Ontario Building a Stronger Critical Minerals Supply Chain by Investing in Early Exploration

This afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie, Premier Doug Ford and George Pirie, Minister of Mines announced the Ontario government has invested $5.8 million to help junior mining companies explore for critical minerals used in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, pharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing technologies. This funding is part of the government’s Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP)

Since our government launched OJEP in 2021, Ontario committed $29 million over four years to the program. This includes $17 million for all types of minerals, and a new $12 million stream dedicated exclusively to critical minerals exploration.

The third intake for applications for the Ontario Junior Exploration Program is now open! We encourage companies to get their applications in so they can start exploring for the mines of the future.

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