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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.”

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 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.

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 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

On the floor of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Dr. Mark Cooksey, Managing Director and CEO of ABx Group Limited (ASX: ABX), about the company’s unusual position in the global race to secure heavy rare earth supply.Cooksey arrived at PDAC with a clear objective: meet potential customers for the mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) product ABx intends to produce from its ionic clay deposits in Tasmania.“We’re an Australian listed company focused on rare earths,” Cooksey said. “The goal of PDAC is really to meet with potential customers. We intend to produce a mixed rare earth carbonate and sell that to a separation plant, and many of the customers are here.”The company’s opportunity rests on three key advantages. First, its rare earths occur in ionic clay deposits — a style of mineralization associated with relatively simple and lower-cost metallurgy. Second, those clays contain unusually high proportions of the heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium, both essential for high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense technologies. Third, the project sits in Tasmania, a mining jurisdiction with over a century of operating history and established infrastructure.“Our ionic clay has some of the highest proportions of dysprosium and terbium of any clay worldwide,” Cooksey said. “And being located in Tasmania — only about 50 kilometers from a major town — means we have the potential to get into production relatively quickly and at relatively low cost.”The company has also begun aligning itself with downstream processors. ABx signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 with Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU | OTCQX: UURAF), which is developing a rare earth separation facility in Louisiana.Cooksey described the relationship as a natural fit.“Ucore is looking for mixed rare earth carbonate with high heavy rare earth content,” he said. “We’re producing exactly that and looking for the right separation plant to turn it into rare earth oxides.”ABx’s development strategy also draws on the company’s earlier work as a bauxite explorer. The rare earth-bearing clay layer sits beneath a bauxite resource already advanced through parts of the regulatory approval process. Mining the bauxite could expose the rare earth clays beneath, potentially accelerating development.“There are logistical synergies,” Cooksey said. “And we’ve already demonstrated in Tasmania that we can operate responsibly.”The company is currently advancing engineering studies while continuing exploration and metallurgical work. Cooksey said the goal is to move toward production within a few years, even if initially at modest scale.“When we talk to customers and ask how much volume they need, the answer is always the same,” he said. “Whatever you can get us.”For Cooksey, that urgency reflects a broader structural gap in the rare earth supply chain.“Customers and societies need more rare earths, particularly the heavies,” he said. “That’s the critical edge that ABx can deliver.”

On the floor of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Stephen Gray, President, CEO, and Director of Fox Tungsten Ltd. (TSXV: FOXT), about the company’s strategic rebranding and its unusually high-grade tungsten project in British Columbia’s Cariboo region.Fox Tungsten recently changed its name to sharpen its focus on the metal now attracting renewed geopolitical attention. The company previously held a copper asset but sold it in order to concentrate fully on its flagship Fox project.“It was a chance to refocus the company and reintroduce us to the market,” Gray said. “Now we’re purely focused on our Fox project in British Columbia. The fact that we have the highest-grade tungsten deposit in the world right in B.C. is something special, and we want to make sure everyone knows that.”Technically, the project hosts a resource rather than a deposit at this stage. Still, the numbers are striking. The Fox resource grades approximately 1% tungsten, an unusually high concentration in the tungsten sector.“To put that into context,” Gray said, “that’s the equivalent of about 14% copper or roughly 11 grams of gold. So we have an incredibly high-grade resource at surface in British Columbia, close to infrastructure.”Tungsten has moved rapidly up the strategic minerals agenda, appearing on critical minerals lists in both the United States and Canada due to its importance in defense systems, advanced manufacturing, and high-temperature alloys. At the same time, global supply remains heavily concentrated in China.For Fox Tungsten, PDAC served two key purposes: reintroducing the company to investors under its new name and preparing for an upcoming financing.“We currently have about four million dollars in the bank,” Gray said. “But we’re planning a very aggressive program this summer — about 20,000 meters of drilling — so we’ll be raising additional capital to support that.”The planned drilling campaign, expected to run from June through October once snow clears in the mountains, aims to significantly expand the existing resource. Gray said the company hopes the program could potentially double the size of the resource and position Fox Tungsten to complete a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) toward the end of the year.Infrastructure is another advantage for the project. Unlike many remote mineral discoveries, the Fox project sits in a well-established mining region near the community of 100 Mile House.“You can drive from the camp to the grocery store in about 45 minutes,” Gray said. “We have road access right into the site and power roughly 20 kilometers away. So we have high grade, but we also have high grade in civilization.”Beyond tungsten, the company controls a large 400-square-kilometer land package surrounding the former Boss Mountain molybdenum mine operated by Glencore plc. The property also hosts prospective targets for molybdenum and gold, identified through geophysical work completed last year.While those targets remain at an earlier exploration stage, Gray said they represent additional upside as Fox Tungsten advances its primary tungsten resource toward development.In the near term, the focus remains clear: financing the upcoming drill program and generating the data needed to move the project toward economic studies — and eventually toward production in a metal that is rapidly returning to the strategic spotlight.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 day four of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Brett Marsh, President, CEO, and Director of Spartan Metals Corp. (TSXV: W | OTCQB: SPRMF), about the company’s tightly held capital structure and its ambition to revive a historic tungsten district in Nevada.For Marsh, PDAC served as an opportunity to reconnect with shareholders and introduce the story of Spartan Metals to a broader audience. The company maintained a presence in the Investors Exchange throughout the convention, where interest in critical metals projects remains high.“It’s been really nice,” Marsh said. “A lot of shareholders have come by the booth and we’ve had good feedback and strong interest in our story.”The company recently announced that its largest shareholder, Burton Egger, exercised warrants to increase his position, adding additional funds to Spartan’s treasury. Egger, who also sits on the board, already holds a substantial stake in the company.“He’s definitely been one of our biggest supporters,” Marsh said. “The warrant exercise puts a little extra money in the treasury and gives us more flexibility as we move into the spring.”Spartan Metals’ ownership structure is unusual among junior explorers. Insiders and close supporters control roughly 70 percent of the outstanding shares, a structure Marsh believes signals long-term commitment to the project.“Burton owns over 22 percent of the stock, and I personally hold about 8.5 percent on a non-diluted basis,” he said. “We’re very tightly held and very committed to the project.”The company’s flagship Eagle project lies in eastern Nevada, a jurisdiction widely recognized as one of the most attractive regions globally for mining and exploration. Within that land package are three past-producing tungsten mines, as well as a historic silver-antimony-copper operation.Those legacy operations form the foundation of Spartan’s strategy: to explore and potentially rebuild what Marsh describes as a district-scale critical metals opportunity.“We actually have three past-producing tungsten mines within our Eagle project,” he said. “Plus a silver-antimony-copper project that also produced historically.”The company recently expanded its land position, adding the historic Yellow Jacket mine after fieldwork revealed extensive alteration and mineralization across a broader area than initially recognized. The acquisition effectively doubled Spartan’s land package and introduced a second style of tungsten mineralization to the portfolio.“What’s interesting about Yellow Jacket is that it’s a different type of mineralogy than we see at Tungstonia,” Marsh said. “But it also comes in around one percent tungsten. Across the district we’re seeing a consistent grade profile of about one percent or better.”Tungsten has become one of the most closely watched critical minerals due to its role in defense technologies, industrial tooling, and high-temperature alloys. Global production remains heavily concentrated in China, prompting Western governments to seek new sources of supply.Spartan Metals believes its Nevada assets could eventually contribute to that effort.The company plans to launch its maiden drilling program this year, the first modern exploration campaign on the property since the mid-1950s. Marsh said the goal is to advance rapidly toward a formal mineral resource estimate.“We’ll be drilling this year and aiming to get our first resource estimate out by the end of this year or into the middle of next year,” he said.Metallurgical testing on historic tailings from the project could also produce near-term results that might add additional value to the company.“We’re waiting on metallurgical results from tailings work we completed last year,” Marsh said. “If that develops positively, it could be another interesting piece of the story and potentially put some additional money into the treasury.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with David Stein, President, CEO, and Director of Kuya Silver Corporation (CSE: KUYA | OTCQB: KUYAF), about the company’s ramp-up toward steady silver production in Peru and its strategy to grow output in a market where silver prices are strengthening.For Stein, the company’s story begins with a distinction that separates it from many junior mining companies: Kuya is already producing.“There are lots of exploration companies out there,” Stein said. “But we’re actually producing silver. We’re ramping up the mine in Peru and growing production every quarter as we hit our Phase One goals.”Kuya’s Bethania operation is targeting approximately 1.5 million ounces of annual silver production in its first phase. The company recently reached an agreement to purchase the mill currently processing its ore, a move that Stein says will improve operational control and set the stage for further expansion.Once that transaction is completed, Kuya plans to build a second mill at the site — potentially as early as next year — which could double production again.“We’ve got quite a growth profile over the next few years,” Stein said. “And about 90% of our revenue comes from silver, so when we say we’re producing silver, we really mean it.”That pure exposure to silver could become increasingly valuable as the metal’s price strengthens. Stein explained that the company’s strategy was originally built around a project that worked even when silver prices were much lower.“When I first invested in the company, silver prices were significantly lower than today,” he said. “My strategy was to find a project that worked at those prices. If silver goes up, that’s a bonus.”With today’s prices, Stein estimates that operating margins could reach levels rarely seen in the silver sector only a few years ago.“We may have $50 to $60 margins at these silver prices,” he said. “That would have been unheard of a few years ago.”Stein himself entered Kuya as an investor before becoming CEO, drawn by the potential of the Bethania project. Having spent most of his career in precious metals, he recognized several characteristics that made the property attractive: conventional processing, strong recoveries, and unexplored potential along strike and at depth.“The previous owners really hadn’t done any modern exploration,” he said. “So we could see the potential to grow the veins both deeper and along strike.”In the near term, shareholders can expect a series of operational and financial updates tied to the mine’s ramp-up. Kuya plans to release its first-quarter operational update in April, followed by financial results and further operational updates in May.At the same time, the company has begun underground drilling at the Bethania mine, with exploration results expected later in the year.“Once the drills start turning, they’re not going to stop,” Stein said. “We expect exploration updates every two or three months.”Peru remains a key part of Kuya’s strategy. Stein emphasized that the country’s long mining history, skilled workforce, and established regulatory framework make it one of the most reliable jurisdictions for mining investment in Latin America.“What I like about Peru is the mining culture,” he said. “There’s a legal system that works, clear permitting processes, and communities that understand mining.”For Kuya Silver, that environment supports a straightforward goal: expand production while continuing to explore the full potential of one of Peru’s historic silver districts.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Peter Clausi, Director and Vice President of Capital Markets at Silver Bullet Mines Corp., following the company’s announcement of a significant five-year agreement with global commodities trading firm Ocean Partners. The deal, announced during the conference, commits Ocean Partners to purchase all of Silver Bullet’s production from its Arizona operations for the next five years—an agreement that places the junior miner in rare territory for a microcap producer. “This was just very fortunate timing,” Clausi said from the PDAC floor. “We’ve been working with Ocean Partners to reach a transaction for some time, and when it came together we announced it immediately because of the material nature of the news.”Ocean Partners is widely recognized in the metals industry for providing financing, trading, and offtake arrangements for producers around the world. For Silver Bullet, the relationship represents validation of its projects and operational approach. “How does a microcap get the interest of a goliath?” Clausi said. “Quality of the projects.” The company has assembled a portfolio of past-producing mines in Arizona, many acquired at relatively modest cost. Ocean Partners conducted site visits, reviewed the company’s milling operations, and carried out its own due diligence before agreeing to the arrangement. “We have very high-quality past producer projects,” Clausi said. “Arizona’s full of them, and we’ve been fortunate to acquire some excellent properties.”Silver Bullet’s strategy centers on a “hub-and-spoke” model, anchored by a company-owned mill supplied by several nearby mines. The company now has five producing or near-producing properties expected to feed the facility. Among them are the KT Mine, which has delivered strong gold concentrate numbers, and the Gold Queen and Columbia projects, where historical data points to significant copper potential. Under the agreement with Ocean Partners, the company expects to sell all metals produced—including silver, gold, and copper—through the offtake arrangement.Management has intentionally focused on producing concentrate rather than moving further downstream in the refining process. “Pouring doré is another step,” Clausi explained. “You need different equipment, more capital, and there’s more that can go wrong. We can produce concentrate and we have buyers for it.” With the offtake agreement now secured, the company’s next steps will focus on scaling operations, acquiring the additional equipment needed to increase production, and meeting its supply commitments under the Ocean Partners agreement.Shareholders, Clausi said, should expect updates on payments related to previous shipments as well as announcements regarding new equipment purchases required to expand output. While growth will require capital, the company is exploring financing options carefully. “I don’t know,” Clausi said when asked about raising additional funds. “Management doesn’t want to. We’re looking at different forms of financing to get the equipment we need without unnecessary dilution.” Clausi closed the discussion with a line he has repeated often over the years, reflecting the company’s disciplined approach to building its business. “The pen is mightier than the drill bit,” he said with a smile.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Peter Clausi spoke with Terry Lynch, CEO and Director of Power Metallic Mines Inc. (TSXV: PNPN | OTCQB: PNPNF), about the company’s drilling program at the Lion discovery within its Nisk Project Area in Quebec’s James Bay region.“We’re busy. We’re doing a lot of work,” Lynch said. “When you’re drilling 100,000 metres, you’re going to have some results.”The drilling is focused on the Lion zone, located near the Cree community of Nemaska. “Lion is in Quebec, just outside of Nemaska, south and east of James Bay,” Lynch said. “You can drive to it right off Route du Nord, right to the rig. It’s about eight kilometres outside the town of Nemaska, which has a regional airport.”Recent drill results have included high-grade copper equivalent intercepts. Clausi noted the quality of the calculations. “One of my pet peeves in the mining industry is people who play games with their EQs, and these are done well.”“Yes, we do it the right way,” Lynch said.Analysts have suggested the discovery could host between 8 and 13 million tonnes grading 5% to 7% copper equivalent. “It’s a crazy number,” Lynch said, contrasting it with typical copper operations. “The average grade of a copper mine is 0.4%.”He recalled earlier drill results that included 32 metres grading 7%. “My view was that this was actually better because we don’t have to mine 100 metres to get that value. We can mine 30 metres and get 7%.”The company has completed 35,000 metres of the planned 100,000-metre drill program. “We’ve got about another 10,000 metres or so to report in the next two weeks,” Lynch said. “What we’ve said publicly is that they’re going to show the Lion Zone is growing, and that we may have found a second Lion zone.”The program is supported by strong financing. “We did a flow-through last year for $50 million,” Lynch said. “We had $33 million in the bank at the last quarter, so we’re well funded.”Recent metallurgical testing has also delivered strong recoveries. “We had been using 80% recoveries for our copper equivalent, and we delivered 95%,” Lynch said. “It was 98.9% on copper. It was a locked-cycle test, a full run-of-mine test with SGS.”“So I think we’re going to accelerate our PEA and try to get that out this fall,” Lynch said. “I think that will demonstrate a really robust mine scenario with a high IRR.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with John Carter, CEO of Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI) (OTCQB: SBMCF), about a newly announced partnership with commodities trading and financing firm Ocean Partners and the company’s unconventional approach to building a silver, gold and base-metal production business in the American Southwest.Carter described the agreement as a pivotal step for the company. “It’s an incredible opportunity for us to show the world what Silver Bullet is really all about,” he said, explaining that the arrangement followed roughly a year of discussions and due diligence. “Somebody has gone and spent a lot of time and a lot of money evaluating the company… making sure that they’re comfortable with us.”Under the arrangement, Silver Bullet will supply material containing silver, gold, copper and lead. “Each of our properties has different attributes,” Carter said. “One of them will be high in gold with a small silver credit and a lot of copper. Another one is high in silver with a gold credit and very little copper.”Carter said the partnership could accelerate production plans at the company’s operations in Arizona and beyond. “Within the next month we’re going to be doing another deal on our Idaho property,” he said. “The plan is to actually, over time, increase our production levels and move into a much higher production scenario.”Central to the company’s strategy is a small-scale milling operation paired with what Carter calls a “hub-and-spoke” system of nearby mines. The approach allows Silver Bullet to test and process material from multiple properties quickly.“My guys, our team in Arizona, can evaluate a property in about 10 days,” Carter said. “Normally it would take you two years to get it all the way through.”Instead of extensive early exploration programs, the company transports samples to its mill and rapidly determines whether the mineralization is economic. “By the end of the week we’ve got a decision made,” Carter said.The strategy has allowed Silver Bullet to secure access to multiple mineralized properties across Arizona. “Historically in Gila County alone there were over 600 mines,” Carter said. “Now we have 10 of them, and we’ve probably rejected 50 more.”For Carter, the Ocean Partners agreement represents validation of the company’s operating model. “They told me they have lots of companies that are five years down the road,” he said. “But it’s not the five-year people they need. They need the people who are ready this year to be producing product.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Ali Haji, CEO and Director of American Tungsten Corp. (CSE: TUNG | OTCQB: TUNGF), discussed the company’s financing, drilling results and plans to restart tungsten production at the historic IMA Mine in Idaho.“We announced a bought deal led by Stifel,” Haji said. “We announced $20 million at about 7 a.m. this morning and we ended up upsizing to $35 million. So we expect that to close imminently. In fact, the book was filled and oversubscribed well before market open.”American Tungsten Corp. is advancing the IMA Mine Project in Idaho, a past-producing underground tungsten mine situated on 22 patented claims in east-central Idaho. The company holds an exclusive option to acquire full ownership of the project, subject to a 2% royalty, and has expanded its land position with 113 additional federal claims covering nearly 2,000 acres.Haji attributed the company’s recent momentum to execution and team strength. “I think it’s really just having a bit more focus and bringing on the right team,” he said. “We’ve built a very strong organization of individuals that know how to execute.”He pointed to recent drilling results. “The market has seen our drilling results. We’ve got 17 feet at over 3 ounces per ton silver, over 1.7% tungsten,” Haji said. “The exploration program is going extremely well.”The company has also reported metallurgical testing results tied to tailings material at the project site. “The recoveries are focused on the tailings,” Haji said. “We found 220,000 tons at 0.25, and the global average grade that is in production today is at 0.2.”“With 220,000 tons essentially sitting on a ROM pad for us at a grade of 0.25, that’s an exciting prospect for us to bring production online earlier,” he added. “We will be producing concentrate from those tailings before year-end.”Haji said the company’s technical and advisory teams include experienced industry figures. “We’ve got Carolyn Loder, who’s a U.S. National Mining Hall of Famer,” he said. “We’ve also got Dan Nicholas, who ran the Department of Energy’s largest loan program office with a $40 billion portfolio.”The company is advancing plans for production at the IMA Mine, which historically produced tungsten between 1945 and 1957. “If you look at the economics around the project, given we have in excess of 2 ounces per ton silver and 0.15% moly, that equates to about $220 to $250 in credits outside of our extremely high-grade tungsten at 0.63,” Haji said.“The global average being 0.2, with our grade at 0.63, a cut-and-fill mining method that has minimal waste allows you to have a highly desirable OPEX and ultimate revenue generation.”The company is currently conducting drilling and mine development programs while preparing for future studies. “We’ve got an 18,000-foot program that’s currently underway — that’s our phase one,” Haji said. “We also have a production drift with a paperclip structure that’ll go into the side of the mountain about 12 by 12 feet wide to allow us to pull out the necessary resource.”“We have our PEA upcoming. We have our PFS. We have our updated resource statement well before then,” he said. “And of course we are doing a U.S. uplisting as well. So the U.S. uplisting is slated for June.”

