Canada’s new C$25‑billion Canada Strong Fund, to be deployed over three years, will act as a sovereign equity investor alongside tools like the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Export Development Canada, targeting large critical minerals, infrastructure‑adjacent and advanced manufacturing projects. Mining proponents seeking Fund backing will need “Fund‑ready” projects, with disciplined capital plans, advanced permitting, robust Indigenous engagement and transparent supply chains, and should expect tighter scrutiny of foreign ownership. A parallel Defence Industrial Strategy elevates 10 NATO‑listed defence‑critical minerals produced in Canada to security assets, favouring Canadian or allied mine‑to‑processing supply chains and execution‑ready projects over speculative plays.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government plans a large legislative package this autumn to cut permitting timelines by up to half for early and advanced exploration, mine expansions and projects in its One Project, One Process stream, which already covers Frontier Lithium’s PAK, Canada Nickel’s C$2‑billion Crawford and Kinross’s Great Bear. Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce is tying the reforms to a new defence-focused minerals strategy for 2027 and Toronto’s bid to host Nato’s Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. The policy push emphasises domestic processing of nickel and other critical minerals, reduced federal–provincial duplication, and faster roads and transmission to the Ring of Fire.

Guidance for nuclear site licensing has been updated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation for the first time since 2021, placing stronger emphasis on early, structured engagement between developers and the regulator. The refresh aligns licensing expectations with recent UK government policy on new nuclear, including large gigawatt-scale stations and small modular reactors. For civil and geotechnical teams, earlier ONR input at concept and site selection stages is likely to affect ground investigation strategies, safety case development and programme risk.