The federal government is investing more than $1.2 million through the First and Last Mile Fund to improve access to the Shaakichiuwaanaan critical minerals project in northern Quebec.
The project, led by Lithium Innova Inc., a subsidiary of PMET Resources Inc., will rehabilitate and upgrade approximately 20 kilometres of road connecting the Trans-Taiga Road to the mining site.
The Shaakichiuwaanaan deposit contains lithium, caesium and tantalum, minerals used in batteries, energy storage systems, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing. The federal government said the road improvements will provide safer year-round access for workers, equipment and materials while supporting future development of the project.
“Critical minerals are essential to a prosperous, secure and sustainable Canada and Quebec, and building and modernizing critical infrastructure like roads is what turns mineral deposits from potential into real projects,” said Tim Hodgson, minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The investment is being provided through the federal government’s First and Last Mile Fund, a $1.5-billion program aimed at supporting infrastructure needed to advance critical mineral projects across Canada.