On day two of PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Guy Bourassa, CEO of Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSXV: SCD), arrived for his interview moments after leaving a signing ceremony with Canada’s federal government—bringing with him news that underscores the growing strategic interest in scandium as a critical mineral. “I just came out of a signing ceremony with Minister Wilkinson of Natural Resources Canada,” Bourassa said. “We signed a contribution agreement for a grant under the GPI program—$6.9 million to accelerate development of our aluminum-scandium alloys and to complete bulk sampling for the feasibility study, including metallurgy.” The funding is intended to support both the company’s technology development and the advancement of its mining project in Quebec, reflecting Ottawa’s increasing focus on establishing domestic supply chains for materials tied to advanced manufacturing.For Bourassa, the federal contribution represents more than financial support. It is also a signal that government officials see strategic value in what the company is attempting to build. “It’s very interesting because it confirms the value of our technology, our alloys, and the patent-pending work we have,” he said. “It also confirms our ability to partner globally for the benefit of Canada.” The project itself occupies a unique position in the North American market. “At some point they realized there’s only one new primary scandium source in North America, & it’s in Quebec, Canada,” Bourassa said. “They see the potential to speed up its development & bring value to the aluminum ecosystem in Quebec and Canada so we can become a world leader in aluminum alloys.”The strategic importance of scandium lies not in its volume but in its impact when alloyed with aluminum. Even in small quantities, scandium can significantly strengthen aluminum while improving its weldability and resistance to cracking—properties highly sought after in aerospace, defense, & next-generation manufacturing technologies. “Some of these alloys are also needed in defense and aerospace applications,” Bourassa noted. “So while global tensions are negative for many parts of the world, they do highlight the importance of materials like scandium.” That growing awareness appears to be spreading beyond policymakers and into industry discussions. “We’re seeing forums and sub-forums focused specifically on Scandium Canada, and more broadly on scandium itself,” Bourassa said. “There are definitely more eyes on the sector now.”The company has been working for several years to develop proprietary aluminum-scandium alloys designed for additive manufacturing, an area of advanced production that continues to expand rapidly. “Since 2022 we’ve developed new aluminum-scandium alloys that are suitable for 3D printing,” Bourassa explained. “Initially this involved laser bed fusion, which requires powder. You produce ingots, pulverize them into very specific particle sizes, and then print with them.” More recently, the company expanded that technology platform into welding wire applications, opening the possibility for manufacturers to use a broader range of advanced fabrication systems. “Now we’ve expanded the technology to include welding wire,” Bourassa said. “This allows manufacturers to use different types of machines for advanced manufacturing.”One of the key technical breakthroughs, Bourassa explained, lies in how the alloy behaves during the welding or fusion process. Conventional aluminum alloys often develop micro-cracks as they cool, limiting their use in structural applications. “Our alloys do not generate micro-cracks when they cool after welding or fusion,” he said. “That means they can be used in primary structural parts, such as aircraft components, which isn’t possible today.” The implication is significant: materials capable of maintaining structural integrity in additive manufacturing could open new design possibilities for aerospace & other industries seeking lighter, stronger components.

Trinity One Metals Ltd. (TSXV: TOM | OTC: ARJNF | FRA: 5D5) is advancing the past-producing Silver-1 Mine in southern Ecuador following the recent acquisition of the historic asset.Speaking with InvestorNews.com host Peter Clausi at PDAC 2026, Chief Executive Officer Tom Wood said the project previously produced approximately one million ounces of silver per year during its period of operation.“They produced roughly a million ounces of silver a year at the time when they were in production for five years,” Mr. Wood said.The mine historically operated when silver prices were significantly lower than today. “The silver price at the time was $4,” Mr. Wood said. “They had a mill on site which was running at around 100 tons per day, and that alone, due to the high grade they were mining it at — 927 grams per ton — that alone meant that they were getting a million ounces of silver a year from this mine.”Silver-1 is an underground operation with remaining mineralization reported at the time mining ceased. “They sort of reported at the time there were reserves left,” Mr. Wood said. “That’s certainly something that we’re looking to get back into production as quickly as we can.”Trinity One Metals recently completed a financing to support its plans for the project. “We closed a very successful financing,” Mr. Wood said. “We were lucky enough to fill the whole book within three days. It was $5.3 million.”The Silver-1 Mine concession covers approximately 3,108 hectares in Ecuador’s Azuay Province, about 20 kilometers southeast of the city of Cuenca.Mr. Wood said Ecuador’s regulatory environment for mining has recently changed. “The current president has been in for around two years. It’s very pro-business, very pro-mining,” he said.“They’ve recently just updated their environmental permitting system to streamline that whole thing,” Mr. Wood said. “So permits that companies were waiting three years for can now be completed in around eight months.”Trinity One Metals acquired the Silver-1 Mine in February 2026 through the purchase of the company that holds the concession.“If investors are looking for a stock that gives the maximum exposure to the silver price — other than I guess a pure royalty company — Trinity One Metals would certainly be the one to look for,” Mr. Wood said.

