Canada Nickel’s Crawford $2-billion mine proposal is ranked as a Canadian nation-building project<\/p>\n
The Globe and Mail is reporting that the federal government has given the green light for Canada Nickel <\/a>is begin construction of its Crawford open-pit nickle mine, north of Timmins.<\/p>\n The Globe quotes two anonymous sources. A formal announcement of the approval reportedly comes on Friday.<\/p>\n Crawford is one of the federal government\u2019s hand-picked \u2018nation-building\u2019 projects <\/a>that was earmarked for regulatory fast-tracking through the Major Projects Office.<\/p>\n The Toronto mine developer said in June that it expected a decision<\/a> from the federal environment minister Julie Dabrusin within 30 days after the company filed its last impact assessment report.<\/p>\n This is frees up the proposed pit operation, located 40 kilometres north of Timmins, from all federal regulatory obstacles and enables Canada Nickel to raise the $2.5-billion needed to make a formal construction decision and begin ordering long lead equipment items.<\/p>\n Canada Nickel is still putting together its project financing package for Crawford, which\u00a0involves negotiations with Export Development Canada and other strategic lenders and private equity funders.<\/p>\n The company has indicated it wants to start construction in 2027 to be in production by 2029. The mine would be have an initial 40-year operating life.<\/p>\n The development would be a boon to the economy of Timmins and northeastern Ontario, creating more than 1,000 direct job, according to a Canada Nickel economic impact report,<\/a> and more than 3,000 indirect mining and support jobs.<\/p>\n