Major mine developments in Canada require environmental assessment at the federal level under the Impact Assessment Act, and in most cases at the provincial level as well. The federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is the primary regulator for projects that meet federal thresholds. Provincial processes in BC, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan run in parallel. This tracker covers active applications for projects that would produce at least one of Canada's 34 designated critical minerals. Permitting timelines directly affect when Canadian mineral production enters global supply chains — and when equipment and services procurement cycles open.
Sources: Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), BC Environmental Assessment Office, Ontario Ministry of Mines, Quebec BAPE, Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources. Last updated: June 2026.
| Project | Company | Prov. | Primary Mineral | Stage | Regulator | Expected Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring of Fire (Webequie Supply Road) |
Webequie First Nation / Ontario | ON | Chromite / Nickel | Federal EA — under review | IAAC + Ontario MECP | 2026–2027 | Indigenous-led road infrastructure; prerequisite for Ring of Fire mine development. Marten Falls community access road running parallel. |
| Noront Eagle's Nest | Wyloo Metals | ON | Nickel / Chromite / Copper / PGMs | Awaiting road access; pre-EA | IAAC (anticipated) | 2027–2028 (EA start) | Dependent on Ring of Fire road. Wyloo acquired from Noront in 2022. Deposit contains one of the highest-grade nickel concentrations in Canada. |
| Sisson Project | Northcliff Resources | NB | Tungsten / Molybdenum | EA complete — awaiting construction decision | IAAC (complete) / NB DELG (complete) | Construction decision pending | All approvals in place. Project viability dependent on tungsten price recovery. Would be Canada's only operating tungsten mine. |
| Frontier Lithium PAK Project | Frontier Lithium | ON | Lithium (spodumene) | Advancing to feasibility | IAAC (not yet triggered) / Ontario | EA filing anticipated 2026–2027 | High-grade spodumene in the Electric Metals Corridor, northwestern Ontario. Potential partnership with strategic investors given battery supply chain interest. |
| Canada Nickel Crawford | Canada Nickel Company | ON | Nickel / Cobalt / PGMs | Feasibility underway | IAAC (anticipated) / Ontario MECP | EA filing 2026–2027 | Largest undeveloped nickel sulphide deposit in Canada. Timmins, ON. NetZero Nickel branding targeting ESG investors. |
| Appia Rare Earths Alces Lake | Appia Rare Earths & Uranium | SK | Rare Earth Elements (ionic clay) | Exploration / resource definition | Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources | EA filing 2027+ | Highest-grade ionic clay REE deposit in North America per company reporting. Ramaco-REalloys offtake discussions signal commercial interest forming. |
| Patriot Battery Metals Shaakichiuwaanaan | Patriot Battery Metals | QC | Lithium (spodumene) | Resource definition; PEA expected 2026 | Quebec BAPE (anticipated) | EA filing 2027+ | James Bay region. One of the largest lithium discoveries in the Americas by resource size. Strategic importance to Quebec battery cluster. |
| Nemaska Lithium Whabouchi | Nemaska Lithium (Livent / IQ) | QC | Lithium (spodumene) | Construction phase | Quebec BAPE (complete) | Production 2025–2026 | Quebec government and Investissement Québec are major shareholders. Battery-grade lithium hydroxide end product. Shawinigan processing facility receiving federal support. |
| Sabina / B2Gold Back River | B2Gold | NU | Gold | Construction underway | NIRB (complete) | Production 2025 | B2Gold acquired Sabina in 2023. Remote Arctic operation requiring significant logistics infrastructure. Kitikmeot Inuit Association IBA in place. |
| Vital Metals Nechalacho | Vital Metals / Cheetah Resources | NWT | Rare Earth Elements | Initial production achieved | Mackenzie Valley EIRB (complete) | Expanded production 2025–2026 | Canada's first rare earth mine in production. SRC Saskatoon processing facility receives concentrate. Demonstrates Canadian REE value chain is technically viable. |
Federal environmental assessment under the Impact Assessment Act is required for designated projects — generally mines producing more than 3,000 tonnes per day or located in sensitive areas. The process typically takes 3–5 years from application to decision. Provincial processes run concurrently. First Nations duty-to-consult requirements apply throughout and are increasingly structured as formal partnership agreements rather than consultation-only processes. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada maintains the public registry of all active federal assessments at iaac-aeic.gc.ca.