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Simon Stilwell, the newly appointed chairman of Resouro Strategic Metals Inc. (TSXV: RSM | ASX: RAU), about why the company’s flagship Brazilian project caught his attention and what shareholders should expect as the company refines its strategy.Stilwell brings nearly three decades of capital-markets experience to the role and said his connection to Resouro began with a professional relationship that dates back decades. “I knew Chris from 25 years ago in my early capital markets career,” Stilwell said, referring to CEO Chris Eager. “I acted for Monterico Metals, which was, I think, his first business, and we had a good working relationship then.”After stepping back from capital markets last summer, Stilwell said he began evaluating opportunities for 2026. “I rang around the people I knew and had projects that I thought were interesting, and the Resouro one really caught my eye,” he said.Several factors drove the decision. “One was the scale of the project. If you're going to do something, do a big one, and it's a really, really big project,” Stilwell said. “I liked the grade, and that was really helpful in terms of forming what could be done with the business.”Jurisdiction also played a role. “Brazil, I think, is a great operating market,” he said, adding that the end markets for the company’s commodities were equally important. “Even before everything that's happened in the last few weeks, the end markets and who the customers were likely to be was a key component in the decision-making.”Resouro is advancing its Tiros project in Brazil, which contains titanium and rare earth elements, while also holding the Novo Mundo gold project. The presence of multiple commodities presents both an opportunity and a communications challenge.“Storytelling is critical in selling a company to the capital markets,” Stilwell said. “If you talk to people about a rare earths project, they're excited because of everything that's happening in that market, and titanium kind of less so.”He described the company as pursuing a “dual strategy” but acknowledged that clarity will be important for investors. “From an investor's perspective, it can be complicating,” Stilwell said. “They just want the clarity of who are they, what are they really trying to achieve and can we measure them against that.”During PDAC, Stilwell said his focus was on gathering information and aligning the company’s direction. “It's a big fact-finding mission,” he said. “We're sort of week three in the job, and so it's a perfect opportunity to see everything else that's happening both in the mining industry and in the rare earth space.”The company also released metallurgical test results and provided an update on its preliminary economic assessment timeline. “I think the key standout message is good grade, good recovery, and that gives us a platform to work on going forward,” Stilwell said.Looking ahead, he outlined several priorities for the remainder of 2026, including the completion of the PEA, refining the company’s messaging to investors, evaluating the role of its gold project, and securing potential offtake agreements.“The key one that people are looking for is the PEA,” Stilwell said. “And I think clarity on that strategy and clearer messaging on what we're trying to achieve would be a second one.”

On the third day of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention in Toronto, InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes spoke with Rowena Smith, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Australian Strategic Materials Ltd. (ASX: ASM), and Mark Chalmers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR), about the companies’ proposed partnership and the momentum building across the critical minerals sector.“PDAC, how’s it going for you?” Hughes asked.“Oh, it’s been vibrant this year,” Ms. Smith said. “I’m amazed at how many people are here, but also there’s just such terrific energy.”Mr. Chalmers agreed. “There’s a unique buzz this year at PDAC,” he said. “With the metals prices across the board, there’s a lot of excitement and a lot of optimism for the future.”Hughes noted the strong interest in the companies’ collaboration. “Our interview with you had over 20,000 views,” she said. “Everybody wants to know about the ASM–Energy Fuels partnership.”“I’ll let Rowena start it off,” Mr. Chalmers said. “We’ve been talking for a few years, haven’t we?”“We have,” Ms. Smith said. She explained that Australian Strategic Materials Ltd. has pursued a strategy “to go from mine all the way through to alloys,” emphasizing that building supply chains requires partnerships. “The only way to do that rapidly is to work with partners who already have established capability.”She said conditions across the sector shifted over the past year. “The pennies just dropped that there’s an urgency to get into a fully vertically integrated solution,” Ms. Smith said. “When we came together with Energy Fuels, we could see there are amazing synergies between the two businesses.”Mr. Chalmers said the partnership fills a key gap for Energy Fuels Inc.. “We were interested in moving further down the supply chain through alloys,” he said. “The biggest gap we had as a company was in the metals and alloys. ASM fits perfectly into that gap.”Ms. Smith said the companies are currently progressing regulatory approvals in Australia. “We’re going through a government approval process called FIRB,” she said. “Once that’s completed, we’ll issue a scheme booklet for shareholders.”She said the process will lead to a shareholder vote, with the companies aiming to complete the transaction around June.Ms. Smith added that the two teams have already begun working closely together. “As we’ve had more interaction, we can really see we share DNA,” she said. “We’ve got a very similar way of going about doing what we do.”Mr. Chalmers noted that Energy Fuels already maintains a presence in Australia. “We have an office in Perth,” he said, adding that the companies’ global operations create complementary regional strengths.“There’s really the Northern Hemisphere, which is the hydrometallurgy and uranium,” he said. “And then the Southern Hemisphere is the heavy mineral sands, the rare earth supply, and also the metallization and alloys.”Asked about priorities for the combined platform, Mr. Chalmers emphasized execution. “The key focus right now for the company is getting this transaction finalized, integration, and execution,” he said.Ms. Smith said development work at ASM continues alongside the transaction process. “For ASM, that’s the expansion of the Korean Metals Facility,” she said. “We got funding for that late last year and we are progressing that at pace.”She said equipment orders have been placed and construction has begun. “Civil work has started there in Korea,” Ms. Smith said, adding that the company expects commissioning early next year while continuing development work at the Dubbo Project in New South Wales.“It’s just an exciting time,” Mr. Chalmers said. “When you look at increases in metals prices, particularly uranium and the rare earths, and the focus on reshoring capabilities outside China, we’re in a great spot.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Denis Clement, President, CEO and Director of Critical Minerals Americas Inc., discussed the company’s critical minerals project in northern Alberta. Clement said the company is relaunching a large critical minerals project in northern Alberta. “We had this project many years ago, back in 2010 to ’15, in another company. We did a lot of work on it. We got a preliminary economic assessment on it that said it was worth $4 billion,” he said. “Everybody laughed at us and said, ‘Oh, we buy critical minerals from the Chinese. We don’t need it domestically.’”“About five years ago, of course, with critical minerals being as wanted and as necessary as they are now in the Western world, we reacquired all the assets and we’re relaunching Critical Minerals Americas as we speak this week,” Clement said.Critical Minerals Americas Inc. holds a 100% interest in the SBH Project, a 466.66 sq km critical minerals and rare earth elements project located approximately 120 km northwest of Fort McMurray in Alberta’s Athabasca region. According to the company’s National Instrument 43-101 technical report, the project contains approximately 34.5 to 52.2 billion tonnes of mineralized black shale.“In scale, yes,” Clement said when asked if the project could be described as “the tar sands for critical minerals.” He added, “We have a 43-101 that was just issued that put somewhere between 35 and 50 billion tons of recoverable critical mineral black shales on the deposit.”Clement said the deposit spans a large area. “We have 250 square km of black shale, and there’s about 200 million tons per square kilometer. So they’re very, very broad-based and very consistent over that area.”The company plans to process the material using bioleaching. “The processing is called bioleaching, and bioleaching is fairly common, is very well known in the industry,” he said. “Back in ’14, when the National Research Council did the bioleaching studies for us, they took our material and they cultured these bacteria… What they do is they basically consume the impurities and leave behind what’s called a leachate.”“That leachate contains all those minerals,” Clement said.The SBH Project contains multiple critical minerals and rare earth elements, including molybdenum, nickel, uranium, vanadium, zinc, copper, cobalt, lithium, scandium and rare earth elements.Clement said Alberta’s government has expressed interest in the sector. “Alberta has a plan to diversify their economy,” he said. “Critical minerals is a big highlight for them.”He added that the company has assembled a team with government and industry experience. “On the board, we’ve just retained two new additions. One is Sonya Savage. Sonya Savage was Minister of Natural Resources for Alberta and she was also Minister of the Environment,” he said. “And secondly… Greg Turnbull, who was Chairman of McCarthy Tétrault.”Looking ahead, Clement said the company plans to raise capital and advance development work. “We’re probably going to do a public financing in the next month,” he said. “We’re actually going to announce next week that we’ve signed up the National Research Council of Canada in Devon, Alberta, to start upgrading all of our technology.”“We’re going to delineate two areas on this massive property… one will be 5 billion tons and the other one will be 4 billion tons of recoverable critical minerals,” Clement said. “And we’re going to do preliminary economic assessments on those probably in the next 12 to 18 months.”

At the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC 2026) convention in Toronto, InvestorNews.com host Peter Clausi revisited a conversation first recorded two years earlier with Robert Stewart, Managing Director and Founder of Geophysx Jamaica Ltd., an exploration company searching for greenfield mineral discoveries in Jamaica with a focus on copper, gold, and rare earth metals.“Last time you were here, you told me that you had obtained data over about 45% of the island of Jamaica,” Clausi said. “I probably made this face, but now you tell me you have a lot more.” “Yes, we actually did the entire island,” Stewart replied. “Everywhere that wasn’t a protected area, we have sampled.” Stewart said the work combined extensive geochemistry with airborne surveys. “We did about 45,000 samples—assays of rock, stream sediment, or soil. We’ve also flown more than 20,000 line kilometres of airborne geophysical surveys.” The surveys included “everything from mobile magnetotellurics (MT) to magnetics and spectral surveys,” he said. “We’ve built a huge information database and licensed a lot of ground along the way that was clearly anomalous.”The work led to partnerships with major mining companies and the identification of drill-ready targets. “A couple of years ago we partnered with Barrick on the majority of the ground,” Stewart said. “They’re a fantastic partner, and they’re working very heavily now. We’ve identified at least one project that’s ready to drill.” When Clausi asked if the project type had been disclosed publicly, Stewart replied: “Yes—copper and gold.”Stewart also described another partnership formed shortly before the Barrick agreement. “Shortly before the Barrick announcement, we also partnered with another company called C3,” he said. “They had a smaller area, and we combined two pieces of our respective ground into one super block for a gold play.” The company he referred to is C3 Metals Inc. (TSXV: CCCM) (OTCQB: CUAUF), a mineral exploration company with projects in Jamaica and Peru. “We’ve been drilling that as well,” Stewart said, adding that Geophysx is “also working with Freeport in another area in Jamaica.”The conversation returned to a topic first mentioned during their previous interview: rare earth elements. “When we spoke last time, we also talked about rare earths,” Stewart said. “At that point we were just starting to touch on that topic.” He said the company has identified two sources of rare earth elements in Jamaica. “One is an in-situ deposit of about 100 million tonnes that is very high in rare earths. It’s a unique style of deposit. We also have licences over the red mud lakes from bauxite processing, which are also high in rare earths. There are about 140 million tonnes of that material.”When Clausi asked whether the deposits contained both heavy and light rare earth elements, Stewart replied: “Yes, we have both. We have a very unique mix—about 42% heavy rare earths and 58% light rare earths. It’s unusual to find that kind of balance, so it’s quite unique.”Clausi asked about the next stage of development and whether Jamaica might capture more of the supply chain through domestic processing. “The supply chain side isn’t really my specialty,” Stewart said. “But the more we can do locally, the better. The government would love that, and the people would love that. The first step is to start processing the material and generating output. From there we can begin building a supply chain. If we can do as much of that as possible in Jamaica, that would be fantastic.”

