Nova Scotia quietly advancing pursuit of critical mineral development

Nova Scotia has struck a deal with Ottawa to help with the pursuit of growing the critical minerals industry, which some say is essential for supporting clean energy goals.

Shortly before calling a snap election this fall, Premier Tim Houston's cabinet signed an order-in-council that refers to funding from Ottawa "for the development of critical mineral potential in Nova Scotia."

The province did not answer questions about the deal during the campaign. Following the Progressive Conservative win last month, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said the province has signed two agreements with Natural Resources Canada.

"One of the agreements will help develop supply chains, and the other will help assess the province's critical mineral potential," they said.

The department declined to provide any other details, stating it needed to work with its federal partners before sharing more information.

Natural Resources Canada told CBC News it has conditionally approved just shy of $1 million for Nova Scotia to use over three years for two projects.

The money will be awarded through the federal government's critical minerals geoscience and data initiative, which has the stated goal of "boosting Canada's critical minerals potential through data and digital technologies."

WATCH | Canada thinks mining will be key to unlocking clean energy potential:

Ottawa unveils critical minerals strategy to combat climate change

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Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson unveiled the Liberal government's new critical minerals strategy, including plans to faster excavate materials for clean energy technology.

Canada has named 31 minerals as critical in a strategy that came out last year. The national strategy highlights the need for critical minerals in the "green transition" for technologies that include batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels.

Nova Scotia released a critical minerals strategy of its own last fall, which says participating in a national critical mineral supply chain will be "vital" for the transition to a low-carbon economy and to reach the provincial goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The strategy has eight objectives, which include creating a "stable supply" of critical minerals for Nova Scotia and Canada to use for clean technologies.

Nova Scotia went through the federal government's critical mineral list to create its own, narrowing in on 16 compounds.. According to the province's strategy, it picked minerals to be listed as critical based on four criteria: exploration potential, requirements for meeting carbon emissions targets, supply and demand imbalance in a global context, and the likelihood of presenting a strategic opportunity for Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia's critical mineral list:

• Antimony.
• Cobalt.
• Copper.
• Graphite.
• Germanium.
• Gallium.
• Indium.
• Lithium.
• Manganese.
• Molybdenum.
• Niobum.
• Rare earth elements.
• Tantalum.
• Tin.
• Tungsten.
• Zinc.

According to a recent report from the Mining Association of Nova Scotia, there are historical examples of production of copper, tin, zinc, graphite, antimony, manganese and molybdenum in Nova Scotia.