the plant was optimized for.”Historic records show additional metals were produced from the deposit. “We know from the historic data that they produced over 50,000 ounces of gold, for instance, out of that VMS deposit,” Mr. Hazelwood said.He said the tailings from the historic operation may contain additional metals. “We know that the tailings pond contains the precious metals,” he said. “It’s also got additional credits — gallium. There is some copper in there. There’s some zinc.”Panther is evaluating the Winston tailings with Extrakt Process Solutions, LLC, a company that provides proprietary extraction technology and has a strategic alliance with Bechtel Energy Technologies & Solutions.“We’re working with Extrakt on recoveries, and we expect to have our first samples in over the next few weeks,” Mr. Hazelwood said.Initial sampling from the tailings has already returned measurable metal values. “We actually got up to 0.82 grams a ton gold, up to 20 grams a ton silver, and we got some nice gallium credits within there and other stuff,” he said. “Indium would be another.”The company also holds exploration projects in the Obonga Greenstone Belt in Ontario. “We’ve got some true district-scale opportunities in Ontario, particularly the Obonga Greenstone Belt,” Mr. Hazelwood said.“Our plan is to take it all the way through to production.”Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer

On the floor of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Robin Dunbar, CEO of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM), about the company’s cesium discovery in Manitoba and why the metal is attracting growing attention in the critical minerals sector.“Cesium is a metal that not a lot of people have common market knowledge about,” Dunbar said. “But it’s very rare and very critical, so it’s a good metal to be looking for.”Grid Metals recently released final assays from its current drill campaign and plans to continue drilling through April. The program is designed to complete more than 100 shallow drill holes and support an initial resource estimate expected later this year.“Cesium is incredibly hard to find,” Dunbar said. “There have only been six deposits ever discovered globally of any significance, and ours is hanging together. We think we’ll have a meaningful resource later this year.”The market for cesium is relatively small—about US$400 million annually—but strategically important. The metal is used in high-pressure drilling fluids for natural gas wells, atomic clocks, communications technology, and optical systems.Supply today is largely controlled by Sinomine Resource Group and Albemarle, leaving limited feedstock available. Dunbar believes that creates an opportunity for a new North American source.“There’s a real shortage of feedstock,” he said. “We want to bring a new deposit of cesium to market in the next couple of years.”The company’s deposit is shallow, with mineralization beginning around 20 metres below surface. Dunbar explained that the rock can be crushed and run through X-ray transmission (XRT) ore sorting to produce a saleable cesium concentrate, avoiding the need for complex processing infrastructure.“It’s much more akin to a quarry,” he said. “Yet the rock we’re looking at could be worth well over US$1,000 per ton.”For Grid Metals, the goal is not just exploration success but near-term cash flow. “If we can generate revenue from cesium, it would set us apart from many junior companies,” Dunbar said.Dunbar will also be speaking about cesium and its growing strategic importance at the Critical Minerals Institute Summit V in Toronto on May 13–14, 2026.Disclaimer: Video interviews and other video content published by InvestorNews are produced as part of paid media services. The issuer or company featured in this video has compensated InvestorNews for the creation and publication of such content. The views expressed in these interviews are those of the interviewees or guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of InvestorNews, its writers, or its affiliates. For full details, please refer to our complete disclaimer at www.investornews.com/disclaimer