Day two on the floor of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC 2026) convention in Toronto brought a steady stream of executives, investors, and announcements. Among them was Kevin Keough, Chief Executive Officer of Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC), who arrived with fresh financing news following a restructuring of the company formerly known as Romios Gold Resources Inc.“We’ve been working like dogs for the last couple of weeks to raise money, and this is the culmination of a restructuring effort that we undertook at Oreterra,” Keough said during the interview. “It used to be Romios Gold Resources, of course. So that process has just concluded with the financing closing that we announced today.”The financing moved far faster than expected. “Honestly, in my whole career, I’ve never been through an experience like that,” Keough said. “We set out on day one to raise $6 million. That was the objective. We thought it would take a month, maybe five weeks. Basically, we raised it in one day.”Investor demand pushed the placement well beyond its initial target. “The phones were ringing off the hook—gong, gong, gong—this, that. It was crazy,” he said. “So I stopped marketing at the end of one day.” The final result, he explained, was significantly larger than originally planned. “Today’s announcement, which is $9.7 million, not six, resulted from having to increase the amount of the financing we were raising just because of the spillover interest.”The financing follows a broader effort to reposition the company after Keough took the helm in June 2025. “I had known of Romios for many, many years, and I knew it had some great assets,” he said. “But there was one called Trek South, which I did not know about until late in 2024.”The project ultimately drew him to the company. “I attempted to negotiate a deal for that asset, Trek South, for this other company, and they didn’t want it,” he said. “So I said, I thought that’s a bad move. So I’m going to jump over to Romios.”Once in the role, Keough said the company moved through a series of changes. “We set about to fix Romios, because like many companies over the years, they accumulate issues,” he said. “We rolled the shares back. We refreshed the board of directors. We focused the company on Trek South.”The rebranding to Oreterra, announced alongside the financing, reflects what Keough described as a reset. “We are what we are today, a totally new company in a way,” he said. “Very clean, no debt, lots of money as of today, and everything we need to really go to town on drilling Trek South in BC for the first time this summer.”Preparations for the field program are already underway. “Right now, we’re preparing for the summer program,” he said. “That means organizing our helicopter service providers, camp providers, and finding our drillers. We’ve pretty much actually done all of that already.”The company expects drilling to begin between mid-June and mid-July. “We have everything we need now to really do the exciting work,” Keough said.For the immediate future, the company intends to keep its structure lean. “We have the team that we need right now,” he said. “We don’t need more directors at this scale of company.”Keough said the central objective is clear. “We’ll focus on achieving a discovery. And that’s really what’s going to build the success of the company, is achieving a discovery at Trek South.”His preference for early-stage exploration reflects the path he has followed throughout his career. “I used to work for De Beers Group, an Anglo American plc company, in Africa,” he said. “But I never liked that kind of small cog in that big machine kind of scene.”Instead, he said he gravitated toward smaller ventures. “I’ve always been kind of entrepreneurial. I like the early stage. I like discovery because it’s exciting, right? And it’s not boring.”

Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API | OTCQB: APAAF) is advancing rare earth and uranium assets in Brazil and Canada, including the Alces Lake rare earth project in Saskatchewan and uranium and rare earth resources at Elliot Lake in Ontario.Speaking with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes at PDAC 2026, Jason Bagg, Vice President of Corporate Development, described the company’s Brazilian project, where Appia holds a 25% interest alongside Ultra Rare Earth.Ultra is the operator and has been drilling the property’s ionic clay and carbonatite rare earth mineralization. “We’ve got 13 holes that just came back, and from surface to 300 meters we’re showing over 2.55% of total rare earth oxides, and with zones of over 14%. So that is incredible,” Mr. Bagg said.Beyond Brazil, Appia continues to advance several Canadian projects. The Alces Lake project in Saskatchewan is wholly owned by the company and hosts high-grade rare earth mineralization in monazite. “Right now, that’s a 100% owned Appia project. It has a 35-person permanent camp, and we are finding some high-grade rare earths in monazite,” Mr. Bagg said. “We actually have another drill program coming up for 3,000 meters in June.”The company also holds the Elliot Lake project in Ontario, a historic uranium district that contains both uranium and rare earth resources.“We have 43-101 pounds in the ground — 55 million pounds of uranium and 180 million pounds of rare earth elements,” Mr. Bagg said. “It’s something that we are looking to perhaps maybe find a partner with, or we’re trying to figure out a strategy for that particular project.”Appia is also advancing the Otherside uranium exploration project in the Athabasca Basin.“We have taken a look at it, we’ve done some surveys, and we’re finding that it has very similar geology to NexGen’s Arrow project,” Mr. Bagg said. “So what we’re trying to do with that is we are doing an MT survey and we’re going to refine the drill targets and get out there drilling come this spring.” “We’re definitely going to have some more drill results come from Brazil,” he said. “We’re going to be announcing our drilling campaigns in Alces Lake and with the Otherside.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Theo Yameogo, EY Americas’ Metals & Mining Sector Leader, about global trends in metals markets, the role of critical minerals, and the shifting geography of mining investment.Yameogo said forecasting commodity prices is not the primary focus of EY’s work. “What is interesting in our job is to avoid predicting the price of gold,” he said. “There are better people to do that. But what we actually can talk about is the triggers that make the gold go that high.”He pointed to geopolitical instability as a key driver of demand. “There’s turmoil in the world, which means that most of the investors are going to move their money back into gold,” Yameogo said. “So we can expect the price can have an uptick until we get to a better place for geopolitical stability.”Structural factors also influence the long-term outlook. “It’s now harder to get gold anyway because we have to go deeper. We have to go maybe further,” he said. “That makes it that the rarity of it will also drive something on the price.”Silver, he said, follows a different dynamic. “When gold prices go up past a certain level, because it’s still precious metals, you will see investors then go buy silver as an alternative to gold,” Yameogo said. “They expect that silver will also match up.”He added that silver’s industrial applications have become increasingly important. “Silver is not just now an emotional buy,” Yameogo said. “It’s also an industrial play because you have to think about solar panels use a lot of silver. You have to think about industrial other uses of silver, like in medicine and things like that.”Discussions about critical minerals often depend on national priorities. “The fascinating thing about critical minerals is every country has their own definition of what’s critical,” Yameogo said. “In Canada, literally everything is critical.”He suggested that minerals tied to energy and food production may be the most fundamental. “If we want to think about saving the world, you will want to put the minerals that are critical to energy and food supply first,” Yameogo said. “You may be thinking like uranium for production of low-cost electricity, which we will need for all these data centers we want to build for AI, and you may be thinking about potash, phosphate, which is very important when you want to have fertilizer to feed the world.”Other investors may focus on electric vehicle supply chains. “You might say, ‘No, I actually want to do nickel, cobalt because my focus is on EV,’” he said. “But we know that EVs depend a lot on governments.”Investment flows into mining are expanding as governments recognize the strategic importance of mineral production. “Mineral production is essential not only for economic development but also for defense,” Yameogo said.PDAC itself reflects the sector’s capital markets roots. “PDAC was originally created for junior companies to raise funds in Toronto,” he said. “With the supercycle, we tend to find new investors come into the sector and try to pick and choose winners.”Yameogo said global opportunities are emerging in several regions. “We should be investing in India for sure,” he said, noting the country’s scale and growing energy demand.In Africa, he said investors should consider political stability. “What’s interesting in Africa is to understand which area is geopolitically stable or about to become geopolitically stable,” Yameogo said.In South America, he pointed to two countries attracting renewed attention. “The interesting one for metals and mining, one that dropped off the radar, is Peru,” he said. “And really Argentina. Lots of big discovery there in Argentina.”Copper and lithium are central to that interest. “There are generational-type deposits of copper,” Yameogo said. “There’s lithium in both countries.”

Antimony is a critical mineral used in industrial and defense applications, yet it remains little understood by many investors, according to Jim Atkinson, CEO and Director of Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY | OTCQB: ATMYF).“We have been trying to, let’s call it, educate people about how important antimony is in the world market,” Mr. Atkinson said during an interview with InvestorNews.com host Peter Clausi at PDAC 2026. “I call it the most important metal nobody knows about.”Antimony Resources is focused exclusively on antimony exploration and development and aims to become a significant North American producer. The company’s Bald Hill project is located in southern New Brunswick, between Fredericton, Sussex, and Saint John.“Friendly community. Lots of good infrastructure,” Mr. Atkinson said. “Ninety kilometers or less from a deep-water port. Lots of power. We’re 110 kilometers from the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant.”The primary host mineral for antimony is stibnite, a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula Sb₂S₃. “The host mineral for antimony is dominantly stibnite,” Mr. Atkinson said. “It’s a sulfide mineral, basically.”He said the Bald Hill property contains visible mineralization. “We have massive stibnite there, yes,” he said. “We have intersections up to a meter of solid stibnite.”Grades associated with the mineralization are significant. “The grade of solid stibnite would be 60% antimony, but we have lots of grades of 30% and 40%,” Mr. Atkinson said. “Our overall grade in the project is probably going to be in the order of 4% to 5%. And, in comparison, that’s probably the highest-grade antimony deposit in North America.”The project is supported by a National Instrument 43-101 technical report, and the company is conducting a 10,000-meter definition drilling program. “Right now they’re turning out 200 meters a day,” Mr. Atkinson said. “We’d be finishing our 10,000 meters of drilling probably by the end of April.”Assay results are expected soon after. “Probably we won’t get the final assays till sometime in May,” he said, adding that consultants will then determine whether the data is sufficient to calculate a resource.Mr. Atkinson said antimony’s strategic importance is increasingly recognized. “If you don’t have tungsten and antimony, you don’t have military. It’s as simple as that.”North American production remains minimal. “Almost none,” he said. “Up until 2024, 75% to 80% of antimony was imported into North America from China and Russia… and in 2024, they cut off all export of antimony.”“We need Canadian antimony, absolutely,” Mr. Atkinson said. “None of them are pure antimony plays like we are. We’re a pure antimony play.”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 third day of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, Carla Devlin, President of Sio Silica Corp., said the company is awaiting an environmental license in Manitoba that would allow the project to move forward.“Currently, we have our application in with the EAB (Environmental Approvals Branch) in Manitoba, and we’re looking to be successful within the next month or two with an environmental license,” Devlin said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes at PDAC 2026. “Once we receive that, we’ll be getting into the ground and drilling.”Sio Silica Corp. is a Manitoba resource development company focused on the responsible development of high-purity silica while prioritizing environmental protection, innovation, and transparent monitoring practices.Devlin said the company’s silica resource is distinguished by its purity. “We have very high-purity silica that comes out of the ground at 99.86%,” she said. “With a simple magnetic water wash, we reach 99.9%. Through research, development, and beneficiation, we’ve been able to achieve a 5N product—99.999% purity—which allows us to enter the semiconductor, microchip, and advanced manufacturing world.”She said the deposit is also unusually large. “Currently, we are considered one of the highest-purity silica deposits in the world, and we have a 15-billion-tonne deposit,” Devlin said. “That translates into roughly a 500-year mine life.”Devlin said the project could support long-term industrial development in North America. “That allows us to generate generational wealth and attract advanced manufacturing to North America and Canada,” she said. “It also helps protect our sovereignty by enabling participation in the national defense sector.”She said the company is currently fully funded for development once approvals are received. “Yes, we’re somewhat of an anomaly,” Devlin said. “We’re fully funded and ready to build the mine as soon as we receive environmental approval.”Devlin also said government engagement remains an important part of advancing critical mineral projects. “That’s one of the key reasons to come to PDAC—you get access to government representatives,” she said. “We’ve been actively having conversations with both federal and provincial governments.”She added that more collaboration between governments and project proponents would improve project development. “Capital can be a coward, and it can leave if the environment is uncertain,” Devlin said. “So securing capital means governments need to collaborate with proponents and build an ecosystem of support.”Devlin also pointed to the everyday presence of critical minerals in modern life. “When you look more closely, you realize we use critical minerals every day,” she said. “For example, silica is often the last ingredient listed on a rotisserie chicken from Costco—it’s used as an anti-caking agent.”She said critical minerals are also essential to advanced manufacturing. “Canada doesn’t have a large manufacturing base, so we need to use our critical minerals to attract it,” Devlin said. “That means solar panel production, microchips, semiconductors—value-added industries.”High-purity quartz silica also has national security applications. “National defense is a major factor,” Devlin said. “High-purity quartz silica is a key ingredient in many defense technologies.”Sio Silica recently announced a research partnership with the University of Manitoba’s Department of Chemistry to investigate a mechanochemical single-step synthesis of silicon battery materials derived from silica. According to the university’s Dr. Christian Kuss, the process could produce lithium-ion battery anode materials with “6 to 10 times greater capacity than the current gold standard: graphite.” Devlin said the company has also launched a public petition in support of the project.

