The Central Canada Resource Expo brought together leading mining and resource companies on Thursday to share insights into upcoming and active projects shaping the future of the industry.
Frontier Lithium’s PAK Project is the first project designated under Ontario’s One Project, One Process (1P1P) framework, an initiative that aims to expedite mine approvals while cutting through government review time.
Trevor Walker, president and chief executive officer of Frontier Lithium, was on hand at the Elk’s Lodge in Thunder Bay and spoke about the company’s first year with the 1P1P framework, which he says they’re making good progress on.
“We hope to see permitting by the end of this year for critical infrastructure needed for the Treaty Five region, where the asset is located,” he said, during the expo’s Projects in the Pipeline Conference.
Walker spoke about phased execution strategies and the company’s main focus on the future mine and mill to create the feedstock required to be transformed into lithium salts, which he called the “essential pixie dust” for the best batteries in the world.
He said they have had much support from the Thunder Bay municipality, and provincial and federal ministers for its downstream potential to build the conversion facility in Thunder Bay.
“We’re advancing feasibility work, and are working closely with Fluor Canada on that,” he said. “We’re working through the planning, design and economics, so that ultimately we can get to an investment decision at the mine and a final investment decision that’s positive for the downstream refinery. So again, it’s a phased execution approach, but we’re advancing both projects in parallel right now.”
Walker says Mission Island provides a wonderful opportunity to be competitive on the global stage with this integrated opportunity from mine to mill to refinery.
“There could be nothing better as a northerner to see lithium salts get put on a boat in the Port of Thunder Bay and sent to southern Ontario to be used in production,” he said.
Walker says the key is road infrastructure into Treaty Five, which they see as three sections.
“The first one is the Berens River Bridge. We’re really fortunate that the local community and both levels of government were able to come together, and that bridge is actually under construction,” he said, adding there’s a two-year timeline on that. “A section of roads through the Whitefeather Forest, a traditional territory of Pikangikum First Nation, is fully permitted and awaits funding, and then we’re leading a final 55 kilometres that would bring a primary road into the heart of Treaty Five.”
He added that they are working closely with the local communities that are proximate to the mining project.
“Under 1P1P, we’re working on permitting, and we see that we have a strong potential by the end of this calendar year to see those permits in place, which are absolutely key,” he said. “We see the potential of having mine site permitting in place by the end of 2027. So that would be infrastructure and mine within the 24 months, which is the ambition of Ontario’s 1P1P process.”