At the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, Roy Bonnell, CEO and Director of Allied Critical Metals Inc. (CSE: ACM) (OTCQB: ACMIF), discussed the company’s newly released Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for its Borralha Tungsten Project in northern Portugal.“It’s our initial PEA based on the MRE that we already have,” Bonnell said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “We think it’s really exciting.”According to the company, the PEA outlines an underground tungsten development project with an estimated initial capital cost of approximately USD $91 million and a projected 11-year mine life. The study reported an after-tax NPV of approximately USD $706.4 million at a tungsten price of USD $1,500 per metric tonne unit (mtu) WO₃.“We announced that at $1,500 per mtu, which is $500 below spot, we have a billion-dollar NPV project,” Bonnell said. “And our project is likely to get much, much bigger with the 20,000 metres of drilling we’re doing this year.”Allied Critical Metals is advancing two projects in northern Portugal — the Borralha Tungsten Project and the Vila Verde Tungsten Project. The Borralha Project has received a favourable Environmental Impact Declaration from the Portuguese Environment Agency, allowing the project to move forward toward further development.Bonnell said global tungsten supply dynamics have changed significantly in recent years. “All of that requires tungsten at a time when 85% of the tungsten in the world is coming from China,” he said. “Quite frankly, there’s less and less good tungsten available around the world.”He said the company’s strategy is to restart production at two historic tungsten properties. “We’re bringing back into production two historic tungsten properties in northern Portugal that produced tens of thousands of tonnes of tungsten concentrate from 1904 until they were shut down in 1986 because of low prices,” Bonnell said. “So we know the tungsten is there.”Because the projects are located in Portugal, he added, infrastructure advantages could accelerate development. “Because it’s in Portugal, a first-world country with first-world infrastructure, we don’t have to spend the time and money that many remote deposits require in order to get into production,” Bonnell said. “We’re ready to go from an infrastructure standpoint on day one.”Following the release of the PEA, Bonnell said the company’s immediate focus is financing and development. “Now that we’ve got our PEA out, our focus is going to be on financing the construction of our plants,” he said.“We think we can get into production before any of our peers and leapfrog all of them by becoming a producer instead of just an explorer and developer.”Bonnell also said the company is pursuing potential supply agreements while continuing exploration. “Offtakes are also a major focus,” he said. “There’s no shortage of people out there looking for tungsten, and we’re looking forward to announcing developments on that front.”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

At the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, Tyler Muir of Homerun Resources Inc. (TSXV: HMR | OTCQB: HMRFF) said the company is nearing completion of a bankable feasibility study for what it describes as Latin America’s first solar glass manufacturing facility.“It’s exciting to be here. It’s refreshing to see all the people out and walking around the floor,” Muir said during an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes on the opening day of PDAC.Homerun is developing a vertically integrated clean energy materials platform anchored by a high-purity, low-iron silica resource in Bahia, Brazil.“We’re working diligently to complete a bankable feasibility study on Latin America’s first solar glass manufacturing facility,” Muir said. “That’s a very important milestone for us because it gives people something concrete they can look at and model from. After that, you can move into financing and construction.”The project originated with the discovery of a high-purity silica deposit suitable for solar glass manufacturing.“We found this high-purity silica sand resource in Brazil, and through metallurgical studies we realized that this silica deposit is perfectly suitable for very high-efficiency solar glass,” Muir said.“We have next to no iron and next to no aluminum attached to our silica sand.”Brazil currently imports nearly all of its solar glass. “So we said, why don’t we bring the industry to Brazil?” he said.The company has also secured offtake agreements tied to the planned facility. “We’ve announced offtake agreements that exceed our annual capacity,” Muir said, noting that Brazilian solar module manufacturer Sengi Solar increased its offtake commitment to a minimum of 100,000 tonnes annually.Homerun recently completed its district control strategy in the Santa Maria Eterna silica sand district in Bahia, including a purchase agreement covering 582 hectares of land.“Fast forward to where we are now: we have full control over the entire district, and we have a plot of land where we will be building the silica purification plant as well as the solar glass plant,” Muir said.He added that the purity of the company’s silica may eliminate the need for antimony in the glass-making process.“There’s a threshold you need to hit for iron contaminants to produce efficient solar glass, and that threshold is about 70 ppm,” Muir said. “In our raw form, our silica is under 10 ppm.”“So we actually don’t need to use antimony,” he said. “By not using antimony in our solar glass, we cut about US$30 million in operating costs.”

At the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, Barry Baim, Director of West High Yield Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY), said the company is advancing a permitted critical minerals project in British Columbia containing magnesium, silica, nickel, and iron.“I’m great, Tracy. It’s an exciting conference. There’s a buzz in the air, and it’s a pleasure to speak with you again,” Baim said during an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes at PDAC 2026.West High Yield is a publicly traded exploration and development company established in 2003 focused on developing mineral properties in Canada. Its Record Ridge deposit, located about 10 kilometers southwest of Rossland, British Columbia, contains approximately 10.6 million tonnes of magnesium according to a National Instrument 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.“In fact, iron as well. We have four critical minerals listed in our ore, and we have an extraction process that can extract 94% of the value in the ore,” Baim said. “So we’re quite excited about that.”He said magnesium remains the primary focus of the project. “The most important being, of course, magnesium,” Baim said. “China, as you may be aware, controls over 95% of the global magnesium supply right now. So we’re excited that we have this great onshore resource ready to go.”The project received its Mines Act permit from the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals in October 2025.“We’re at the next step. We have now been mine permitted, and we are working on the last piece of engineering that should allow us to get into the ground this June to start construction and mine development,” Baim said. “So yes, we’re excited. We’re ready to go.”West High Yield has also advanced a pilot program for its processing technology with Process Research Ortech Inc. in Ontario.“What we are producing—high-purity magnesium while also extracting silica, nickel, and iron—is done using a closed-loop hydrochloric acid leaching process,” Baim said. “Our process is very CO₂ friendly, almost CO₂ neutral.”The company plans a phased development strategy. “The first step is to get the mine up and running, extract the ore, and sell it to a U.S.-based client who will take it offshore for processing,” he said. “While we generate that cash flow, it will allow us in parallel to build a commercial plant for onshore development and extraction.”Baim said silica from the project could also serve high-technology markets. “Artificial intelligence requires enormous computing power and large volumes of chips, and silica is a key component in computer chips, computer glass, cell phone glass, solar panels, and more.”The company expects construction to begin in 2026. “Sometime in June we expect to break ground on building the access roads and beginning mine development,” Baim said. “Within three to four months after that, we hope to mine our first commercial ore and begin selling it.”

“Are you a gold company or are you a tungsten company?” Peter Clausi asked Craig Lindsay, CEO of U.S. Operations for Resolution Minerals Ltd. (ASX: RML) (OTCQB: RLMLF), during an interview at PDAC 2026.“You are very confused,” Lindsay replied. “Because we are not just a gold company or a tungsten company. We’re actually an antimony company as well. That’s really the big pitch: critical metals with an antimony focus.”Resolution Minerals Ltd. is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of metals including antimony, gold, copper and uranium. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2017, the company holds a portfolio of assets including the Drake East Antimony-Gold Project in New South Wales and the George Project, prospective for silica sand and uranium.Lindsay said the company’s current focus is its 100%-owned Horse Heaven Project in Idaho. “Locationally, we’re immediately adjacent to Perpetua’s Stibnite Mine,” he said, referring to Perpetua Resources Corp. (NYSE: PPTA). “Perpetua is a $4.5 billion company. We’re an $80 million company. We’re a direct geologic analogue to them in that we have a very large gold endowment, but there’s also a big critical metals play here with antimony and tungsten.”Clausi noted the strategic role of the metals. “Antimony and tungsten are war metals. The more conflicted the world becomes, the more we need them.”“Sadly, that’s true,” Lindsay said. “But it’s not just the military side of things. It’s also the China story. China processes 80% of the world’s antimony. They mine 60%. They’ve cut off supplies to the U.S. The current administration has a very large push on to develop domestic supplies of these critical metals. Antimony and tungsten are very high on that list.”Lindsay said historic stockpiles from the project show unusually high grades. “The average grades we’ve pulled out of historic stockpiles average 40% antimony,” he said. “When you look at the Perpetua story next door, the average grade is less than half a percent.”The project covers roughly 15,000 acres and includes multiple mineralized targets. “We have something called Antimony Ridge, which is antimony-focused, but it also has silver and gold,” Lindsay said. “Gold is associated with the antimony at Horse Heaven. You get anywhere from 1 to 4 grams per tonne gold, and we’ve had hits of up to 1,420 grams per tonne silver within these high-grade veins.”A second exploration area, called Golden Gate, targets gold and tungsten. “The first hole I drilled last fall was 253 metres of 1.5 grams per tonne gold starting at surface and ending in open mineralization,” Lindsay said. “So this year we’re going back. We’re going to drill 30,000 feet. We’re going to triple the drilling.”The strategic case for the project, he said, includes the United States’ dependence on imported antimony. “They consume about 25,000 tonnes of antimony a year, and they’re producing nothing,” Lindsay said. “So we can play a critical role in addressing that—not just addressing it three or four years out when the Stibnite Mine goes into production, but potentially much sooner if we get a permit to start stripping out some of this high-grade material.”Resolution Minerals has begun metallurgical testing and processing studies. “We’ve shipped material to two labs: ANSTO in Australia and Kingston Process Metallurgy associated with Queen’s University to develop a process flowsheet,” Lindsay said. “I’ve also hired a PhD metallurgist, Dr. Adam Roper, who is working with us full-time.”“If I can pull this 40% material off, I can ship it to U.S. Antimony, which is looking for ore,” he said. “They need feedstock. Everyone is looking for feedstock.”To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4lfRzPi

Rare earth projects often rise or fall on metallurgy, and Mark Tory, President, CEO, and Director of Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN | OTCQB: DFMTF), says that is what drew him to the company after reviewing its flagship Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Project.“One of the reasons I moved from Perth to Vancouver to take over Defense was when I did my due diligence on the Wicheeda Project,” Tory said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes during PDAC 2026. “A lot of that revolved around the fact that we could do a simple beneficiation process at Wicheeda, where it takes the 2.4% grade in the ground to a 50% concentrate grade.”Defense Metals is advancing the Wicheeda project near Prince George, British Columbia, one of the most advanced undeveloped rare earth deposits in North America or Europe and supported by a 2025 Pre-Feasibility Study prepared under National Instrument 43-101 standards.“The beneficiation process is after mining. You go through a crush and a grind, and then you run it through a flotation circuit,” Tory said. “If you can get above 30%, you’ve got a great chance of being economic. At Wicheeda, it gets us to 50%. The 50% concentrate grade puts Wicheeda, in my eyes, as a world-class deposit in relation to rare earths.”Tory has spent more than 30 years in the resources industry and more than a decade working specifically in rare earths. “I cut my teeth at large companies like Homestake and Anglo American,” he said. “I’ve been in rare earths for well over 11 years. I was with Northern Minerals for 10 years in Western Australia. I built and operated a rare earth processing facility, a $70 million facility up in the Kimberley.”That experience included extensive analysis of the global rare earth sector. “I also spent a lot of time in China going through the industry there and analyzing the players in China,” Tory said. “I’ve analyzed most rare earth projects globally, and Wicheeda really stands out to me as a world-class deposit.”The project is focused on neodymium and praseodymium. “We’re focused on neodymium and praseodymium at the site—NdPr. That’s our major revenue driver,” Tory said. “With current pricing, NdPr has more than doubled in the space of less than 12 months.”Government support has also emerged as the project advances. Defense Metals was one of 17 Canadian critical mineral companies invited by Natural Resources Canada and Invest in Canada to participate in a European trade mission that included Rome, Munich, and Paris. “Defense was only one of two rare earth companies on this mission,” Tory said. “It demonstrates, in the federal government’s eyes, where Defense sits in relation to how important it is.”The Wicheeda project was also selected as one of only three promising new projects by the British Columbia Critical Minerals Office under its Advanced Project Initiative. “That’s going to help us advance through the permitting process and give us access to the right level of people to make sure we’re moving the permit through the BC government as quickly as possible,” Tory said. “We want to do it properly, without cutting corners.”Location and infrastructure are also advantages. “We’re near Prince George, so we have existing infrastructure—hydroelectric power, roads, and rail,” he said. “There’s also an existing mining workforce in Prince George.”The company is now preparing for several technical milestones. “We’re about to kick off our full feasibility study, which we’re looking to have started by Hatch,” Tory said. “We’re also preparing to start pilot plant test work at SGS, with a 30-ton pilot plant program planned in the next couple of months.”Additional metallurgical work is underway with the Saskatchewan Research Council. “We’ve signed an MOU with them. We’ve sent some samples for separation test work that we’d like them to perform,” Tory said. “We’re looking forward to the results and seeing if we can incorporate any of that work into our flowsheet.”

Indonesia dominates the global nickel market, accounting for roughly 60–65% of world supply, making the country the central hub of the industry. Brandon Colwell, CEO of Nusa Nickel Corp., says his company has positioned itself within that ecosystem. “Thank you. Nusa Nickel is now North America’s only revenue-generating nickel operation and licensed nickel trader operating in the world-leading nickel district of Indonesia,” Colwell said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes at PDAC 2026.The company focuses on the sourcing and sale of lateritic nickel material while also supplying nickel ore through licensed trading operations.Colwell said the company established three objectives before entering the public markets. “Before we went public as a private company, we wanted to achieve three different things,” he said. “First, we wanted to prove our proof of concept by generating revenue through bulk sampling and commercial sales of nickel material.”The second objective was securing a nickel trading license. “That allows us to expand our growth potential from both a financial standpoint and from the standpoint of expanding our company’s footprint.”The third objective focused on investor positioning. “We wanted to provide a high-reward opportunity for investors while also offering a level of risk mitigation for an early-stage company by achieving those first two objectives.”According to the company’s January 5, 2026 year-end update, Nusa Nickel generated revenues during 2025 through the bulk sampling and sale of lateritic nickel material in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The company also established a licensed nickel trading subsidiary approved by the Government of Indonesia through a Sales and Transport License (IPP Nickel Trading License), enabling it to trade third-party nickel material and intermediate nickel products.Colwell said Indonesia’s laterite geology has been a key driver behind the country’s rapid rise as the world’s leading nickel supplier. “The really interesting thing about Indonesia—and the reason why they are the king of nickel—is because of their laterite nickel,” he said. “When it comes to laterites, you’re talking about 30 to 50 metres of mineralized dirt and soft rock. That makes it much easier to scale operations.”Indonesia has also built extensive processing capacity. “Indonesia currently has about 65 active nickel smelters and 12 active HPAL processors (High Pressure Acid Leach),” Colwell said.He credited the company’s leadership team for establishing its presence in the jurisdiction. “We were able to do that through our business partner and President and COO, Robert Tjandra,” Colwell said. “No matter where you operate in the mining world, you need someone who understands the jurisdiction.”Tjandra was born and raised in Indonesia and spent about five decades there before moving to Toronto in 2007. “He has a unique understanding of how things operate in Indonesia while also understanding how business operates in the West,” Colwell said.“We wanted to prove our proof of concept first so investors could see whether this management team could execute,” he said. “Now that we’ve proven that, the next question becomes how fast we can scale.”The company has signed a definitive agreement with Genesis Acquisition Corp., a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, and is targeting completion of financing and regulatory review in 2026.#Nickel #CriticalMinerals #NusaNickel

Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA) (FSE: D0W) (OTC Pink: VOLMF) is a critical mineral exploration company focused on rare earths, gallium, lithium, cesium, and tantalum. It owns, has optioned and is currently exploring a portfolio of projects in Ontario, one of the world’s most prolific emerging hard-rock critical-mineral districts.“Day one on the floor of PDAC,” said InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “I have Kerem Usenmez from Volta Metals.” Hughes congratulated the company after the Springer rare earth deposit expanded far beyond expectations. “Your resource is now 10 times what you expected it to be.”“Yes, it’s very exciting,” said Kerem Usenmez, President, CEO and Director of Volta Metals. “It came out to be larger than we anticipated, to be honest. What’s also exciting is that it’s still open in all directions. That’s why we’re drilling right now. I expect it to get even larger.”The Springer rare earth deposit near Sturgeon Falls, Ontario has expanded to 176 million tonnes of mineralization, including 56.6 million tonnes in the Indicated category and 119.5 million tonnes in the Inferred category, placing the project among the ten largest rare earth deposits in North America while remaining open for expansion.“Right now we’re in the top 10,” Usenmez said. “In fact, it’s the seventh-largest in North America with this resource, and we’re on our way to being in the top five.”Hughes noted that Volta’s infrastructure distinguishes the project. “One of the largest and most compelling competitive elements for Volta, of course, is your infrastructure and where you’re located.”“Yes, it’s really unbelievable what we have,” Usenmez said. “We have a paved road going right through the property. We have power lines through the property, two hydropower dams right outside of our claims, and a town just nearby. It’s just outside of Sudbury—about a 50-minute drive. We’re located near Sturgeon Falls, right off the Trans-Canada Highway.”“For those of you unfamiliar with Sturgeon Falls, they’re in Ontario, Canada,” Hughes said.Usenmez emphasized the accessibility of the site. “Yes, we can order pizza,” he said. “We can get Tim Hortons right outside there. What’s exciting about this property, apart from all the infrastructure we mentioned, is that the mineralization is on surface. As soon as you hit the ground with a shovel, you’re making money based on the economics we have to date.”Hughes turned to the composition of the deposit. “The Springer project has the core four rare earth elements.”“The periodic table has 17 rare earth elements,” Usenmez said. “We have 15 of them. Some are more valuable than others because of their prices and because of their importance to modern life in the western world—for defense, technology, and healthcare.”“There are what I call the ‘big four.’ Out of the light and heavy rare earths, the ones you want are neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, and dysprosium. We have all four of them. Our economics are based on these four only, so having all four is very exciting.”Usenmez added that the project also contains another critical metal. “Apart from that, we also have something that isn’t a rare earth element—gallium. We have significant gallium, and I’m expecting to have a gallium resource in the next update as well.”“For those of you who may not be familiar with gallium, the Chinese are no longer exporting gallium, and it’s on everyone’s critical minerals hot list,” Hughes said.“We’re still receiving results and continuing to drill,” Usenmez replied. “When we conduct the technical studies later this year, we’ll have an updated resource, and I anticipate it will include a gallium resource as well. One of the key elements is demonstrating the recoverable aspect—we need to show that it can be recovered economically. That work is underway, and I expect those results sometime in March.”

Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA) (FSE: D0W) (OTC Pink: VOLMF) is a critical mineral exploration company focused on rare earths, gallium, lithium, cesium, and tantalum. It owns, has optioned and is currently exploring a portfolio of projects in Ontario, one of the world’s most prolific emerging hard-rock critical-mineral districts.“Day one on the floor of PDAC,” said InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes. “I have Kerem Usenmez from Volta Metals.” Hughes congratulated the company after the Springer rare earth deposit expanded far beyond expectations. “Your resource is now 10 times what you expected it to be.”“Yes, it’s very exciting,” said Kerem Usenmez, President, CEO and Director of Volta Metals. “It came out to be larger than we anticipated, to be honest. What’s also exciting is that it’s still open in all directions. That’s why we’re drilling right now. I expect it to get even larger.”The Springer rare earth deposit near Sturgeon Falls, Ontario has expanded to 176 million tonnes of mineralization, including 56.6 million tonnes in the Indicated category and 119.5 million tonnes in the Inferred category, placing the project among the ten largest rare earth deposits in North America while remaining open for expansion.“Right now we’re in the top 10,” Usenmez said. “In fact, it’s the seventh-largest in North America with this resource, and we’re on our way to being in the top five.”Hughes noted that Volta’s infrastructure distinguishes the project. “One of the largest and most compelling competitive elements for Volta, of course, is your infrastructure and where you’re located.”“Yes, it’s really unbelievable what we have,” Usenmez said. “We have a paved road going right through the property. We have power lines through the property, two hydropower dams right outside of our claims, and a town just nearby. It’s just outside of Sudbury—about a 50-minute drive. We’re located near Sturgeon Falls, right off the Trans-Canada Highway.”“For those of you unfamiliar with Sturgeon Falls, they’re in Ontario, Canada,” Hughes said.Usenmez emphasized the accessibility of the site. “Yes, we can order pizza,” he said. “We can get Tim Hortons right outside there. What’s exciting about this property, apart from all the infrastructure we mentioned, is that the mineralization is on surface. As soon as you hit the ground with a shovel, you’re making money based on the economics we have to date.”Hughes turned to the composition of the deposit. “The Springer project has the core four rare earth elements.”“The periodic table has 17 rare earth elements,” Usenmez said. “We have 15 of them. Some are more valuable than others because of their prices and because of their importance to modern life in the western world—for defense, technology, and healthcare.”“There are what I call the ‘big four.’ Out of the light and heavy rare earths, the ones you want are neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, and dysprosium. We have all four of them. Our economics are based on these four only, so having all four is very exciting.”Usenmez added that the project also contains another critical metal. “Apart from that, we also have something that isn’t a rare earth element—gallium. We have significant gallium, and I’m expecting to have a gallium resource in the next update as well.”“For those of you who may not be familiar with gallium, the Chinese are no longer exporting gallium, and it’s on everyone’s critical minerals hot list,” Hughes said.“We’re still receiving results and continuing to drill,” Usenmez replied. “When we conduct the technical studies later this year, we’ll have an updated resource, and I anticipate it will include a gallium resource as well. One of the key elements is demonstrating the recoverable aspect—we need to show that it can be recovered economically. That work is underway, and I expect those results sometime in March.”To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4csahAY

“The oceans comprise 70% of the Earth’s surface,” Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) Co-Chair Jack Lifton said as he opened his interview with James Deckelman, Chief Executive Officer of Deep Sea Minerals Corp. (CSE: SEAS | OTCQB: DSEAF | FSE: X45). “We’re talking about the bottom of the oceans.”Deckelman said the company was formed in response to what he described as a convergence of demand growth, supply constraints, price escalation and U.S. regulatory action.“What really attracted me to the sector was three things,” Deckelman said. “One, what was happening in the sector itself. Two, the moment that we're experiencing now in the sector — and the sector in particular right now, we are experiencing extreme demand surge, a period in which we're seeing unprecedented demand for these critical minerals.”He cited the International Energy Agency. “The IEA — the Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization — is forecasting demand to double by 2040.” At the same time, he said, there is “a supply gap” and “no viable alternative sources. Terrestrial mines simply can't deliver what's going to be required to meet future demand.”Deckelman pointed to commodity prices. “Copper up 40%, for example, in 2025; cobalt up about 160% in the last 12 months.” He added that “one of the world's largest suppliers of cobalt, the DRC, has halted exports for four months, sending cobalt up 70% in Europe.”He described U.S. regulatory momentum as “really quite staggering,” referring to “the Trump executive order enacted in April of last year declaring seabed minerals a national priority.” He said there is “a U.S. realization that both the U.S. economy and the U.S. defense systems are held hostage to offshore producers,” and cited “AI-driven demand in the U.S.” tied to data centers and the electrical grid.Deep sea nodules have been studied “since the 1970s, for example, in an area that we call the CCZ in the Eastern Pacific,” Deckelman said. “But the industry was always one of the future. And now all of a sudden, the future is essentially today.”Lifton characterized the resource as polymetallic nodules resting unattached on the seafloor. “You're not going to be drilling into the bottom of the ocean,” he said. “You're harvesting one of nature's very unusual deposits.” He described “manganese nodules” containing “manganese, nickel, copper — those transition metals,” and stated that in the Cook Islands’ economic zone “there's more cobalt there, for example, in these nodules than there is in the Congo.”Deckelman said the company is “focused on polymetallic nodules that occur on the seafloor, unattached,” containing “cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, and some rare earths as well in some cases,” concentrated “into a single ore body.”“When we're offshore harvesting these nodules from the seafloor, there's no cutting, there's no blasting, there's no tunneling, no overburden removal, no tailings, and no water and other waste discharge — no waste streams,” he said. The nodules occur at depths of “around 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 meters.”He said technology developed in the offshore oil and gas sector “has been transferred to this industry,” alongside sector-specific innovation “to optimize operations, but also to mitigate any sort of environmental effects.” He credited The Metals Company as “a pioneering company in this space” and referenced its work with Pamco in Japan on pilot processing facilities. Deep Sea Minerals has not yet selected its harvesting or processing technologies. “We are still in the early stages. We're in the exploration license application phase at this point,” he said.Operationally, Deckelman said the company has applications in progress “in two domains: one is the CCZ, the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific, as well as in the Cook Islands,” and is “also evaluating opportunities in American Samoa.”

On the morning Quantum eMotion Corp. (NYSE American: QNC) (TSXV: QNC) began trading on the NYSE American, Darren Cudmore opened the interview without understatement. “Today is a really important day for this company,” he said, noting that the shares of Quantum eMotion Corp. had moved “from the pinks to the QBs to the American Exchange.”The company announced on February 24, 2026, that its shares had begun trading on the NYSE American under the ticker “QNC,” while remaining listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as QNC and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as 34Q0. The uplisting followed prior approval and, according to the company, marked “a significant advancement” in its strategy to expand its U.S. shareholder base and increase U.S. capital markets exposure. Yorkville Securities, LLC acted as adviser in connection with the listing.Asked about the process, Francis Bellido, President, CEO and Director, compared it to scientific research. “The process is very similar to actually working in deep science, in deep discovery,” he said. “For a long time nothing happens, particularly when you don't have so many resources. You're limited and you have to focus on one or two technologies and make them grow in an environment where having access to funding is extremely difficult at the beginning. Nobody really believes you.”“You really have to be what we call a real entrepreneur,” he continued. “You never say no and you continue until the moment. I'm old enough now to trust more my intuition. When you feel there is something there and your experience tells you it’s just a matter of time — I've seen many groundbreaking technologies that at the beginning nobody wanted to pay attention to, people were laughing at them, and ultimately those technologies transformed the world.”The company’s core technology is its QRNG, or Quantum Random Number Generator. “QRNG is the acronym for the Quantum Random Number Generator,” Dr. Bellido said. In cybersecurity, he explained, “cyber criminals always look for errors that have been made in the architecture of systems used to defend against third parties.” They search for patterns. “Humans love patterns, and even when you choose passwords you tend to repeat mistakes. At every level there is a pattern — that’s what they’re looking for.”“The only way you can defend yourself against patterns is to introduce unpredictability, complete randomness, in your defense architecture,” he said. “The world we live in is not completely random. Everything has a level of determinism. If you want pure randomness, you have to rely on quantum mechanics.”Describing the mechanism, he said: “When you work with quantum particles like photons or electrons, they have a dual nature — they behave both as particles and as waves. In our technology, we create a stream of electrons like a regular current and create a barrier where electrons bounce back. Once in a while, they behave like a wave and tunnel through the barrier. The current after the barrier becomes completely time dependent — completely erratic, and completely random. That becomes the analog source that we then digitize.”Dr. Bellido credited physicist Bertrand Reulet, who will attend the bell-ringing ceremony in New York. “We have an excellent relationship. I call him almost every two weeks, depending on what we need,” he said. “For him, it's a great achievement. Very few professors in physics, particularly quantum physics, see the results of what they've invented during their lifetime.”The company has also formed a relationship with Greybox, whose chief executive, Pierre Bérubé, he said he spoke with the evening before the ceremony. “We have known each other for almost three years. We helped them from the beginning to understand the importance of security.”To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4ciJaZc

Volta Metals Ltd. (CSE: VLTA | FSE: D0W) is a critical mineral exploration company focused on rare earths, gallium, lithium, cesium, and tantalum, with projects in Ontario, Canada. On February 23, 2026, the Company reported a major resource expansion at its Springer Rare Earth Element deposit near Sturgeon Falls, approximately one hour east of Sudbury, Ontario along the Trans-Canada Highway.“It's very exciting. It exceeded our expectations, to be honest,” Kerem Usenmez, President, CEO, and Director of Volta Metals Ltd., said in an interview with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes.“What's exciting also is that it's still open and we are drilling. We're hitting more. So, I think it's going to get even bigger, but we're already in the Top 10 and getting better and better every day.”Hughes asked what “Top 10” meant in practical terms. “Basically, if I understand properly, is the Springer project in the ‘Top 10 Rare Earth Deposits in North America’? Is that correct?”“That is correct, yes,” Usenmez replied. “It got into a new scale. It really is incredible — 176 million tonnes of rare earth mineralization, on surface. It's very, very exciting.”The updated Mineral Resource Estimate, effective December 31, 2025, reports 56.6 million tonnes in the Indicated category at 0.70% TREO and 119.5 million tonnes in the Inferred category at 0.58% TREO. According to the Company, the deposit now ranks among the top 10 largest rare earth deposits in North America based on publicly available Indicated and Inferred mineral resource tonnage for North American rare earth projects listed in the S&P Global Market Intelligence database, 2025.The Company reported a 1,248% increase in Indicated Resources to 56.6Mt at 0.70% TREO, including a near-surface high-grade core of 11.5Mt at 1.10% TREO, and an 841% expansion in Inferred Resources to 119.5Mt at 0.58% TREO, including a near-surface high-grade core of 3Mt at 1.16% TREO. Additional contained rare earth oxides were added at an estimated discovery cost of C$0.02 per tonne of Indicated Resource.Hughes noted that the project ranks number seven and pointed to infrastructure as a key advantage. Usenmez agreed. “Fifty minutes away from Sudbury through the Trans-Canada Highway. We're just outside of Sturgeon Falls. Have two hydro power dams literally just outside of our claims, and one of them is powered by First Nations.“So this project will be powered not only with staff but literally the power because the power lines go through the property. We have all the supplies we need within 68 km, including Trans-Canada Highway and railway station.”According to the Company’s disclosure, the deposit is approximately 70 km east of Sudbury and 15 km north of Sturgeon Falls. It is accessible via Highway 64, with proximity to the Crystal Falls and Sturgeon Falls hydroelectric dams, hydroelectric power lines, a natural gas pipeline, and the Canadian National Railway line. A high-voltage transmission line runs through the project’s claims and is expected to source power from the Crystal Falls hydroelectric dam.On drilling results, Usenmez said, “Our initial drilling came back with — well, we first drilled twice as much as we anticipated, or planned for, because we were still in mineralization. It kept going, etc. So having holes, not once, more than once, from top to bottom mineralized, and at the end still high-grade mineralization — that's really what else can you hope for?“So that helped, and that showed us the shape is changing. It's getting bigger and it is still open. That's why we are drilling right now. But the intercepts we have are exceptional — rare earth mineralization, very high grade. In some cases, the premium magnets that you want — magnet minerals — but also the gallium. So very, very good results.”Hughes referenced the “core four” rare earth elements — praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium and terbium — and asked about their significance.

“Drill hole number 15: we hit from surface 300 m, 2.55% rare earths,” Tom Drivas said, describing what he called “very exciting results” from diamond drilling at the Ultra Hard Rock carbonatite target in Goiás, Brazil.Drivas, CEO and Director of Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API | OTCQB: APAAF), said the company drilled 26 holes totaling 7,347.1 metres, with results announced from 12 of them and additional assays pending. “That’s very exciting — very unusual that you drill a hole for 300 m. The hole ended up in mineralization,” he said.He detailed the intercepts: “The last 16 m of the hole has 5.2% total rare earth oxides. From 2 m to 99 m we get 4.42% total rare earth oxide. From 93 m to 99 m, about 6 meters, 13.30%.” The highlight interval, he added, was “about 1.7 m at around 95–97 meters depth for 14.27% total rare earth oxides.” He translated the figure for context: “That basically translates, for people who are not familiar with percentages, 142,700 ppm — parts per million — total rare earth oxides.”Drivas also cited magnet rare earth content within the interval. “In terms of magnet rare earths like neodymium praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, we’ve got 23,235 parts per million, which is basically 2.3%. So very exciting.”According to the company’s February 24, 2026 news release, preliminary assay results identified significant intervals of Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) and Magnet Rare Earth Oxide (MREO), with 13 drill holes still pending. The release states that mineralization is open at depth and reappears to the northeast, and that average uranium and thorium values are 7.46 ppm and 66.48 ppm, respectively.Drivas said the latest program builds on earlier drilling. “We drilled about a year, year and a half ago — we drilled three holes from zero to 150 m depth and all three holes were mineralized. Now with this drilling program, we went down to 300 meters and the system is still open.”He described two styles of mineralization at the project. “We’ve got ionic clay on surface — like the first 10–20 meters — high-grade ionic clay type mineralization. But underneath that is carbonatite rocks — hard rock — and that’s also rich in rare earths.”He emphasized the relevance of carbonatite-hosted rare earth deposits. “Two of the biggest mines outside of China that produce rare earths — Lynas and MP Materials — are rare earth extractable from carbonatite. So it’s basically a similar situation that we have there.”Appia holds a 25% interest in the Ultra Hard Rock and Ultra IAC Projects, totaling 42,932.24 hectares in Goiás. Under a previously announced agreement, Ultra is obligated to acquire Appia’s 25% interest in exchange for a 25% equity interest in Ultra once a prefeasibility study has been prepared for the Ultra IAC project and a mineral resource estimate has been prepared for the Ultra Hard Rock project.“We now drilled 29 holes,” Drivas said. “I think after this the plan would be to put a 43-101 resource on the carbonatite mineralization, and obviously we want to put a resource on the ionic clay, and also do a PFS — a pre-feasibility — on the ionic clay. Our plan is to do all this this year.”Drilling at the ionic clay target is ongoing. “We’ve got two drills. We’re going to bring another two drills in the next couple of weeks and we’re planning to drill between now and June this year,” he said. The plan calls for approximately 952 reverse circulation holes of 15 to 20 metres each, in addition to 300 to 500 auger and exploration holes over the coming months.“In terms of valuation, we feel that Appia is trading at a fraction — maybe 10% — of what comparable other companies in the space are trading,” Drivas said. “Appia is probably the only company that I know that has three unique rare earth projects in Saskatchewan, in Ontario, in Brazil. And in addition to that we have uranium projects in Ontario and Saskatchewan.”To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4kTeaB3

American Tungsten Corp. (CSE: TUNG) (OTCQB: TUNGF) is advancing the historic IMA Mine Project in Idaho toward commercial production, positioning itself to address critical metal scarcity in North America. The company holds an exclusive option to acquire full ownership of the IMA Mine, subject to a 2% royalty, and has expanded its land position with 113 additional federal claims covering nearly 2,000 acres. The IMA Mine is a past-producing underground tungsten operation on private-patented land, historically producing approximately 199,449 MTUs of WO₃ between 1945 and 1957.“About 31 ft at 0.48% tungsten oxide (WO₃) and then you’ve got 1.84 oz/ton silver,” Ali Haji, CEO and director of American Tungsten Corp. (CSE: TUNG) (OTCQB: TUNGF), said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes, referring to results released February 10, 2026. He continued: “We’ve got 11 ft grading at 1% and then 2.05 oz/ton silver. 16.3 ft at 0.54% with 1.79 oz/ton silver.”The February 10 news release reported 31 feet grading 0.48% WO₃ and 1.84 oz/t Ag in hole AT25-01; 11.1 feet grading 1.08% WO₃ and 2.05 oz/t Ag in hole AT25-02; and 16.3 feet grading 0.54% WO₃ and 1.79 oz/t Ag in hole AT25-03. The company stated that all initial drillholes intersected significant mineralized quartz veins consistent with projections of the No.5 and No.7 vein systems.Haji said the mineralization reflects the geology of the system. “It’s a moly porphyry with tungsten-silver-rich veins running through it,” he said. “With silver running where it is and the price of molybdenum also climbing, it’s a great sort of position to be.” He added: “Not only do we have some of the highest-grade tungsten, but now we’ve got silver and moly to help offset our opex and hedge us against any decline in pricing for tungsten as well.”On timing, Haji drew a distinction between initial sales and formal production status. “Production—when a mining company says they’re in production—they’ve had two consecutive quarters of production and revenue,” he said. “I have committed to being the first company to have product sale this year.” He added: “Commercial production will occur in 2027, but first product sale will certainly happen this year.”Haji described the IMA Mine as “the fourth largest producer of tungsten up until about the late ’50s,” noting that “over $400 million” has been spent on the property by prior operators through 2010, with more than 57,000 feet drilled historically. “We have done about 6,000 ft on the project. Now we will complete 18,000 ft in our Phase 1 drilling program,” he said. The Phase 1 program includes drilling from multiple underground levels, with additional holes planned.The company’s stated objective is to define a compliant mineral resource. “Our intent is to de-risk via delineating and twinning the existing exploration program to come up with a resource that we believe to be commercially viable,” Haji said. “We’ve got to get it to a 43-101 compliant state.” He said recent channel and rock chip sampling returned higher results than historic sampling conducted between 1979 and 1982. “We’ve got well in excess of 1% tungsten, about 2.79 oz silver,” he said, attributing improved results to advances in assay techniques and technology.In terms of corporate structure, Haji said the company has “about 49 million shares out,” describing the capital structure as “still very, very tight for a junior that has a line of sight on perhaps revenue at the end of this year.” He said the company completed “two financings for a total of $25 million in the last six months with no warrants,” adding, “There is no overhang from any warrants.” According to Haji, approximately 15% of shareholders are institutional, with participation from funds in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia and the United States, alongside roughly 7,400 U.S. retail shareholders and a similar number in Canada.

Antimony Resources Corp. (CSE: ATMY) (OTCQB: ATMYF) (FSE: K8J0) is an exploration and development company focused exclusively on antimony. The Company’s management team possesses extensive experience in financing, exploration, development and mining, and is focused on becoming a significant North American producer of antimony.“Antimony is the new tungsten—everybody’s talking about antimony,” Tracy Hughes said in an interview with Jim Atkinson, the company’s CEO and Director, asking why the metal has recently escalated as a top-priority critical mineral.“I think people have started to realize how important it is in so many different aspects—not only on the defense and military side of things, but also as an industrial metal,” Mr. Atkinson said. “Also, people are noticing the fact that the price has shot up from, let’s say, $12,000 a metric ton to almost $60,000 a metric ton. There’s nothing like a price spike to get people interested.”From a defense perspective, he added, “If you don’t have antimony, it really restricts your military in many ways.” He cited its use in munitions, as a flame retardant for military materials, and in specialized applications such as night vision goggles. “The combination of the price spike and the realization of importance has brought attention,” he said, adding that China’s December 2024 restriction on antimony exports, and its current export licensing regime, had further intensified interest. “Those three things—the realization, the geopolitical side, and the price spike—have brought it to the forefront.”Mr. Atkinson previously ran a producing antimony mine, Lake George Antimony. In a February 17, 2026 news release, the company announced it had expanded and outlined further massive antimony-bearing stibnite mineralization at the Marcus (West) Zone at its Bald Hill project.“We discovered a new mineralized zone that’s never been seen before,” Mr. Atkinson said. The discovery was made while constructing a drill road on the west side of the property. “The excavator dug it up and they looked at it—lo and behold, it had stibnite in it.” The zone, named the Marcus Zone after the prospector who first broke it open, has been exposed over approximately 50 to 75 meters. “It’s a brand-new area of mineralization with very spectacular looking stibnite mineralization—stibnite being the mineral that contains antimony,” he said. “Because of the discovery we moved one of our drills there to do discovery drilling.”According to the company, trenching has expanded the area of mineralization at the Marcus (West) Zone, and up to six shallow drill holes are proposed to test the zone at depths between 30 and 50 meters. The 2026 exploration program is being carried out in conjunction with a 10,000-meter definition drilling program on the Main Zone, and a second drill is being added.“We’re trying to do as much as we can at the same time,” Mr. Atkinson said of the Bald Hill project, describing efforts to compress timelines toward a permit application. Work has begun on background environmental studies and stakeholder consultations, alongside technical gap analysis covering mining method and metallurgy. A hydrogeological study has been initiated, and metallurgical testing is underway, with results expected within about a month. “The goal is a permit application to the New Brunswick government by the end of 2026 or early 2027,” he said, noting discussions with the provincial government, the Department of Indigenous Affairs, First Nations, and the local municipality.To support a resource calculation, the company is conducting definition drilling on a grid with maximum 50-meter spacing. “To calculate a resource you need very closely spaced data points—drill hole intersections,” Mr. Atkinson said. “That allows engineers to confidently connect intersections and determine continuity.” To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/46cMpNM

Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. (TSXV: NTH) (OTCQB: CCWOF) operates TTL Laboratories, the only permitted high-grade milling facility in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario, where the company has established an integrated position connecting high-grade silver discovery with strategic metals recovery operations. Its flagship Castle property encompasses 58 square kilometres of exploration ground and the past-producing Castle Mine, complemented by the Castle East discovery, which delineated 7.56 million ounces of silver in a now historical inferred resource grading 8,582 g/t Ag.“What we’re trying to do here, Tracy, is actually going into production,” Frank Basa, CEO and Chairman of Nord Precious Metals Mining Inc. (TSXV: NTH) (OTCQB: CCWOF), said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes.Basa pointed to a regulatory shift in Ontario. “In Ontario, as of last year, they came out with a thing called a recovery permit, which really simplifies juniors like us to go into production,” he said. The company had initially targeted production from a smaller high-grade tailings deposit estimated at “maybe about half a million ounces of silver,” but a new acquisition has changed the scale.“There’s—on the acquisition we’re trying to do—there’s a NI 43-101 which has 2.9 million ounces,” Basa said, referring to a historical resource estimate on tailings in the Gowganda area.According to Nord’s January 13, 2026, news release, the acquired leases contain a historical indicated resource of 1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver, yielding approximately 2,960,000 ounces of silver, with a 1981 study concluding potential silver recovery of 82.3% through grinding and conventional leaching. The company cautions that the resource is historical in nature and not treated as current.“They did a lot of metallurgical work on it and they have about 82% recovery on it, which is excellent,” Basa said. “So it’s a large tail pond, and it sits on some of the best ground in the area.”The acquisition consolidates Nord’s position in the Gowganda Silver Camp, approximately 125 kilometres northeast of Sudbury and adjacent to Nord’s existing Castle leases. The Gowganda Camp produced over 60 million ounces of silver and 1.3 million pounds of cobalt between 1909 and 1989, while the broader Cobalt-Gowganda-Silver Centre district produced approximately 550 million ounces of silver and 26 million pounds of cobalt between 1904 and 1989.“This whole area where we are—it’s actually part of the Gowganda camp, which is part of the town of Cobalt,” Basa said. “There is a lot of cobalt here, but it was primarily mined for silver.” He added that in the last century the camp “had the highest silver production globally for many, many years.”Basa said the company plans to build “one plant to treat all the material,” with TTL Laboratories serving as a district processing hub. The January 13 release states that TTL has previously produced a 1,000-ounce silver bar from Cobalt Camp material and has been metallurgically validated for processing historic tailings. “TTL has poured silver before, and we have the bar to prove it,” Basa said in the release.The recovery permit framework is central to the company’s timeline. “This recovery permit that the province created will shorten our timeline, gets rid of all the red tape, and then we could probably go into production,” Basa said. He said the company is targeting activity “probably later this year,” adding that discussions with the Ministry have included requests for modifications to accommodate a larger-scale processing plan.Nord’s integrated strategy includes recovery of cobalt, copper and nickel alongside silver. “We’re going to recover all those,” Basa said, describing cobalt as the longer-term value driver. To read the full column, go to: https://investornews.com/gold-silver-...

A junior miner in Arizona says it has no intention of waiting on the next drill hole.“Why not do that in the mining industry?” John Carter, CEO and director of Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI) (OTCQB: SBMCF), said in an interview with InvestorNews.com host Tracy Hughes, referring to the aviation sector’s hub-and-spoke model. Silver Bullet Mines Corp. describes itself as “a mining company focused on acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in North America.”Hughes began by referencing the company’s recent acquisition announcement and Carter’s long-stated strategy. Carter said he believed a hub-and-spoke structure allows a mining company “to best utilize the amount of money it has available in order for it to advance its projects and therefore protecting its shareholders.” He compared the approach to major airline hubs—“Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, New York, Atlanta. They feed things into the hub and then distribute everything from the hub.” His conclusion: “Well, why not do that in the mining industry?”In Gila County, Arizona, where Carter said “historically there’s been over 600 mines,” the company’s mill and assay facility function as the “hub.” Around it, he said, are “10 under our control that we have within a 30-mile radius.” The structure, he argued, provides speed. “Take it in the morning, have our assays back in the afternoon,” he said, describing how samples can be run internally rather than sent out for weeks. “Go out and take a ton or five and put that through our mill and run it to determine recoveries, metallurgical data that we need.”Carter said the model allows the company to screen more properties than it ultimately acquires. “Not all of them pass muster with what we have,” he said. The criteria, he added, are specific: “It has to be within a certain area, it has to be a certain grade, it has to be a certain commodity, and it has to be able to be recovered in our mill.”Hughes noted that the company’s name can lead to confusion. “I think one misconception people have is that Silver Bullet Mines is just silver, but you’re actually silver, gold and copper.” Carter confirmed that the mill currently processes gravity-recoverable metals and that expansion is underway. “We’re going to double the capacity of our mill and we’re going to add in a circuit so we can start to recover some of those other minerals that we’re missing right now,” he said. “Engineering is being done as we speak.”On February 5, 2026, Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI) (OTCQB: SBMCF) announced it had acquired the Columbia Mine and the Gold Queen Mine in Gila County, Arizona, less than 30 miles from its mill in Globe. The company said the properties consist of twelve BLM mineral claims previously held by Phelps Dodge Corporation and host multiple past-producing copper, gold and silver mines. The acquisition price was described as a small cash payment, with “no shares or any form of royalty” involved.Carter described the assets as “very well-developed copper mines” with “historic resources on it—not compliant 43-101—but historic resources that have a great deal of potential.” He said the company had sought the properties for more than a decade. “Now, the opportunity came along for us to pick it up at a reasonable price, and our cost—$2,400 a year to pay the taxes on it. That’s it.”The company said it has reviewed material from the mines at its mill and determined it can be processed for gold, silver and copper recovery. It is preparing access and evaluating stockpiles for possible shipment, and it said a direct ship ore (DSO) contract is in place subject to final material analysis.Revenue generation has become a focal point. On January 30, 2026, Silver Bullet Mines Corp. (TSXV: SBMI) (OTCQB: SBMCF) announced it had received its first payment for concentrate from its Arizona mining operations.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4qvpogs

Sheldon Bennett says the future of his company lies not in abandoning crypto, but in redefining what a power-to-server business can become.In a wide-ranging interview with InvestorNews.com host Christopher Ecclestone, Bennett, CEO and Director of DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (TSXV: DMGI | OTCQB: DMGGF), described a company that began as a pure-play Bitcoin miner and is now positioning itself as an emerging player in artificial intelligence infrastructure, sovereign data centers, and what he characterizes as national “defense storage.”“Fundamentally, we take power and we put it into servers,” Bennett said. “That’s really what a Bitcoin miner does. And out of that power into servers, we get Bitcoin.” The shift to AI, he explained, is conceptually similar. “You put power into servers—just a different type, GPUs. And instead of getting Bitcoin out, we would get paid in fiat currency.”DMG, which calls itself “a sustainable, vertically integrated blockchain and data center technology company,” operates across two strategic pillars—Core and Core+—and owns a digital asset custody subsidiary, Systemic Trust Corporation, in Alberta. Bennett noted that DMG was “actually the first Bitcoin miner to be listed in Canada,” and that the company is approaching its 10-year anniversary after spending “the last eight years or so… very strongly on Bitcoin mining.”That history has come with volatility. “Crypto is a very volatile asset in many different ways,” Bennett said. “The ups have been great, the downs have been tough.” He put the company’s current market capitalization at “somewhere around $50 million,” compared with a peak of “about $500 million.” At one point, he added, “we used to… be a $5 stock.”The financial results released December 18, 2025, reflect operational growth. Full-year 2025 revenue rose 40% to $47.3 million from $33.9 million in 2024. Cash flow from operations increased 97% to $16.2 million. Year-end cash, short-term investments and digital assets reached $65.2 million, up 81% from the prior year. The company mined 344 bitcoin during the year and ended with 342 bitcoin on its balance sheet. Net loss was $10.3 million, while comprehensive income rose to $11.3 million.“In 2025, we positioned the Company to enter the high-value Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure market,” Bennett said in the release, adding that DMG cultivated relationships with “the Canadian government, enterprises and Indigenous communities to capture unique sovereign AI opportunities.”In the interview, he framed the pivot as a deliberate effort to diversify revenue streams. “Part of our goal getting into the AI data center business is to decouple ourselves from just moving with Bitcoin,” he said. “So we have revenue and assets that are decoupled from Bitcoin.”The vehicle for that repositioning will be a new operating focus under the banner of DMG Infrastructure. “We will spend more time in 2026 talking about DMG Infrastructure versus DMG Blockchain,” Bennett said. AI data center assets will move under that structure, while blockchain-specific assets remain within DMG Blockchain. “Blockchain-specific assets and business will stay in DMG Blockchain. AI data center–specific assets and operations will be in DMG Infrastructure.”The name itself, he acknowledged, reflects an earlier era. “When we went public, our bankers said… ‘blockchain’s hot. You’ve got to put the word blockchain in.’” Now, he said, there has been “discussion of should we just take the blockchain out and be more general,” though the current plan is to emphasize DMG Infrastructure without immediately renaming the parent company.To read the full column, go to: https://bit.ly/4acVR6n